ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses examples of the calculation of a suite of scientifically based drought indicators and their use in online information systems, which provide accurate and up-to-date information on the occurrence and evolution of droughts in Europe and globally to decision makers at different levels. The European Drought Observatory (EDO) was developed as a response to the need to better understand, monitor, and forecast the interlinked phenomena of water scarcity and drought (WS&D) in Europe and to provide input for the development of evidence-based policies in the field. EDO provides a suite of drought indicators at different spatial and temporal scales, including 10-daily and monthly updated maps on the occurrence and evolution of drought events, as well as a 7-day forecast of soil moisture. The use of z-scores is suitable to detect soil moisture conditions that are drier than usual according to a past climatology, which can be considered a good indicator of the occurrence of agricultural drought.
