Drought impact on ecosystems

This indicator shows the area impacted by drought in [km2] and [% of the total area of the country]. It monitors negative anomalies in vegetation productivity in areas with a severe soil moisture deficit during the growing season (more than one standard deviation from the long term average - observed through remote sensing data at 500×500 metres resolution of the Copernicus EMS European Drought Observatory of the European Commission Joint Research Centre). The indicator covers only agricultural droughts with soil moisture deficits causing reduced vegetation productivity due to insufficient precipitation, as opposed to hydrological droughts, which occur when low water supplies become apparent in streams, reservoirs, and groundwater levels, usually after many months of meteorological drought.