On the role of water table depth and urbanization on groundwater drought susceptibility

Propagation of meteorological drought to groundwater drought is mediated by a range of natural and human-induced drivers. Using long-term (1978–2020) in-situ groundwater level depth (GWD) time series from 2,928 pairs of monitoring wells, this study assesses the role of two such drivers, viz., GWD and urbanization, on groundwater drought characteristics. Results show that locations with deeper GWD often experience less frequent but more intense groundwater droughts with longer average duration. In contrast, urbanization is generally associated with a reduction in groundwater drought duration and an increase in its frequency. Relative to the influence of GWD, urbanization’s imprint on groundwater drought characteristics is muted. These findings can aid in improved assessment of groundwater drought risks, and for devising more effective drought adaptation measures.

Methods
Please see the README document ("README.md") and the accompanying published article: Park, J., Malakar, P., Kumar, M. (2023). On the role of water table depth and urbanization on groundwater drought susceptibility. Geophysical Research Letters. Under review.