Table 1 Hydroclimatic variables used to describe ‘wetter’ and ‘drier’ conditions, based on 487 studies
From: A call for consistency with the terms ‘wetter’ and ‘drier’ in climate change studies
Variable | Explanation |
|---|---|
Precipitation | In liquid or solid form |
Soil moisture | Soil water content/potential/storage, available soil water |
Runoff | Both surface and subsurface |
Temperature | Only air temperature |
Evapotranspiration | Both actual and potential evapotranspiration |
Water table | Groundwater and surface water levels |
Proxies | Stalagmites, sediments (pollen, isotopes, molluscs, diatoms, charcoal, magnetic etc.), tree rings, corals, mammals, paleosols |
Not defined | Unclear how ‘wetter’ and ‘drier’ should be understood in the context |
Other variables | Variables that were rarely mentioned, e.g., vegetation/habitat type (like wet/dry forests), humidity (usually very vague), water temperature, sea surface temperature, stream flow, salinity, radiation, snow water equivalent |