Drought: Opportunities for Impact Mitigation

Quantification of Agricultural Drought for Effective Drought Mitigation and Preparedness: Key Issues and Challenges

The goal of the WMO Expert Meeting on Agricultural Drought Indices was to move forward in the selection of a single drought index that would be used worldwide in the assessment of agricultural drought and its severity. This chapter discusses the challenges in identifying a single index to accomplish this task. Given the complexities of drought and its diverse sectoral impacts, this is a formida...

Remote sensing of drought: Progress, challengesand opportunities

This review surveys current and emerging drought monitoring approaches using satellite remote sensing observations from climatological and ecosystem perspectives. We argue that satellite observations not currently used for operational drought monitoring, such as near-surface air relative humidity data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder mission, provide opportunities to improve early drought ...

Nanopesticides and Nanofertilizers: Emerging Contaminants or Opportunities for Risk Mitigation?

Research into nanotechnology applications for use in agriculture has become increasingly popular over the past decade, with a particular interest in developing novel nanoagrochemicals in the form of so-called "nanopesticides" and "nanofertilizers." In view of the extensive body of scientific literature available on the topic, many authors have foreseen a revolution in current agricultural pract...

Understanding the Complex Impacts of Drought: A Key to Enhancing Drought Mitigation and Preparedness

Recent droughts in the United States have highlighted the nation’s current and increasing vulnerability to this natural hazard. Drought-related impacts are also becoming more complex, as illustrated by the rapidly rising impacts in sectors such as recreation and tourism, energy, and transportation. Environmental and social consequences are also of increasing importance. Conflicts between water ...

Improving Drought Early Warning Systems in the Context of Drought Preparedness and Mitigation