Performance evaluation of Standardized Copula‐based Drought Index with Reconnaissance Drought Index and Standardized Precipitation Temperature Index using severity–duration frequency curves over Balochistan, Pakistan

Abstract Drought and aridity are good measures to study climate change that are measured using several indices. In this study, the performance of Standardized Copula‐based Drought Index (SCDI) is compared with Standardized Precipitation Temperature Index (SPTI) and Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI) for measuring drought in Balochistan province of Pakistan. These standardized drought indices combine the outcomes of De‐Martone Aridity Index (DAI) and UNEP Aridity Index (UAI). SCDI is calculated using probability distributions and copula models that combine the outcomes of UAI and DAI utilizing data of precipitation, potential evapotranspiration (PE), and temperature. Climate data from nine including arid and humid metrological stations are used to study drought conditions in Balochistan province. SCDI outcomes are graphically and numerically compared with SPTI and RDI. Selected drought indices are compared based on frequency of drought and wet events occurred in moderate, severe, and extreme drought categories, which indicate that SCDI has maximum number of events in these categories. It gives better results due to the utilization of more climate data as compared to RDI and SPTI. Severity–duration frequency curves are used to find future projections which shows that drought severity and drought duration have increasing trend with the passage of time. The indices have more differences in results of arid stations. The results indicate that there are no significant chances of drought at lower time scales, but the chances increase with the increase in time scale. The SCDI may also be more useful for agricultural and hydrological droughts due to temperature and PE variables. This study's results will be helpful for climate planning in Balochistan province.