Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3631-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3631-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Opinion article
| 
08 Sep 2016
Opinion article |
| 08 Sep 2016
Drought in a human-modified world: reframing drought definitions, understanding, and analysis approaches
Water Science Research Group, School of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
Kerstin Stahl
Hydrology Department, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Giuliano Di Baldassarre
Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Julian Clark
Human Geography Research Group, School of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Sally Rangecroft
Water Science Research Group, School of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
Niko Wanders
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
Tom Gleeson
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
Albert I. J. M. Van Dijk
Fenner School of Environment & Society, the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Lena M. Tallaksen
Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Jamie Hannaford
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, UK
Remko Uijlenhoet
Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
Adriaan J. Teuling
Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
David M. Hannah
Water Science Research Group, School of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
Justin Sheffield
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
Mark Svoboda
National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
Boud Verbeiren
Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
Thorsten Wagener
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Henny A. J. Van Lanen
Hydrology and Quantitative Water Management group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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Latest update: 15 Nov 2025
Short summary
In the Anthropocene, drought cannot be viewed as a natural hazard independent of people. Drought can be alleviated or made worse by human activities and drought impacts are dependent on a myriad of factors. In this paper, we identify research gaps and suggest a framework that will allow us to adequately analyse and manage drought in the Anthropocene. We need to focus on attribution of drought to different drivers, linking drought to its impacts, and feedbacks between drought and society.
In the Anthropocene, drought cannot be viewed as a natural hazard independent of people. Drought...
