{{Short description|Type of drought}} A '''flash drought''' is a type of drought characterized by its rapid onset, intensification, and severity over a relatively short timescale, usually within a few days or weeks.<ref name="Lisonbee2021">{{cite journal |last1=Lisonbee |first1=J. N. |last2=Otkin |first2=J. A. |last3=Anderson |first3=M. C. |date=2021 |title=Characterizing Flash Droughts in the United States |journal=Journal of Hydrometeorology |volume=22 |issue=5 |pages=1297–1315 |doi=10.1175/JHM-D-20-0159.1|s2cid=230582878 }}</ref> This concept has evolved during the last decade{{When|date=February 2026}} as researchers have become more interested in understanding and mitigating its impacts.<ref name="Lisonbee2021" /><ref name="Otkin2018">{{cite journal |last1=Otkin |first1=J. A. |last2=Anderson |first2=M. C. |last3=Hain |first3=C. |date=2018 |title=Examining the relationship between drought and rapid intensification of Hurricane Harvey (2017) |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |volume=45 |issue=12 |pages=6636–6643 |doi=10.1029/2018GL077597|doi-access=free |osti=1559277 |url=https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1559277 }}</ref> There is no standard definition for flash droughts.<ref name="Tyagi et al. 2022">{{cite journal |last1=Tyagi |first1=Shoobhangi |last2=Zhang |first2=Xiang |last3=Saraswat |first3=Dharmendra |last4=Sahany |first4=Sandeep |last5=Mishra |first5=Saroj Kanta |last6=Niyogi |first6=Dev |title=Flash Drought: Review of Concept, Prediction and the Potential for Machine Learning, Deep Learning Methods |journal=Earth's Future |date=November 2022 |volume=10 |issue=11 |doi=10.1029/2022EF002723|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Lisonbee et al. 2021">{{cite journal |last1=Lisonbee |first1=Joel |last2=Woloszyn |first2=Molly |last3=Skumanich |first3=Marina |title=Making sense of flash drought: definitions, indicators, and where we go from here |journal=Journal of Applied and Service Climatology |date=2021 |issue=1 |doi=10.46275/JOASC.2021.02.001}}</ref> Indicators used to classify flash droughts in scientific literature include its agricultural and ecological impacts, its rate of onset, its duration, and combinations of timing and severity.<ref name="Tyagi et al. 2022" /><ref name="Christian et al. 2024">{{cite journal |last1=Christian |first1=Jordan I. |last2=Hobbins |first2=Mike |last3=Hoell |first3=Andrew |last4=Otkin |first4=Jason A. |last5=Ford |first5=Trent W. |last6=Cravens |first6=Amanda E. |last7=Powlen |first7=Kathryn A. |last8=Wang |first8=Hailan |last9=Mishra |first9=Vimal |title=Flash drought: A state of the science review |journal=WIREs Water |date=May 2024 |volume=11 |issue=3 |doi=10.1002/wat2.1714}}</ref> Flash droughts differ from other drought categories such as meteorological, hydrological, agricultural, ecological, and socioeconomic droughts, in that they develop and intensify more quickly, posing unique challenges for monitoring, prediction, and mitigation.
== History ==
Flash droughts have gained increasing attention from researchers and policymakers due to their significant impacts on agriculture and water resources.<ref name="Lisonbee2021">{{cite journal |last1=Lisonbee |first1=J. N. |last2=Otkin |first2=J. A. |last3=Anderson |first3=M. C. |date=2021 |title=Characterizing Flash Droughts in the United States |journal=Journal of Hydrometeorology |volume=22 |issue=5 |pages=1297–1315 |doi=10.1175/JHM-D-20-0159.1|s2cid=230582878 }}</ref> The term "flash drought" was coined to describe the rapid onset and intensification of drought conditions, which set it apart from other, more conventional drought types that develop over longer periods. Early research focused on understanding the unique characteristics and drivers of flash droughts, while more recent studies have explored their impacts on agriculture, ecosystems, and water resources.<ref name="Lisonbee2021">{{cite journal |last1=Lisonbee |first1=J. N. |last2=Otkin |first2=J. A. |last3=Anderson |first3=M. C. |date=2021 |title=Characterizing Flash Droughts in the United States |journal=Journal of Hydrometeorology |volume=22 |issue=5 |pages=1297–1315 |doi=10.1175/JHM-D-20-0159.1|s2cid=230582878 }}</ref>
=== Remote sensing ===
Remote sensing data, such as satellite-derived measurements of soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and vegetation indices, can provide valuable information on the development and progression of flash droughts.<ref name="Anderson2019">{{cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=M. C. |last2=Zolin |first2=C. A. |last3=Sentelhas |first3=P. C. |date=2019 |title=Agrometeorological screening of major world climatic types with the FAO aridity index |journal=Agricultural and Forest Meteorology |volume=265 |pages=171–183 |doi=10.1016/j.agrformet.2018.11.007|hdl=2268/232468 |s2cid=92150576 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Remote sensing data can be used to assess the rapid response of ecosystems to flash droughts by analysing multiple ecological metrics derived from satellite observations. These metrics, such as gross primary productivity (GPP), net primary productivity (NPP), and leaf area index (LAI), can provide insights into the reactions of ecosystems to flash droughts from both vegetation physiological and structural perspectives. == Impacts ==
Drier air caused by flash droughts can increase the risk of heat waves, increasing human and animal mortality.<ref name="l676">{{cite journal | last=Christian | first=Jordan I. | last2=Hobbins | first2=Mike | last3=Hoell | first3=Andrew | last4=Otkin | first4=Jason A. | last5=Ford | first5=Trent W. | last6=Cravens | first6=Amanda E. | last7=Powlen | first7=Kathryn A. | last8=Wang | first8=Hailan | last9=Mishra | first9=Vimal | title=Flash drought: A state of the science review | journal=WIREs Water | volume=11 | issue=3 | date=2024 | issn=2049-1948 | doi=10.1002/wat2.1714 |display-authors=1}}</ref> It can also increase the amount of dead and dried vegetation, raising the risk of wildfire;<ref name="l676"/> the 2023 Canadian wildfires were partially driven by flash droughts in Canada's east.<ref name="f068">{{cite journal | last=Jain | first=Piyush | last2=Barber | first2=Quinn E. | last3=Taylor | first3=Stephen W. | last4=Whitman | first4=Ellen | last5=Acuna | first5=Castellanos | last6=Boulanger | first6=Yan | last7=D. | first7=l | last8=Chen | first8=Jack | last9=Englefield | first9=Peter | last10=Flannigan | first10=Mike | last11=Girardin | first11=Martin P. | last12=Hanes | first12=Chelene C. | last13=Little | first13=John | last14=Morrison | first14=Kimberly | last15=Skakun | first15=Rob S. | last16=Thompson | first16=Dan K. | last17=Wang | first17=Xianli | title=Drivers and Impacts of the Record-Breaking 2023 Wildfire Season in Canada | journal=Nature Communications | publisher=Nature Publishing Group | volume=15 | issue=1 | date=2024-08-20 | issn=2041-1723 | doi=10.1038/s41467-024-51154-7 | pages=1–14 | url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51154-7 | access-date=2024-08-21 | display-authors=1| pmc=11335882 }}</ref>
== References == <references />
Category:Droughts Category:Climate change and agriculture Category:Hydrology Category:Meteorological phenomena Category:Water and the environment Category:Remote sensing