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Drought indices for the Zagreb-Grič Observatory with an overview of drought damage in agriculture in Croatia

Theoretical and Applied Climatology volume 142, pages 555–567 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) for different time scales of n = 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months and the monthly Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) were calculated for the Zagreb-Grič Observatory, located in North-Western Croatia, for the period 1862–2012. The PDSI exhibits a stronger long-term negative trend than the SPI due to the influence of the global warming, which corresponds with the global scale results published in the 4th IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report. The SPI for a 9-month scale was compared with the PDSI for a monthly scale because the correlation between them is the highest in comparison with other SPI time scales. The Chapman percentile classification regarding dryness/wetness severity was used instead of the “originally” proposed classes. Thirty-year moving averages indicate that long-term variation in dryness/wetness severity is more clearly emphasised for the PDSI than for the SPI, showing the last 30-year period to be the driest on record. Autoregressive function analysis indicates that the SPI for a 1-month scale has serialy independent values, while the SPI for the 9-month scale and the monthly PDSI are close to a Markov process. A significant correlation was established between the SPI and PDSI indices and crop damages in Croatia.

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Notes

  1. Details on the climate of Croatia are available in two climate atlases for the periods 1931–1960, 1961–1990, and 1971–2000, respectively, published by the DHMZ. The recent one covers the last two periods (Zaninović et al. 2008), and it is available at the DHMZ.

  2. The index also indicates wetness, when it has a positive sign, but it is not included in its name.

  3. Original Palmer (1965) PDSI calibration was used in this paper.

  4. In this study, precipitation totals are used.

  5. The months at the beginning of the period 1862–2012 for time scales higher than 1 month are the exceptions.

  6. Much higher resolution images similar to those shown in Fig. 11 were available to the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Meteorological and Hydrological Service, Zagreb, Croatia

    Krešo Pandžić, Tanja Likso & Oliver Curić

  2. Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Milan Mesić & Ivan Pejić

  3. Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Zoran Pasarić

Authors
  1. Krešo Pandžić
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  2. Tanja Likso
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  3. Oliver Curić
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  4. Milan Mesić
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  5. Ivan Pejić
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  6. Zoran Pasarić
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Correspondence to Krešo Pandžić.

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Pandžić, K., Likso, T., Curić, O. et al. Drought indices for the Zagreb-Grič Observatory with an overview of drought damage in agriculture in Croatia. Theor Appl Climatol 142, 555–567 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-020-03330-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-020-03330-0