In an article published by Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, CSU professors Mazdak Arabi and Shrideep Pallickara advocate for a broader scope in monitoring droughts to include the resulting impacts of droughts.

With satellite imaging and improved modeling, drought monitoring now has the capacity to produce near real-time data. Yet, that data focuses on the immediate hazards resulting from droughts. Arabi (Civil and Environmental Engineering) and Pallickara (Computer Science) make the case for also monitoring the “drought-related compound or cascading hazards such as heatwaves, wildfires, floods and debris flows and water quality hazards.”

By expanding data collection to include impact-based drought monitoring, communities will be better equipped to forecast and address societal issues such as food and water security, energy production, and even unemployment.

Access the full article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-023-00457-2