IWRA Proceedings

Droughts propagate through the hydrological system and may affect groundwater resources. Understanding the propagation from meteorological to groundwater drought is important for the early warning of groundwater drought. This paper investigated drought propagation in a coastal area, focusing on propagation time from meteorological to groundwater drought. Standardized Precipitation Index was used to analyze the number and severity of meteorological drought, and the propagation in the groundwater aquifer was investigated by analyzing groundwater drought indices. This research was carried out the coastal area, Leizhou Peninsula (LP), China, using the time series of measured groundwater table and precipitation. Results indicated that: (1) The droughts were weakened when propagation to groundwater. (2) The propagation time from meteorological to groundwater drought in the LP had different performance in shallow, middle and deep aquifer, the same in different seasons. (3) Groundwater drought events occurred with the continuous (> 3 months) meteorological  drought, however, not all meteorological drought lead to groundwater drought. Groundwater is a vital resources, studies on drought propagation under global warming are important for future freshwater supply.