The impacts of drought on water availability: spatial and temporal analysis in the Belt and Road region (2001–2020)
Climate change, population growth, and economic development exacerbate water scarcity. This study investigates the impact of drought on water availability in the Belt and Road region using high-resolution remote sensing data from 2001 to 2020. The results revealed an average water availability (prec...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Digital Earth |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17538947.2025.2449706 |
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| _version_ | 1841554075551793152 |
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| author | Jing Lu Li Jia Massimo Menenti Chaolei Zheng Guangcheng Hu Dabin Ji |
| author_facet | Jing Lu Li Jia Massimo Menenti Chaolei Zheng Guangcheng Hu Dabin Ji |
| author_sort | Jing Lu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate change, population growth, and economic development exacerbate water scarcity. This study investigates the impact of drought on water availability in the Belt and Road region using high-resolution remote sensing data from 2001 to 2020. The results revealed an average water availability (precipitation minus evapotranspiration) of 249 mm/year and a declining trend in the Belt and Road region. Approximately 13% of the Belt and Road region faces water deficits (evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation), primarily in arid and semi-arid regions with high drought frequency. The area in the water deficit is expanding, and the intensity of the water deficit is increasing. The annual trend of water availability is strongly related to the frequency of droughts, i.e. water availability decreases with increased drought frequency. Drought exacerbates seasonal water stress in approximately one-third of the Belt and Road region, mainly in Europe and northern Asia, where drought frequently occurs during seasons with low water availability. The more severe the drought, the larger the negative anomaly in water availability. The critical role of evapotranspiration in seasonal water availability variability is also highlighted. This research underscores the importance of understanding drought-induced changes in water availability, which is crucial for sustainable water resource management. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ea1b8fd9b6704dc8b19ea1b5adba6000 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1753-8947 1753-8955 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Digital Earth |
| spelling | doaj-art-ea1b8fd9b6704dc8b19ea1b5adba60002025-01-09T03:40:04ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Digital Earth1753-89471753-89552025-12-0118110.1080/17538947.2025.2449706The impacts of drought on water availability: spatial and temporal analysis in the Belt and Road region (2001–2020)Jing Lu0Li Jia1Massimo Menenti2Chaolei Zheng3Guangcheng Hu4Dabin Ji5Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaClimate change, population growth, and economic development exacerbate water scarcity. This study investigates the impact of drought on water availability in the Belt and Road region using high-resolution remote sensing data from 2001 to 2020. The results revealed an average water availability (precipitation minus evapotranspiration) of 249 mm/year and a declining trend in the Belt and Road region. Approximately 13% of the Belt and Road region faces water deficits (evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation), primarily in arid and semi-arid regions with high drought frequency. The area in the water deficit is expanding, and the intensity of the water deficit is increasing. The annual trend of water availability is strongly related to the frequency of droughts, i.e. water availability decreases with increased drought frequency. Drought exacerbates seasonal water stress in approximately one-third of the Belt and Road region, mainly in Europe and northern Asia, where drought frequently occurs during seasons with low water availability. The more severe the drought, the larger the negative anomaly in water availability. The critical role of evapotranspiration in seasonal water availability variability is also highlighted. This research underscores the importance of understanding drought-induced changes in water availability, which is crucial for sustainable water resource management.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17538947.2025.2449706Water availabilitydroughtspatial and temporal characteristicsthe Belt and Road region |
| spellingShingle | Jing Lu Li Jia Massimo Menenti Chaolei Zheng Guangcheng Hu Dabin Ji The impacts of drought on water availability: spatial and temporal analysis in the Belt and Road region (2001–2020) International Journal of Digital Earth Water availability drought spatial and temporal characteristics the Belt and Road region |
| title | The impacts of drought on water availability: spatial and temporal analysis in the Belt and Road region (2001–2020) |
| title_full | The impacts of drought on water availability: spatial and temporal analysis in the Belt and Road region (2001–2020) |
| title_fullStr | The impacts of drought on water availability: spatial and temporal analysis in the Belt and Road region (2001–2020) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impacts of drought on water availability: spatial and temporal analysis in the Belt and Road region (2001–2020) |
| title_short | The impacts of drought on water availability: spatial and temporal analysis in the Belt and Road region (2001–2020) |
| title_sort | impacts of drought on water availability spatial and temporal analysis in the belt and road region 2001 2020 |
| topic | Water availability drought spatial and temporal characteristics the Belt and Road region |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17538947.2025.2449706 |
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