Recent consecutive dry summers in north-western Europe caused significant impacts across ecosystems and socio-economic sectors. Compared to other natural hazards such as floods, droughts have received less attention in both scientific literature and policy making. Climate change, reflected by changing precipitation patterns and increasing temperatures, is expected to increase the frequency and severity of droughts and their impacts in the future. To mitigate drought impacts in the future, a long-term, integral vision and strategy including both drought impact mitigation and emergency management is needed. For this, developing our understanding on the impacts of climate change on drought and its social, economic and ecological impacts is crucial.
This research aims to understand the impact of climate change on meteorological droughts in the Dutch-German border region, and to assess the hydrological effects and social, economic and ecological impacts of these droughts in past and future conditions. More specifically, this research will determine meteorological and hydrological drought indicators relevant to the Dutch-German border region, test how well these indicators can be modelled for past conditions and then project future changes for various scenarios. By doing this, this research contributes to a better understanding of droughts and its uncertainties in order to enhance drought resilience.
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