Articles | Volume 29, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-2321-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-2321-2025
Research article
 | 
03 Jun 2025
Research article |  | 03 Jun 2025

Analysis of past and future droughts causing clay shrinkage in France

Sophie Barthelemy, Bertrand Bonan, Miquel Tomas-Burguera, Gilles Grandjean, Séverine Bernardie, Jean-Philippe Naulin, Patrick Le Moigne, Aaron Boone, and Jean-Christophe Calvet

Related authors

Improvements of a subcanopy snow model and its interception conveyed by observations from a mid-altitude alpine site
Thomas Pauze, Axel Bouchet, Isabelle Gouttevin, Aaron Boone, Mathieu Fructus, Matthieu Lafaysse, Erwan Le Gac, Agnès Rivière, and Yves Lejeune
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4137,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4137, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscientific Model Development (GMD).
Short summary
Impact of extreme rainfall on triggering conditions and susceptibility for shallow landslides: a case study in the Alpes-Maritimes region (France)
Lucie Armand, Guillaume Chambon, Olivier Cerdan, Yannick Thiery, Nathalie Marçot, Louis Ferradou, Nicolas Saby, and Séverine Bernardie
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3987–4012, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-3987-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-3987-2026, 2026
Short summary
Systematic overestimation of evapotranspiration over irrigated areas by an offline land surface model
Tanguy Lunel, Belén Martí, Aaron Boone, and Patrick Le Moigne
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 5117–5143, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-5117-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-5117-2026, 2026
Short summary
A process-based modeling of soil organic matter physical properties for land surface models – Part 2: Global land surface simulations and mineral soil compactness adjustment
Bertrand Decharme, Diane Tzanos, Lucas Hardouin, Aaron Boone, Marie Minvielle, Patrick Le Moigne, and Rémi Gaillard
Geosci. Model Dev., 19, 7239–7277, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-7239-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-7239-2026, 2026
Short summary
Surface runoff and soil evaporation dominate the sensitivity of land surface models to soil parameters
Matthias Cuntz, Stephan Thober, Anne Verhoef, Yijian Zeng, Aaron Boone, Agnès Ducharne, Sujan Koirala, David M. Lawrence, Philipp de Vrese, Carsten Montzka, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Harry Vereecken, Dani Or, Salma Tafasca, Naoki Mizukami, Rich Ellis, Patrick C. McGuire, and Lukas Gudmundsson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4223,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4223, 2026
Preprint archived
Short summary

Cited articles

Al-Atroush, M. E., Shabbir, O., Almeshari, B., Waly, M., and Sebaey, T. A.: A Novel Application of the Hydrophobic Polyurethane Foam: Expansive Soil Stabilization, Polymers, 13, 1335, https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13081335, 2021. 
André, G. and Marteau, R.: Changement climatique et Assurance: Quelles conséquences sur la sinistralité à horizon 2050?, Livre Blanc Covéa, https://www.covea.com/sites/default/files/2023-11/202202_Livre_Blanc_Covéa_Risques_Climatiques.pdf (last access: 26 May 2025), 2022. 
Barbosa, P., Masante, D., Arias Muños, C., Cammalleri, C., de Jager, A., Magni, D., Mazzeschi, M., McCormick, N., Naumann, G., Spinoni, J., and Vogt, J.: Drought in Europe September 2020, Publications Office of the European Union, https://doi.org/10.2760/415204 (last access 26 May 2025), 2020. 
Barthelemy, S.: Analyzing past and future droughts that induce clay shrinkage in France using an index based on water budget simulation for trees – article data, Figshare [data set], https://figshare.com/s/61c73ec14ed0b876641e (last access: 26 May 2025), 2025. 
Barthelemy, S., Bonan, B., Calvet, J.-C., Grandjean, G., Moncoulon, D., Kapsambelis, D., and Bernardie, S.: A new approach for drought index adjustment to clay-shrinkage-induced subsidence over France: advantages of the interactive leaf area index, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 999–1016, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-999-2024, 2024. 
Download
Short summary
A drought index is developed that quantifies drought on an annual scale, making it applicable to monitoring clay shrinkage damage to buildings. A comparison with the number of insurance claims for subsidence shows that the presence of trees near individual houses must be taken into account. Significant soil moisture droughts occurred in France in 2003, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022. Particularly high index values are observed in 2022. It is found that droughts will become more severe in the future.
Share