away before it can soak in, reducing water supplies. Where these two factors combine, drought is likely to be a regular occurrence, Drought also varies in severity. The UK is less susceptible to drought but can have drought conditions. For example, in 1995 drought conditions led to hosepipe bans and to reservoirs, such as Haweswater in the Lake District, drying up. These impacts are in stark contrast to those caused by drought conditions in areas such as the Sahel, where drought causes life-threatening conditions for many people. Causes of drought and their great impacts Meteorological Meteorological drought refers simply to the level of dryness in an area, that is, when an area receives less precipitation than normal. This is the most significant cause of drought across the planet. ‘An area can be classed as being in drought despite receiving more precipitation than an area not in drought ~ it depends on how much precipitation is normal. This, means that an arid area such as the Great Australian Desert would not be classed as being in drought because its normal climatic condition is that it receives a very low level of precipitation, However, an area such as the Sahel, which has long periods of low precipitation and a rainy season that provides the majority of the annual rainfall, is much more vulnerable to drought as slight changes to circulation patterns can cause the rainy season to fail or be delayed. This will mean that the area is at risk of drought as a result of only small meteorological variations. This type of drought is caused by a change in the usual weather patterns of an area, Atmospheric and oceanic circulation (see pages 96 and 97) control much of the climatic patterns of an area and ‘so changes in these patterns can have a large impact. As ‘ur planet gets warmer, the temperatures of the ocean and atmosphere change and this affects where heat is fedistributed to. Climate change is already having an impact on these processes, and in some parts of the world is leading to more frequent or more severe droughts. 'nvestigation of the El Nifio event would help your Understanding of meteorological causes further. 115 2 Weather Hazards and Climate Change Figure 19 Desiccation cracks caused by drought. Jet streams (see page 97) can also have a limited impact as they can cause weather systems, such as low pressure systems bringing rain, to be diverted from their usual path. This affects areas that rely on a rainy season. AS the path of a jet stream is not constant, this can happen at any time. Hydrological Hydrological drought refers specifically to the impact of low precipitation on a hydrological system (a river basin, for example). While this wil have the same cause as a meteorological drought, itis possible that the effects of the drought may not be readily obvious. Although the surface effects of a drought may be noticeable straightaway, the impact on groundwater and reservoir levels may take more time to become obvious. ‘farmer may notice a loss of soll moisture quite quickly, but a water company may not feel the effect on its water supply from a reservoir for several months. As less water enters the soil because of @ lack of precipitation (meteorological drought), surface water, such as that in rivers, becomes difficult to access as levels drop. This will then lead to an over-reliance on groundwater and reservoirs. Activity 1 Explain why places like the Sahara or Great Australian Desert do not suffer droughts. 2 Why's drought more likely if the rainy season is normally in the summer months?