Observing and Monitoring Drought
Abstract

Abstract Author: Randall S. Cerveny, Andrew W. Ellis and Robert C. Balling

Abstract Title: Climatological Isentropic Analysis as a Drought Detection/Monitoring Tool

Abstract: Isentropic analysis was introduced as a climatological research tool in the 1930s by Jerome Namias. In isentropic analysis, the analyst computes the pressure level associated with a given potential temperature value, which is the temperature of an air parcel undergoing a compression or an expansion adiabatically to a pressure of 100 kPa (1000 mb). Unfortunately, isentropic values were eliminated from common upper air soundings near the end of World War II. Early climate researchers using isentropic analysis demonstrated an incredibly useful means of representing droughts that compared favorably with regional patterns of precipitation anomalies. As such, isentropic analysis offers the potential for advances in drought detection and monitoring, which can be crucial for scientists, water resource planners, policy makers, and residents engaged in drought monitoring and mitigation. We present results of a pilot study examining isentropic analyses of regionalized drought occurrence and assess their usefulness in drought detection and monitoring.