Combining Hard and Soft Data in Drought Research

Abstract:

As natural scientists we are used to doing quantitative analysis on observations or simulations of hydrometeorological variables. In many fields of hydrology, however, other sources of information are available that can broaden our knowledge of a hydrological system or process. In this pop-up I will show how the combination of hard and soft data in drought research has improved our knowledge of drought in cold climates and the impacts of drought on agriculture. We used data from historical archives and modern drought impact databases and used this information side-by-side with hydrometeorological observations and outcomes of large-scale hydrological models. I will present the pros and cons of using different types of data. This presentation has two aims: i) it is an example to other fields of hydrology, in which other data sources and different type of analysis could have an added value as well, and, ii) it calls for a wider accessibility, collection and consolidation of soft data to serve its use in hydrology.