SPEI-GD: Global Daily Drought Index Data, 1982-2021

A global daily Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) dataset at 0.25-degree spatial resolution from 1982 to 2021. The dataset, created by Xuebang Liu of Peking University and published in 2024, provides five time scales of drought severity calculated from ERA5 precipitation and Singer's potential evapotranspiration data.

Use Cases

• Monitoring agricultural drought risk based on the multi-timescale SPEI values.
• Analyzing long-term global climate trends based on the 39-year daily data record.
• Validating hydrological and climate models based on the ERA5-derived precipitation and evapotranspiration inputs.
• Assessing regional water resource vulnerability based on the 0.25-degree spatial resolution.

Strengths

• Global coverage at 0.25-degree spatial resolution.
• Provides daily data across five distinct time scales (5, 30, 90, 180, and 360 days).
• Covers a 39-year period from 1982 to 2021.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Peking University

Collection Method

Calculation based on ERA5's precipitation and Singer's potential evapotranspiration.

Time Range

1982 to 2021

Geography

Global