Description:

This session will inform better communications of drought risk to support diverse communities as they proactively act to mitigate, plan for, and adapt to drought. Effective drought risk management relies on drought information conveyed in an actionable way that enables people to learn, adapt to drought, and prevent and mitigate drought risk. Yet, water and resource managers, information providers, and researchers face difficulty in communicating risk related to drought because it is a complex hazard that is highly variable in terms of onset, duration, extent, and impacts. Drought risk is influenced not only by hydrologic and atmospheric conditions, but also human factors such as management practices, land use, and community capacity to take certain actions. In addition, droughts can be compounded by the co-occurrence of other hazards (e.g., heatwaves, wildfires, flooding) and can, in turn, increase the risk of these cascading hazards, especially to already vulnerable people. Further, drought’s direct and indirect impacts can accumulate, negatively affecting health, livelihoods, and ecosystems. 

In light of these complex challenges, there is a clear need for further social science and interdisciplinary research on effectively communicating drought risk to those planning for and responding to the impacts of drought. Presentations will highlight advances in research and efforts to improve messaging and communication of drought risk and its cascading hazards. Specific topics will include, but are not limited to: efforts to convey uncertainty in drought risk; case studies demonstrating successful exchange of drought risk knowledge between those researching and those responding to drought; integrating physical, biological, and social sciences in communication efforts; communicating our emerging understanding of drought in a changing climate; and tailored communication practices on drought risk for different economic sectors and decision making needs.