Recent droughts in Europe (e.g. 2018 and 2022) have highlighted the vulnerability of temperate and subarctic regions to drought, and the threats it poses to ecosystems, agriculture, energy production, water resources and societies. However, much of the research body on drought focusses on hotter and drier regions, potentially under- or misrepresenting colder and wetter regions, and their complex behavior under droughts – including systems dominated by snow and glaciers to systems without, systems with shallow soils to systems with large groundwater bodies. This session aims to gather knowledge about droughts in cold- and temperate regions across the full chain from meteorological to hydrological drought, spanning water vapor, precipitation, soil moisture, streamflow, and groundwater. We especially welcome submissions related to the following topics:
1. Drought monitoring and forecasting, hereunder work related to drought indices, drought drivers and climate change
2. Drought impacts on society and ecosystems, including water resources, risk assessment, management, and governance.
3. Groundwater drought, including aquifer vulnerability, quality and quantity issues and anthropogenic impacts from abstraction and irrigation
4. Related hazards such as heatwaves and wildfires typical for cold- and temperate regions.