Geografie 2020, 125, 271-290
Hydrological drought in the Bohemian Forest region
, Bohumír Janský
Charles University, Faculty of Science, Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Prague, Czechia
Received March 2019
Accepted February 2020
The aim of this study was to select and apply appropriate methods for evaluating hydrological drought in the mountainous Bohemian Forest region. The results from individual hydrological profiles were compared with each other, followed by a general comparison of catchment areas in the extramontane region. The threshold and Gumbel (1963) methods, and a calculation of scarcity volumes, were used. In this way, dry days and episodes were defined, seasonal charts were compiled, and trends were assessed using the Mann–Kendall and Hirsch–Slack trend tests. It was found that the seasonality of the hydrological droughts on the windward and leeward sides of the mountains differed significantly. The maximum number of dry days was found to occur in the windward profiles in autumn and in the leeward profiles in winter. The amount of winter drought decreases with decreasing altitude. Significant decreases in the occurrence of hydrological drought were found in all profiles for the observed period.
Funding
The research was funded by the Czech Science Foundation project (GA ČR), project No. 19-05011S (Spatial and temporal dynamics of hydrometeorological extremes in montane areas) and by TA ČR, project No. SS02030040 (Prediction, Evaluation and Research for Understanding National sensitivity and impacts of drought and climate change for Czechia). The authors are indebted to Ing. Radek Vlnas for valuable methodological comments and insights.
