Introduction : the nature of droughts --
Types of drought and their assessment --
The perturbation of hydrological drought --
Droughts of the past : dendrochronology and lake sediments --
Water bodies, catchments and the abiotic effects of drought --
Drought and temporary waters --
Drought, floodplain rivers and wetland complexes --
Drought and perennial aquatic systems : plants and invertebrates --
Drought and fish of standing and flowing waters --
Estuaries and drought --
Human-induced exacerbation of drought effects on aquatic ecosystems --
Conclusions

Droughts are a major hazard to both natural and human-dominated environments and those, especially of long duration and high intensity, can be highly damaging and leave long-lasting effects. This book describes the climatic conditions that give rise to droughts, and their various forms and chief attributes. Past droughts are described including those that had severe impacts on human societies. As a disturbance, droughts can be thought of as "ramps" in that they usually build slowly and take time to become evident. As precipitation is reduced, flows from catchments into aquatic systems decline