What is a DROUGHT?

First we worked with tropical cyclones. We focused in their causes, their concequences, what they can affect, etc. 

This is a picture of a tropical cyclone:

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But then we focus in droughts.


 And today I want to ask you... do you know what a drought is?


Well, a drought is an event of prolonged shortages in the water supply, below-average precipitation, ground water or  water from rivers, creeks or wetlands.

There are 4 types of droughts:

- Meteorological drought : Happens when dry weather patterns dominate an area. 

Author rights:  https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.enca.com%2Fanalysis%2Fhow-droughts-will-affect-south-africas-broader-economy&psig=AOvVaw07S0a9hHKjmYyA8XQTRL1N&ust=1590954831629000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAMQjB1qFwoTCIDw9-Cu3OkCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD  


- Agricultural drought : Happend when crops become affected.

Author rights: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbusiness-review.eu%2Ffeatured%2Fagricultural-drought-losses-call-for-emergency-state-say-farmers-representatives-29800&psig=AOvVaw3xfJ-ZBeE5nuEFCRQy0CoV&ust=1590955462972000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=2ahUKEwiZ8IeLsdzpAhU9DrkGHZXeC-kQr4kDegUIARCRA


- Hydrological drought: Occurs when low water supply becames evident.

Author rights: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shutterstock.com%2Fes%2Fsearch%2Fmeteorological%2Bdrought&psig=AOvVaw1UCsaGCTJv6tebtDCBOi6K&ust=1590954952246000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAMQjB1qFwoTCICLwZmv3OkCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD


- Socioeconomic drought : when the demand for an economic good exceeds supply as aresult of a weather-related shortfall in water supply.

Author rights: https://www.pum.com.au/blog/what-are-the-socioeconomic-impacts-of-drought-in-rural-australia/

How long can it last?

A drought can last for months or years, or maybe can be declared after 15 days.


Which impacts can the drought cause in the place were it happened?

The place affected by the drought, can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem, agriculture  and harm to the local economy.

As the ecosystem gets destroied because of the habitat lose; decrease in agricultural production and livestock carrying capacity; droughts are constantly contributing to the increase in food prices and production costs derived from energy consumption. This rise in prices and costs end up spreading to the rest of the economy.



To answer this type of questions or to bring more information about droughts, I did a mind map about them. 
Here is my mind map: