Published January 31, 2024 | Version v1
Publication Open

Exploring drought-to-flood interactions and dynamics: A global case review

Description

This study synthesizes the current understanding of the hydrological, impact, and adaptation processes underlying drought-to-flood events (i.e., consecutive drought and flood events), and how they interact. Based on an analysis of liter- ature and a global assessment of historic cases, we show how drought can affect flood risk and assess under which circumstances drought-to-flood inter- actions can lead to increased or decreased risk. We make a distinction between hydrological, socio-economic and adaptation processes. Hydrological processes include storage and runoff processes, which both seem to mostly play a role when the drought is a multiyear event and when the flood occurs during the drought. However, which process is dominant when and where, and how this is influenced by human intervention needs further research. Processes related to socio-economic impacts have been studied less than hydrological processes, but in general, changes in vulnerability seem to play an important role in increasing or decreasing drought-to-flood impacts. Additionally, there is evi- dence of increased water quality problems due to drought-to-flood events, when compared to drought or flood events by themselves. Adaptation affects both hydrological (e.g., through groundwater extraction) or socio-economic (e.g., influencing vulnerability) processes. There are many examples of adaptation, but there is limited evidence of when and where certain processes occur and why. Overall, research on drought-to-flood events is scarce. To increase our understanding of drought-to-flood events we need more compre- hensive studies on the underlying hydrological, socio-economic, and adapta- tion processes and their interactions, as well as the circumstances that lead to the dominance of certain processes.

Files

WIREs Water - 2024 - Barendrecht - Exploring drought%E2%80%90to%E2%80%90flood interactions and dynamics A global case review.pdf

Additional details

Funding

MYRIAD-EU – Multi-hazard and sYstemic framework for enhancing Risk-Informed mAnagement and Decision-making in the E.U. 101003276
European Commission
PerfectSTORM – STOrylines of futuRe extreMes 948601
European Commission

Dates

Accepted
2024-01-31