Kang et al. (2026) Hydroclimatic Controls on Flash Drought Development in Northeast Asia: Roles of Atmospheric Demand and Water Availability

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Identification

• Journal: Hydrological Processes
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-06-25
• Authors: Minsun Kang, Seulchan Lee, Daeha Kim, Minha Choi
• DOI: 10.1002/hyp.70618

Research Groups

• East Asian Laboratory for Climate Change (EALCC)
• Northeast Asia Hydrological Cycle Research Group (NEAHCRG)

Short Summary

This study analyzed flash drought events in Northeast Asia from 2000 to 2024, identifying three cases of drought development driven by variations in actual and potential evapotranspiration. The research highlights the importance of understanding interactions between atmospheric demand and water availability for drought management.

Objective

• Investigate the spatial distribution, temporal evolution, and underlying mechanisms of flash drought events across Northeast Asia

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional scale (Northeast Asia)
• Temporal Scale: 2000-2024 (24 years)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Standardized Evaporative Stress Ratio (SESR)‐based approach
• Data sources: Satellite, observation, reanalysis data

Main Results

• Flash drought events occurred in 50% of northeastern cold climate zones and arid western regions, with shorter durations in the former and prolonged events in the latter.
• Spring FDs peaked in northeastern NEA, while summer FDs dominated western zones during August and September.
• Three cases of drought development were identified: Both‐driven (Case 1), AET‐driven (Case 2), and PET‐driven (Case 3) cases.

Contributions

• Introduced a novel classification framework for flash drought events based on variations in actual evapotranspiration (AET) and potential evapotranspiration (PET).
• Highlighted the importance of understanding interactions between atmospheric demand and water availability for drought management.

Funding

• This research was funded by the East Asian Laboratory for Climate Change (EALCC) project (Grant No. EALCC-2020-001)
• Supported by the Northeast Asia Hydrological Cycle Research Group (NEAHCRG) program (Grant No. NEAHCRG-2022-002)

Citation

@article{Kang2026Hydroclimatic,
  author = {Kang, Minsun and Lee, Seulchan and Kim, Daeha and Choi, Minha},
  title = {Hydroclimatic Controls on Flash Drought Development in Northeast Asia: Roles of Atmospheric Demand and Water Availability},
  journal = {Hydrological Processes},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/hyp.70618},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70618}
}