Curated pages dedicated to humanitarian themes and specific humanitarian crises. In a world warmed by human-induced climate change, droughts are expected to become more common and more severe in some parts of the world. Lastly, drinking and tap water shortages lead to socioeconomic drought. North and central Ethiopia suffered their worst drought in decades in 2015, a year marked by a strong El Niño. 1.
The need for more agricultural land to produce enough food under drought conditions might lead to deforestation, which reduces the capacity of the environment to store water. UN CampusPlatz der Vereinten Nationen 1,D-53113 Bonn, Germany, Designed and Developed by the UNU Office of Communications, A concern in the summer: 5 facts on heat stress, Water allocation and climate modeling for water resource management. Cape Town in South Africa was about to reach Day Zero, the day when water taps would have run dry in the city. Your email address will not be published. With climate change, droughts will become more frequent and more severe. South Africa for example was experiencing the late impacts of an exceptional drought in the years 2015/2016, which was at that time mainly triggered by the strongest recorded El Niño year, where warm surface temperature in the tropical Pacific Ocean brought warm and dry winds to South Africa. One of the more alarming drought facts: Droughts are not as predictable as other sudden weather events such as hurricanes, thunderstorms, and tornadoes. Droughts are slowly emerging over time. Hydrological drought stems from low water levels in lakes and other water sources.
Due to the lack of water for crop irrigation, drought can also affect the food chain – resulting in famine.
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Droughts are a natural phenomenon that can damage crops and threaten water supply. The rivers have low water levels and the vegetation turns its color from green to yellow during the period of the growing season. Share on Facebook. The effects of El Niño play out in different ways across the planet. Tweet on Twitter. As the climate warms, droughts become more common. The drought affected nearly 10 million Ethiopians. on the duration of … If not managed well, droughts can trigger a vicious circle where human well-being, the economy and the environment spiral downwards fast. Only half to three quarters of the rainfall expected was received from February to September.5. The rivers have low water levels and the vegetation turns its color from green to yellow during the period of the growing season. Farmers waited for the belg rains that generally occur between February and May in the central and eastern parts of the country (Figures 1, 2 and 3). If there is not enough water for agricultural production, farmers lose their harvest and livelihoods, the population is exposed to high food prices on the market and the most vulnerable face food insecurity. There are different types of droughts, with various causes and effects. [1] The four types are: meteorological (lack of precipitation), agricultural, (lack of moisture in the soil where crops grow), hydrological (low levels of water in lakes and reservoirs), and socioeconomic (water shortages in drinking and running water). The drought affected nearly 10 million Ethiopians. About 10% of the Ethiopian population is completely dependent on this season to provide rainfall for crops and pastures. Climate change has already been affecting global patterns not only in terms of drought, but also in hydroclimate trends and variability. Moreover, the most intense period was observed in the week of July 29, 2014. They incorporate soil moisture data into the estimation of future risks of drought in the 21st century. Droughts damage animal, bird, and fish habitats as well. With scarce water supplies, it seems like there should be nothing fun about a drought to even be considered. But because of the various ways it is measured, an objective drought definition has yet to be produced upon which everyone can agree. Irrigation and thermoelectric power use the most water in the United States. Drought refers to a period of below-normal precipitation in an area or region. Yet in even the darkest of times this world has seen, there are still fun facts to be discovered. Contrary to popular belief, a drought isn’t just a time of the year that’s unnaturally hot.
From February to August 2015, the northern-central and some eastern parts of the country received only 500 mm of rainfall, a deficit of 167 mm from the long-term average (Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Stations, CHIRPS). Scientists with World Weather Attribution used multiple methods of attribution science to look at the possible roles that climate change and El Niño played in the drought. Drought is typically classified into 4 types: Low rain or precipitation causes meteorological drought, while lack of soil moisture causes agricultural drought. *, 40 Global Warming Facts That You Need to Know Right Now. Watering crops in agriculture is the human activity that uses the most water worldwide. There are always wet years and dry years, but the past three years have been among the driest on record—and state officials worry that 2015 will be even drier. Those parts of the world which will not take preventive actions and to which drought will come as a surprise will be affected the most. A drought is a stage during which farmers are urgently waiting for rain because the soils run dry. NASA research uses tree rings in comprehending past models of droughts and climate. ReliefWeb Labs projects explore new and emerging opportunities to improve information delivery to humanitarians.
Read also: 40 Global Warming Facts That You Need to Know Right Now. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, approximately 9-13 million people died when it didn’t rain in Northern China from 1876 to 1879. Dust bowls result in the complete blowing away of the topsoil layer. Droughts can be particularly devastating on a region. Learn more about how it affects us with these drought facts. In 2017 and 2018, we have seen several exceptional water crises around the globe. They found that El Niño made this rare drought even drier in the kiremt season. The dry conditions left hundreds of thousands of farmers with failed crops and weakened or dead livestock. OCHA coordinates the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crises. Such was the case in Darfur, Sudan. Different drought measurements indicate different levels of severity, which can depend e.g. List of organizations that are actively providing ReliefWeb with content.
0. In Ethiopia, El Niño can lead to drier conditions, mainly in the north-western part of the country, affecting the rainy season known as kiremt that occurs in June–September.
Subsequently, these patterns of abnormal weather is expected to continue as long as the world continues to warm. One of the drought facts that shows how it can affect us is that drought can cause wars. But in 2015, the kiremt season was delayed and the rains were erratic and below average. The east coast of Australia recorded less than a fifth of its typical rainfall per season, the US drought monitor detected highest level of drought severity in central US states, and farmers in Germany were applying for governmental aid to overcome their financial losses due to lost harvests in the dry and hot summer in Europe. Record history also shows that 2014 and 2015 were the state’s hottest years, following worsened effects due to high temperatures.
Famine from drought in 1928-1930 Northwest China brought death upon 3 million people. The conflict arose from decades of drought, overpopulation, and land degradation. Such was the case in Darfur, Sudan. A drought is a stage during which farmers are urgently waiting for rain because the soils run dry. Find latest updates on global humanitarian responses, Climate and Development Knowledge Network, Caught between extremes: Violence, drought, flooding, and now a locust invasion, Thematic Series - No matter of choice: Displacement in a changing climate - 'Nothing to put in your mouth': Seeking durable solutions to drought displacement in Ethiopia (December 2019), Hunger levels soar in Horn of Africa as region faces driest summer in over 35 years, Fighting Climate Change: Helping Ethiopian Farmers Adapt to Drought and Flooding. In these cases, people were forced to find access to water outside of their respective regions, causing territorial disputes.
It was around the same time when monsoon rains befell India for 2 years (1876-78), killing around 5 million people.
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