Question

What is the primary definition of a drought according to the provided text?

• A. A prolonged period of intense heat in a region.
• B. A significant deficiency in rainfall relative to the statistically established long-term average for a specific region.
• C. A complete absence of water in all major reservoirs.
• D. An excessive amount of rainfall leading to widespread flooding.

Answer 1

Answer:

B. A significant deficiency in rainfall relative to the statistically established long-term average for a specific region.

According to the provided text, the primary definition of a drought is:

A deficiency of rainfall – a season, a year, or over an extended period of several years – relative to the statistical multi-year average for the region.

• Core Concept: The essence of drought is a lack of rain.

• Temporal Aspect: This deficiency must occur over a significant duration (e.g., a season, a year, or even longer).

• Relativity: Crucially, it's not just "no rain," but rather less rain than typically expected for that specific area, based on its historical climate data.