Extreme Droughts Events in the Sucuru River Hydrographic Sub-basin, Cariri Paraibano

Abstract

The objective was to analyze extreme drought events on the Sucuru River hydrographic sub-basin during the 1994-2021 historical series. The rainfall data were obtained through the Agência Executiva de Gestão das águas do Estado da Paraíba (AESA). With the analysis of the data it was possible to know the duration, the water deficit and the intensity of the events. After identifying the droughts and their characteristics (duration, water deficit and intensity), the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to classify and select the extreme drought events (SPI ≤ -2,00) that occurred. In terms of duration, water deficit and intensity, severe droughts occurred in the decade 1990 in all municipalities, the most critical being those from the 1997-1999 series. The droughts in 2001-2003 were very intense, but less than those that occurred in the decade 1990 and 2010. Very serious droughts were identified during 2012-2019 in all municipalities, especially Caraúbas, Monteiro, Serra Branca, Congo and Coxixola. Extreme drought events in the municipalities occurred during the years 1998, 1999, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. These are the years with the most severe droughts in the studied period.

Keywords
geography; droughts; agriculture