North Darfur of Sudan is located on the edge of the Sahara Desert and endures frequent droughts due to water shortages and high summer temperatures. Monitoring and understanding drought characteristics are essential for integrated drought risk mitigation and prevetion of land degradation. This study evaluates drought conditions in North Darfur by analyzing the spatiotemporal distribution of drought using three drought indices (Standardized Precipitation Index, Vegetation Condition Index, and Soil Moisture Content Index) and their combined drought index (CDI) from 2004 to 2013. Biophysical and socioeconomic indicators are further used to measure vulnerability to drought risk and its three components (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity) through a comprehensive risk assessment framework. The results show that most of North Darfur has experienced prolonged droughts during the study period, especially from 2007 to 2011. There is also a significant correlation between the monsoon season CDI and annual crop yield anomaly. The results confirm the validity of the CDI index, which provides a comprehensive description of the drought situation by combing four drought indices quantifying different drought aspects. The vulnerability results show that the majority of this region is highly exposed and sensitive to drought risks. In particular, the northern zone of the region is highly vulnerable, which is categorized by less-crop diversity, higher land degradation, frequent droughts, and high-poverty levels. This study provides valuable information for coping with climate change-induced drought risk in this region and demonstrates that there is still a large room for enhancing the adaptation capacity in this region.

中文翻译：

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苏丹北达尔富尔地区干旱和脆弱性分析

苏丹北达尔富尔位于撒哈拉沙漠的边缘，由于缺水和夏季高温，经常发生干旱。监测和了解干旱特征对于综合缓解干旱风险和防止土地退化至关重要。本研究通过使用三个干旱指数（标准化降水指数、植被状况指数和土壤水分含量指数）及其组合干旱指数 (CDI) 分析 2004 年至 2013 年期间干旱的时空分布来评估北达尔富尔的干旱状况。 生物物理和社会经济通过综合风险评估框架，指标进一步用于衡量干旱风险及其三个组成部分（暴露、敏感性和适应能力）的脆弱性。结果表明，北达尔富尔大部分地区在研究期间经历了长期干旱，尤其是2007年至2011年。季风季节CDI与年度作物产量异常之间也存在显着相关性。结果证实了 CDI 指数的有效性，该指数通过结合量化不同干旱方面的四个干旱指数来全面描述干旱情况。脆弱性结果表明，该地区的大部分地区都高度暴露并对干旱风险敏感。尤其是该地区的北部地区非常脆弱，被归类为作物多样性较少、土地退化程度较高、干旱频繁和贫困程度高。