Drought can be operationally defined as a water deficit state in relation to plant, population, and economy needs, resulting in discomfort and unbalance of social and economic activities and in negative impacts on some important environmental factors. The phenomenon is widely spread at present on Earth and in Europe, and it is due to greenhouse gas effect caused by pollution and by massive deforestation on Earth and in Romania. Atmospheric drought is seen through the significant increase of average daily temperatures during the summer as well as of average maximum temperatures in summer and winter months – an increase of the frequency of tropical days (daily maximum above 300C) and lack of precipitations. The paper presents the result of analysis of the following parameters in monitoring drought: sum of monthly and annual precipitations, average monthly and annual evapotranspiration in the studied years, monthly and annual hydric deficits and their graphic representation, average monthly temperatures and their evolution, as well as air relative moisture values; we also calculated and analysed aridity and climate indicators in Timisoara during the studied decade, From the point of view of the precipitations regime, an important indicator in identifying drought, the sum of monthly precipitations in the summer and even spring months (i.e. the annual sum of these precipitations) can help us draw a conclusion on the trend to drought and desertification during the studied decade. Moisture deficit was determined as the difference between the amount of precipitations and the values of monthly potential evapotranspiration and of plant water consumption, respectively, determined through the indirect Thornthwaite method, using average monthly and multi-annual in Timisoara. Identifying drought during the studied decade in Timisoara asks for drought management measures that could also be preventive measures, action measures during the phenomenon, and phenomenon control measures.

atmospheric drought; soil drought; average monthly temperatures; average monthly temperatures; sum of monthly precipitations; potential evapotranspiration; aridity coefficient; climate coefficient

Presentation: oral