Project 2

Low Flow and Drought

Managing of competing demands for fresh water (e.g. irrigation, ecosystem services) is most critical in periods of severe and extensive drought. An improved understanding of drought characteristics is therefore of utmost importance for both water resource planning and environmental management. In particular, information is required on the magnitude, frequency, spatial extent and seasonality of drought behaviour in European river basins and how this may change because of global change.

The main objectives of the Low Flow and Drought project are:

1. to promote and encourage regional research on low flow and drought within a consortium of European experts;
2. to encourage and to carry out training activities on low flow and drought;
3. to maintain links with other NE-FRIEND groups, Regional FRIEND groups and international groups (e.g. IAHS, WMO, UN-ISDR) working on related topics;
4. to encourage new members to take part in the group, in particular younger and female scientists;
5. to use the FRIEND network to raise funding from international organizations (e.g. EU).

The focus of recent research has been on hydrological drought: its underlying processes, definition, extreme characteristics, variability in time and space and synoptic behaviour across Europe. The project successfully builds on the recent EU projects ARIDE, ASTHyDA and XEROCHORE. The European Water Archive has offered a unique opportunity to study the regional behaviour of streamflow droughts. The techniques used range from statistical multivariate analysis at the regional and Pan-European scale to physically-based and conceptual modelling studies at the catchment scale.

The Low Flow and Drought project has identified the following specific research topics:

1. low flow and drought generating processes and modeling
2. statistics, definitions and indicators
3. regionalization
4. human influences and IWRM

In addition the project works on:

1. e-transfer of knowledge (European Drought Centre – EDC)

As the low flow and drought project has continued to grow over the years, cooperation has evolved around smaller projects. This has proved an efficient way of working. Sub-projects include:

1. WMO manual
2. FRIEND-IAHS prediction in ungauged basins (PUB)
3. EU-WATCH
4. European Drought Centre (EDC)
5. EU-XEROCHORE

For more information the workplan 2007-2010 can be downloaded.

Members of Low Flow and Drought project.

Recent Publications by Project 2 Members

© 2016 EURO-FRIEND

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