Spatial patterns of multiple drought types in the contiguous United States: a seasonal comparison

Abstract

The impacts of severe droughts on human activities, terrestrial ecosystems, and hydrologic systems are wide ranging and easily discernible. The purpose of this study is to examine spatial patterns of drought in the contiguous US on a seasonal basis using 4 measures of drought severity. Principal Components Analysis and a VARIMAX rotation are used to search for spatially coherent drought regions. Regional drought patterns are presented using isoline maps of principal component loadings. -from Author