Document Type : Research Paper
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Abstract
Drought is defined as the continuous and abnormal moisture deficit. The term of continuous means continuation of deficit and the term of abnormal means deviation of favorite index of natural condition from the mean. In every drought study four main characteristics are considered: severity, duration, frequency or return period and areal extent. The objective of this investigation is mapping drought severity in Golestan province. For this purpose, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used for drought monitoring in some meteorological stations located in Golestan province. This index was computed in a period of 25 years precipitation data (1975-2000) at four different time scales including 6,9,12, and 24 months. Consequently, the most sever drought in 6 month time scale was observed in Saliantapeh station while the highest severity in 9, 12, and 24 time scales was observed in Polejadeh station. The aerial extent SPI values for the most severe drought condition in different time scales were classified in Golestan province using geostatical techniques. The results showed that the area affected by drought decreased with increasing drought duration and the condition of drought in the province had west-east direction
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