Special issue  

Droughts are among the most damaging and least understood of all so-called natural hazards. Droughts often lead to long-lasting and cascading impacts on different sectors across multiple spatial scales. Because the impacts of drought are less direct and immediately visible than the impacts of events such as floods or storms, drought has, for a long time, received less attention in disaster research and risk reduction. The likelihood of such impacts, understood as drought risk, is caused by the combination of drought hazard, exposure, and a broad range of underlying vulnerability factors. To support the identification and planning of drought risk reduction, risk transfer, and adaptation options, information on the drivers, patterns, and dynamics of current and future drought risk is needed in all dimensions of drought hazard, exposure, and system vulnerability. We aim at soliciting contributions (commentaries, review articles, original research articles) for a special issue on drought vulnerability, risk, and impact assessments that aim to inform drought risk management, risk transfer, and adaptation policy and action in the context of global environmental change and societal transformation.

Papers may consider the following topics:

• drought vulnerability, risk, or impact assessments (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method approaches) for different sectors (e.g. agriculture, energy production, transportation, tourism) and systems (e.g. ecosystems), at different spatial (local to global) and/or temporal scales (past trends, current patterns, future scenarios);
• assessment and communication of uncertainties in drought risk assessments (and risk components);
• validation strategies of the outcomes of drought risk assessments (e.g. through loss and damage information or expert-based);
• validation of the utility of drought vulnerability, risk, and impact assessments for climate action, resilience-building, and (inter)national climate policy;
• emergent risks associated with droughts (including in the focus of compound hazards), the multiple interconnections that influence systemic drought risks, and the cascading effects of droughts;
• studies that aim to bridge the ``science to policy-action'' gap by providing science-based solutions to the international community, nations, and communities on how to build resilience.

A series of contributions will be drawn from the EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online session "Drought risk, vulnerability and impact assessment: achievements and future directions'' held on 8 May 2020; however, unsolicited contributions are also highly encouraged. The guest editors aim for diversity and balance in contributions and authors. We especially encourage researchers from developing countries, women, and underrepresented minorities to contribute to this special issue.