Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Drought and Waterlogging in Karst Mountains in Southwest China

Abstract

Under the synergetic effect of land use and climate change, natural disasters occur frequently in the karst region of southwest China. This study used the daily precipitation data from 33 meteorological stations across 61 years (1960–2020), utilized the MK test and the Z index to calculate the levels of drought and waterlogging (DW) at multiple times (month and year) and spatial (province, sub-divisions, station) scales, and investigated the spatiotemporal patterns and their associated factors in DW in the karst mountains of Guizhou, southwest China. The results showed that: (1) DW occurred frequently and increasingly during the study period in Guizhou, with seven mutations of annual DW. (2) There were more droughts (especially heavy droughts) based on annual data, but more waterlogging (especially heavy waterlogging) based on monthly data. Drought occurred most frequently in summer, while waterlogging was most frequent in spring, followed by winter. (3) The normalized difference drought and waterlogging index (NDDWI) was created in this study to exhibit combined DW phenomena, which could be improved in the future to better present the compound hazards. The spatiotemporal patterns of DW in Guizhou were complicated and associated with terrain, geology, climate change, vegetation, land use, etc.

Structural Classification, Discharge Statistics, and Recession Analysis from the Springs of the Gran Sasso (Italy) Carbonate Aquifer; Comparison with Selected Analogues Worldwide

“…This mathematical scenario finds an application in terms of groundwater resource management. Despite the carbonate origin of the studied aquifer, its springs are less prone to rapid decreases in discharge and, hence, less exposed to summer droughts that can occur in karst environments [2,30,71]. According to the results of our study, the springs of the Gran Sasso appear to be able to withstand periods of water scarcities and can thus serve as an emergency water supply for nearby areas.…”

Spatiotemporal Variation and Drivers of Drought Based on TVDI in the Lower Reaches of the Jinsha River

“…Traditional drought indexes are accurate, but they are often limited by the number and distribution of monitoring stations. The small spatial coverage of each station makes it difficult to accurately reflect the spatial heterogeneity of droughts (Liang et al, 2014; Dai et al, 2023; Zhou et al, 2023). Remote sensing technology has been widely used in recent years due to its advantages of large spatial coverage, continuity, and convenience for large-scale and long-term drought monitoring (Rhee et al, 2010).…”

Recognition of Plastic Film in Terrain-Fragmented Areas Based on Drone Visible Light Images

“…China has the largest and most widely distributed karst area [15], with the southwest bare karst region, centered in Guizhou, being the largest and most densely distributed area globally [16]. The rugged surface and extremely poor soil of karst terrain are unfavorable for agricultural development [17], leading to the popular saying in the Yun-Gui Plateau region: "No three flat miles, no three sunny days, no three taels of silver." Crop growth in karst mountainous regions is complex, with scattered planting distributions.…”