Remote Sensing-Based Hydro-Extremes Assessment Techniques for Small Area Case Study (The Case Study of Poland)

Abstract

Meteorological hazards, such as floods, can develop rapidly and are usually a local phenomenon. On the other hand, drought is a phenomenon arising over longer periods. Moreover, it occurs in areas that are remarkably diverse in terms of surface area. Drought has a massive impact on agriculture, socio-economic activities, and the natural environment. However, determining the losses associated with the phenomenon of drought and its identification is complicated. The aim of this paper is to identify and quantify droughts using climatic indices, which include the combined climatologic deviation index, groundwater drought index, water storage deficit index and multivariate standardized drought index. Based on the research, it was concluded that the CCDI, GGDI, WSDI, and MSDI indicators can be a useful tool, on the basis of which it was possible to analyze drought periods. These periods were not related to changes and loss of groundwater, but resulted from low rainfall and snowfall.