Statistics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Punjab, Pakistan.
Knowledge unit of business Economics accountancy and Commerce (KUBEAC), University of management and technology Sialkot campus, Sialkot, Pakistan.
PeerJ. 2022 May 2;10:e13249. doi: 10.7717/peerj.13249. eCollection 2022.
Drought is a complex phenomenon that occurs due to insufficient precipitation. It does not have immediate effects, but sustained drought can affect the hydrological, agriculture, economic sectors of the country. Therefore, there is a need for efficient methods and techniques that properly determine drought and its effects. Considering the significance and importance of drought monitoring methodologies, a new drought assessment procedure is proposed in the current study, known as the Maximum Spatio-Temporal Two-Stage Standardized Weighted Index (MSTTSSWI). The proposed MSTTSSWI is based on the weighting scheme, known as the Spatio-Temporal Two-Stage Standardized Weighting Scheme (STTSSWS). The potential of the weighting scheme is based on the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), and the steady-state probabilities. Further, the STTSSWS computes spatiotemporal weights in two stages for various drought categories and stations. In the first stage of the STTSSWS, the SPI, SPEI, and the steady-state probabilities are calculated for each station at a 1-month time scale to assign weights for varying drought categories. However, in the second stage, these weights are further propagated based on spatiotemporal characteristics to obtain new weights for the various drought categories in the selected region. The STTSSWS is applied to the six meteorological stations of the Northern area, Pakistan. Moreover, the spatiotemporal weights obtained from STTSSWS are used to calculate MSTTSSWI for regional drought characterization. The MSTTSSWI may accurately provide regional spatiotemporal characteristics for the drought in the selected region and motivates researchers and policymakers to use the more comprehensive and accurate spatiotemporal characterization of drought in the selected region.
干旱是由于降水不足而发生的一种复杂现象。它没有即时影响，但持续的干旱会影响国家的水文、农业和经济部门。因此，需要有效的方法和技术来正确确定干旱及其影响。考虑到干旱监测方法的重要性，本研究提出了一种新的干旱评估程序，称为最大时空两阶段标准化加权指数（MSTTSSWI）。所提出的 MSTTSSWI 基于加权方案，称为时空两阶段标准化加权方案（STTSSWS）。该加权方案的潜力基于标准化降水指数（SPI）、标准化降水蒸散指数（SPEI）和稳态概率。此外，STTSSWS 在两个阶段为不同的干旱类别和站点计算时空权重。在 STTSSWS 的第一阶段，为每个站点计算 SPI、SPEI 和稳态概率，以在 1 个月的时间尺度上为不同的干旱类别分配权重。然而，在第二阶段，根据时空特征进一步传播这些权重，以在选定区域的各种干旱类别中获得新的权重。STTSSWS 应用于巴基斯坦北部的六个气象站。此外，从 STTSSWS 获得的时空权重用于计算 MSTTSSWI 以进行区域干旱特征描述。MSTTSSWI 可以准确地为选定区域的干旱提供区域时空特征，并促使研究人员和决策者在选定区域使用更全面和准确的干旱时空特征描述。
