Review of Drought Characterization Indices

Abstract

Planning and managing agricultural operations and water resource systems require an in-depth understanding of the drought phenomenon. Since the 1960s, scientists have introduced a significant variety of drought indices to characterize droughts. The purpose of the present study is to review drought concepts and to aware researchers and policymakers on widely using drought indices. In this paper, some of the commonly used drought indices, their input requirements, applications, benefits, and drawbacks were reviewed. The original publications and several previous reviews were used in this comprehension. Widely using and operational drought indices were identified. Further, recently proposed drought indices to eliminate the limitations of earlier were tallied. Major operational and newer drought indices are emphasized with their input required, virtues, and demerits to be used in future drought characterization purposes.