An analysis of drought evolution characteristics based on standardized precipitation index: a case study in Southwest Guizhou Autonomous Prefecture, China

摘要

Drought is a worldwide concerned issue which causes huge losses in agriculture, economic and damages in natural ecosystems. The precise assessment of drought evolution characteristics is essential for agricultural water management and drought resistance, while such work is rarely reported. Thus, eight meteorological stations located within the Southwest Guizhou Autonomous Prefecture (SGAP) were selected, and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to assess the drought evolution characteristics. The results revealed that the drought occurrences number in Pu'an station was the largest (23 droughts), and the average drought duration in Xingren station was the longest (48.75 months). Moreover, the drought characteristics of the eight stations have account for the largest proportion under normal conditions, was more than 60%, the frequency of drought disaster occurring in Xingren is the highest (30.05%), followed by Wangmo (23.73%). The results of this study will provide theoretical guidance for drought resistance and agricultural production in Southwest Guizhou Autonomous Prefecture of China.