Drought propagation is defined as the process of translation of deficits in precipitation to deficits in soil moisture, streamflow, and aquifer and reservoir storages during droughts. We try to understand how drought propagation varies in regions with different climate and landscape characteristics and its implications for water resources management.

While droughts are initiated by meteorological conditions which suppress rainfall, interactions between land and atmosphere play an important role in sustaining and amplifying the droughts. As the soil begins to dry, evaporative cooling decreases, which leads to larger heat entrainment in the boundary layer and suppression of rainfall. We try to understand the complex interactions between land and atmosphere, which can be used for improving the accuracy of drought forecasts.

Strategies to mitigate the impacts of hydro-climatic extremes, such as reservoir operations and groundwater pumping, can alter the natural hydrologic regimes of watersheds. We try to understand the feedbacks between natural hydrologic processes and human water management practices, and their implications for long-term water availability for water supply and the ecosystem.

Conceptual models are well suited for understanding the roles of the different processes governing drought propagation because of their simple representations, which makes it easier to track the influence of each hydrologic process on the final outcome and smaller data requirements. We try to develop conceptual hydrologic models based on observed hydrologic signatures, which can provide accurate estimates of catchment water budget and can acts as tools for water resources planning and management in the catchment.