A scoping review of drought impacts on health and society in North America

Margaret Sugg (), Jennifer Runkle (), Ronnie Leeper (), Hannah Bagli, Andrew Golden, Leah Hart Handwerger, Tatiana Magee, Camila Moreno, Rhiannon Reed-Kelly, Michelle Taylor and Sarah Woolard
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Margaret Sugg: Appalachian State University
Jennifer Runkle: North Carolina State University
Ronnie Leeper: North Carolina State University
Hannah Bagli: Appalachian State University
Andrew Golden: Appalachian State University
Leah Hart Handwerger: Appalachian State University
Tatiana Magee: Appalachian State University
Camila Moreno: Appalachian State University
Rhiannon Reed-Kelly: Appalachian State University
Michelle Taylor: Appalachian State University
Sarah Woolard: Appalachian State University

Climatic Change, 2020, vol. 162, issue 3, No 12, 1177-1195

Abstract: Abstract Drought is a highly destructive natural hazard with wide-ranging impacts on water security, agriculture, energy, and human health. Unlike most natural hazards, droughts can develop anywhere, evolve rapidly within a month or slowly over a season, and span months to decades without a clear beginning or end. Few studies investigate the direct link between drought and drought-related impacts on health and society, and little research has identified critical science gaps in the field of drought-society. This scoping review aims to explore the societal implications of drought and identify knowledge gaps for future drought-society studies. We performed a PRISMA scoping review with a four-element search model on articles published since 2010. We extracted drought impacts data from 74 articles. Results were synthesized into three main topical areas examining public health impacts, water quality impacts, and water quantity impacts. While studies were heterogeneous in terms of objectives and methods, they illustrated the full breadth of drought impacts. The current body of evidence lacks a standard set of drought indices that can be readily applied to evaluate and monitor societal impacts due to drought. The challenge of defining drought limits a holistic understanding of drought effects and recovery time. More interdisciplinary collaborations are needed to establishes community-wide consensus on the identification of relevant hydrological indicators that best describe an adverse outcome is an understudied research priority.

Keywords: Drought impacts; North America; Scoping Review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10584-020-02848-6

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