Publication Date:
2017-07-08
Description:
The limitation of the fixed time scale in the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) family has long been criticized in drought literatures. By modifying the algorithm of duration factors estimation of the self-calibrating PDSI (SC-PDSI), this paper proposed a new approach that could extend the time scale in a wide range. The properties of these newly derived SC-PDSI variants (denoted as SC-PDSI x ) at short, medium and long time scales respectively, were evaluated through comparisons with the multi-scalar standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) over 134 meteorological sites in China. Results show that new SC-PDSI x generally inherits the advantages of original SC-PDSI with a rather stable behavior in aspects of drought frequency and other statistical characteristics. Besides, the spatiotemporal pattern of the 2011 drought reflected by matched SC-PDSI x and SPEI is very similar, indicating the multi-scalar SC-PDSI could be a useful alternative to monitor droughts at different time scales.
Print ISSN:
0094-8276
Electronic ISSN:
1944-8007
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
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