In the field of improving stakeholders’ capacity for better drought characterization and early warning over the region, an open web-based tool Drought Watch was developed:
- A web-based tool enabling more accurate and efficient drought monitoring and early warning across the entire Danube region;
- Includes a set of Earth Observation data from a range of operational remote sensing satellites, processed into ready-to-use drought information and useful for a spatial and temporal view of soil moisture or vegetation status for drought analysis available to the public online;
- Improves operational day-to-day work of national authorities and end-users in all phases of drought.
- Available at: https://droughtwatch.eu/.
Missing drought impacts collection was enabled via National reporting networks (NRNs) with regular reporting on visible signs of drought impacts on vegetation throughout the year. Consisting of on-field reporters (mostly volunteers), NRNs provide harmonized and cross-border coherent drought impact assessment on how drought influences crop yield or forest growth in the Danube region. Weekly observations are aggregated into a weekly operational product - drought impact maps, which are integrated into Drought Watch.
Drought risk maps were prepared on the base of a unified calculation of drought risk, both in a climatological sense and in terms of risk for crop yield loss. They ensure unified drought risk assessment comparable among countries of the Danube region and provide information about the spatial distribution of the areas where meteorological drought occurred often as a hazard with significant impacts on crop yield. The maps are integrated into Drought Watch as a static product and available for maize, wheat, barley, and oilseed rape for different drought occurrence probability levels (5, 10, 20, 30%).
To improve the currently re-active drought response at the decision-making level, a Danube Drought Strategy was prepared. A document proposes a framework for improved drought management in the Danube region. It provides an optimal drought management model, a clear operational model for collaborative and proactive management of drought at the national level, thus organizing who is doing what and when. It organizes already existing legislation and institutions in an optimal way of cooperating and reacting at different stages of drought development for wholesome risk management (from monitoring and early warning to response and evaluation).
The model was shaped to help of associated strategic partners and national authorities in the field of drought management. Consulting with them also its practical application in the national framework presents additional progress achieve.
All project outputs, results are available at https://www.interreg-danube.eu/approved-projects/dridanube/outputs