DROUGHT ASSESSMENT OF ZONES OF TAJIKISTAN WITH MEDIUM CONTINENTAL CLIMATE

The results of analysis of drought manifestation in zones of Tajikistan with medium continental climate on the example of Faizabad district using standardized precipitation index (SPI) and standardized precipitation and evapotranspiration index (SPEI) are presented. By comparing the amount and duration of drought in Faizabad district with its climatic characteristics, the close dependence of drought on annual mean values of temperature and precipitation was established. The characteristic feature of drought indices is their decreasing nature and sig nificant difference in their trends of changes. The difference between SPEI-6 and SPI-6 is due to the fact that, un like SPI, SPEI takes into account the temperature factor along with precipitation. This difference is characterized by potential evapotranspiration (PET) defined by the difference between precipitation and evaporation. The simi larity between SPEI and SPI in the winter period is justified, as in this period PET tends to have the lowest ratio to precipitation, which leads to a functional approximation of SPEI to SPI. According to the same principles, the highest difference is observed in September, which covers the period from April to September, when PET is high est in relation to precipitation. It is found that for the period 1993–2023, the monthly mean precipitation values are significantly lower and temperatures are higher than the climatic norm of Faizabad district, which lead to negative values of the difference of mean annual SPEI and SPI. The observed deficit of precipitation during the vegetation season (May–September) of agricultural crops favors the occurrence of drought in Faizabad district of Tajikistan. Based on the methodology of this work, it is possible to assess drought in all climatic zones of Tajikistan and de velop recommendations for planning selection and cultivation of agricultural crops taking into account the fre quency and duration of droughts depending on meteorological conditions. The prevalence of mountainous relief and taking into account the specifics of the agrarian sector development in intermountain valleys, systematic mon itoring of drought probabilities is an important problem for mountainous countries.