Abstract:
Drought undermines water security by diminishing the capacity of water resource systems to provide sustainable access to clean water, essential for supporting ecosystems and livelihoods. Drought significantly affects water resources, agriculture, energy production, and various socio-economic activities. Regional to continental-scale drought events can trigger water and food scarcity, leading to cascading effects on the global economy. The progression of drought events arises from complex interactions between climate and catchment processes. Therefore, understanding the spatial and interconnected structures of droughts, from regional to continental scales, is crucial for assessing the impending risk of mega-scale droughts. Additionally, the concurrent occurrence of spatial extreme events has garnered increasing attention from the scientific community in recent years.
In this presentation, I will provide an overview of drought extremes and discuss the key climate and catchment characteristics that shape hydrological drought regimes. I will explore the functional relationships and interactions among the dominant variables and examine how drought events are linked regionally and globally. Furthermore, I will discuss the migration patterns of drought over the land surfaces. The insights gained from this research can help minimize the impacts of drought and inform long-term strategies for conserving our water resources, protecting the environment, and sustaining ecosystems.
Bio:
Dr. Ashok Mishra is a professor in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University. He has published over 130 research articles and has received numerous accolades, including the NSF CAREER Award, the Board of Trustees Award for Excellence (2019), and the McQueen Quattlebaum Faculty Achievement Award (2022) from Clemson University. Dr. Mishra was elected to the Board of Directors of CUAHSI (Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc.) for the term 2019-2024. Additionally, he serves as an editor for the Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, published by ASCE, and Earth’s Future Journal, published by AGU.
