Recent droughts in the Kruger National Park as reflected in the extreme climate index

Associated with the 2015/2016 El Niño, extreme drought occurred over the Lowveld of South Africa. The area includes the Kruger National Park (KNP). Significant die-offs of a mega herbivore species occurred, corroborated by census data in KNP. The drought situation and impact were likely exacerbated...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:African journal of range & forage science 2020-01, Vol.37 (1), p.1-17
Main Authors: Malherbe, Johan, Smit, Izak PJ, Wessels, Konrad J, Beukes, Philip J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
climate indices
Drought
drought index
El Nino
El Niño
Environmental impact
Herbivores
high temperatures
low rainfall
National parks
Rain
Rainfall
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Summary:Associated with the 2015/2016 El Niño, extreme drought occurred over the Lowveld of South Africa. The area includes the Kruger National Park (KNP). Significant die-offs of a mega herbivore species occurred, corroborated by census data in KNP. The drought situation and impact were likely exacerbated by a frequency of recorded extreme temperatures never observed before together with increased numbers of herbivores. Here we consider this recent drought and places it into context with previous El Niño-related droughts. We use an index of climate extremes, based simply on derivatives of temperature and rainfall, to identify the most extreme recent drought events and consider other observed datasets to verify the ability of the index to identify the most extreme cases. We also further explore the characteristics of extreme droughts in the KNP, according to insights gained by applying the index.
ISSN:1022-0119
0256-6702
1727-9380
DOI:10.2989/10220119.2020.1718755