A quantitative framework for assessing drought disaster risk and key techniques

As the key content and core element identified in the practice of drought disaster risk management, it has become a hot-button issue on how to properly assess the drought disaster risk in the field of both science and technology. Starting with reviewing the definition of drought disaster risk concept in the scientific community, the differences between the concepts of the drought risk and the drought disaster risk are made clear in this study. The mechanism of drought disaster risk formation is then investigated and elaborated. A quantitative framework for assessing drought disaster risk is first proposed, this is achieved by establishing the quantitative relationship among three important parameters: the drought frequency, the potential loss and the drought resistance capacity. The key techniques used in the framework are highlighted and discussed, which include the drought frequency analysis, the drought disaster loss assessment, the drought resistance capacity assessment, and the drought disaster risk characterization. The active issues and difficulties related to the techniques are also respectively addressed.