Flash Drought Propagation through the Critical Zone Across the Northeast United States During 2022

Not all droughts are the same and the subset that develop via rapid intensification have been defined as flash droughts. While the impacts of flash drought events have been linked to the desiccation of soils and vegetation, often severely impacting agriculture and overall ecosystem health, there is growing scientific awareness that the effects of flash droughts can span the components of the hydrologic cycle. During the summer of 2022, flash drought occurred across a localized region of the northeast United States and reached a maximum intensity of Extreme Drought (D3) as defined by the United States Drought Monitor across portions of New England (e.g., Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut). This study utilized an array of in situ observations along with satellite remote sensing (e.g., MODIS, SMAP) to examine (1) how flash drought evolved spatially across the region, as well as (2) how the impacts of flash drought propagated vertically through the critical zone. In particular, results of the analysis yielded significant impacts to forested canopies, surface streamflow, and groundwater demonstrating the progressive development of the flash drought through the hydrologic cycle. This includes up to two meters of groundwater depletion from several wells across the region.