Publication details

Variability of droughts in the Czech Republic, 1881-2006

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Authors

BRÁZDIL Rudolf TRNKA Miroslav DOBROVOLNÝ Petr CHROMÁ Kateřina HLAVINKA Petr ŽALUD Zdeněk

Year of publication 2009
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Theor. Appl. Climatol.
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Science

Citation
Web http://www.springerlink.com/content/71415085373386t7/?p=efe2874ce9c1442798969f8062809dfb&pi=8
Field Atmosphere sciences, meteorology
Keywords droughts; Palmer drought severity index; Z-index; standardized precipitation index; maximum entropy spectral analysis; synoptic climatology; Czech Republic
Description Droughts in the Czech Republic from 1881-2006 based on the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) and the Z-index were analysed, using averaged national temperature and precipitation series for the calculations. The standardized precipitation index (SPI), PDSI and Z-index series show an increasing tendency towards longer and more intensive dry episodes. The occurrence of extremely dry and severely dry months is associated with a higher frequency of anticyclonic situations according to the classification employed by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Drought episodes have a profound effect on national and regional agricultural production, with yields being consistently lower than in normal years, as is documented through the example of selscted crops. This study clearly confirms the statistically significant tendency to more intensive dry episodes in the region, driven by temperature increase and precipitation decrease, which has already been suggested in other studies.
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