In this study, we propose a probabilistic metric, the formative drought rate (FDR), to quantify drought propagation. It is the probability that a meteorological drought in precipitation forms a hydrological drought in streamflow. Drought events were identified based on the standardized precipitation index and streamflow drought index, respectively, at 1-, 3-, 6- and 12-month timescales. The method was tested in three river basins in Turkey (Kucuk Menderes, Gediz and Ergene). In each river basin, meteorological stations were coupled with streamflow gauging stations to form pairs of stations depending on their distance from each other and the length of their common record periods. The FDR was calculated across all timescales for each pair of stations. It was found capable to describe the river basin-specific spatial and temporal variability of drought propagation. As the FDR is defined in the form of probability, it is expected to be a useful metric for quantifying propagation from meteorological to hydrological drought. Thus, it carries a potential for scientific research and practice in water resources management.

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Statistical tools are crucial for a variety of hydrological applications, whether to model processes and enhance understanding and knowledge or to design infrastructure systems. Given the rapid evolution of statistical methods and the need for a solid theoretical foundation for their correct application, a multidisciplinary community STAtistics in HYdrology Working Group (STAHY-WG) aggregated under the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) umbrella to contribute to this research field. Now, more than 15 years since its inception, this paper summarizes the main achievements of this productive community collaboration in four (of many) branches of statistical hydrology: extreme value analysis, multivariate analysis, time series analysis, and regionalization. The aim is to provide an overview of recent developments, offer practical suggestions (e.g. software packages), and outline future challenges to support scientists and practitioners in their endeavours within the realm of statistical hydrology studies.@en

We explore how to address the challenges of adaptation of water resources systems under changing conditions by supporting flexible, resilient and low-regret solutions, coupled with on-going monitoring and evaluation. This will require improved understanding of the linkages between biophysical and social aspects in order to better anticipate the possible future co-evolution of water systems and society. We also present a call to enhance the dialogue and foster the actions of governments, the international scientific community, research funding agencies and additional stakeholders in order to develop effective solutions to support water resources systems adaptation. Finally, we call the scientific community to a renewed and unified effort to deliver an innovative message to stakeholders. Water science is essential to resolve the water crisis, but the effectiveness of solutions depends, inter alia, on the capability of scientists to deliver a new, coherent and technical vision for the future development of water systems.

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