Modeling of Relationship Between Meteorological Drought and Water Surface Elevation Using Copula Functions
Abstract
This research analyzes the dependence structure between meteorological drought conditions and hydrological variations in Lake Eğirdir using a copula-based statistical framework. The study relies on 12-month Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) records obtained from five meteorological stations (Eğirdir, Isparta, Uluborlu, Senirkent, and Yalvaç) and on water surface elevation (WSE) observations spanning 1975–2019. WSE were standardized and run theory was applied to identify potential time lags between atmospheric drought indicators and hydrological responses. Marginal probability distributions were estimated separately for SPI and WSE, after which their dependence structure was characterized using different copula functions. The analysis revealed weak yet statistically significant associations between WSE and SPI at the Eğirdir, Isparta, and Senirkent stations. The impact of meteorological droughts on WSE manifests with delays ranging from approximately 4 to 11.5 years, indicating a storage-controlled hydrological response. According to copula-based return period analysis, negative or near-zero SPI-12 conditions lasting approximately five years result in the WSE falling below its long-term mean elevation (917.3 m). Furthermore, under extreme drought conditions (SPI ≈ -2.55), the probability of further elevation decline over the five-year period is approximately 65%. These findings demonstrate that copula models can successfully represent drought-lake interactions, reveal the transfer of meteorological drought to hydrological drought, and provide numerical thresholds for early warning and water management planning in lake basins.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Hydrology (Other)
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Tahsin Baykal
0000-0001-6218-0826
Türkiye
Dilek Taylan
0000-0003-0734-1900
Türkiye
Özlem Terzi
*
0000-0001-6429-5176
Türkiye
Publication Date
July 24, 2026
Submission Date
January 8, 2026
Acceptance Date
April 1, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 12 Number: 2
