A Comparison of Agriculture-related Characteristics of Flash and Traditional Drought

Despite rapid progress in the burgeoning field of flash drought research, few studies directly compare the differences in characteristics between flash drought (commonly understood as quick, rapid-onset drought) and traditional, slow-moving drought, particularly over agricultural regions where the effects may be the most disastrous. In this study, flash and traditional (normal) drought events are identified using reanalysis soil moisture in the data-rich agricultural region of the California Central Valley for investigation of characteristics related to agriculture, namely the relative duration of drought events, the correlation with vegetation condition, the impact of aridity, and the differences in them between rainfed and irrigated agriculture. Overall, there are considerable differences between flash and normal drought, particularly in their spatial distributions and trends due to aridity. Flash droughts even indicate a counterintuitive improvement in vegetation condition in the northern, more humid regions. Results also indicate improvements in vegetation conditions during drought for irrigated land over rainfed, highlighting the importance of irrigation as a drought protection strategy in agriculture.