Monitoring of drought in the current climate of Ukraine using different indexes Inna Semenova Odessa State Environmental University, Ukraine, Territory of Ukraine every vegetation season is exposed the droughts of different intensity and duration. The aim is to estimate the drought conditions in Ukraine during period of 1995-2012 using: the PDSI (Palmer Drought Severity Index); the SPEI (Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index); the HTC (Hydrothermal coefficient by Selyaninov ). (1) Recent and present climate conditions (3) Distribution of agroclimatic and seasonal droughts (using the SPEI3 and SPEI7 ) Temporal distribution of sc-PDSI averaged over agroclimatic zones [email protected] (2) According to monthly Palmer indices (CRU scPDSI 3.21) extremely dry seasons in almost all zones of Ukraine were observed in 2007, 2009, 2012 with weakto-strong drought during all months. In the Steppe prevailed the weak-tomoderate spring-summer droughts. In the Forest-andSteppe zone the intensity of droughts usually less severe, but summer-autumn droughts are prevailed such as in 1999 and 2009. In the Mixed Forests zone (Poles'e) the weak-to-moderate season droughts were observed in 1995, 2002, 2003 and 2007. In the Forest-and-Steppe zone and Poles'e frequency of autumn droughts increases in comparing to Steppe. (4) Using the HTC is defined that frequency of months with drought in the southern regions of Ukraine reaches to 60-70%. The most severe seasonal droughts occurred in 2007 and 2009 with area of extent over 35% of the country. The HTC calculated in vegetation period as the ratio of monthly sums of temperatures (T) and precipitation (0.1Q). Seasonal droughts using the SPEI7 (April-October) 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 S P E I7 2,50 2,00 1,50 1,00 0,50 0,00 -0,50 -1,00 -1,50 -2,00 -2,50 Dry conditions during spring period are prevailed at all zones. In summer the drought frequency increasing in Steppe and decreasing in other zone. Autumn period characterized by decreasing of drought intensity at all regions. Extremely prolonged autumn drought was observed in 2011. Most important seasonal droughts identified in 1999, 2007, 2009 and 2012. Severe and extreme droughts occurred mostly in Steppe. In the Forest-and-Steppe and Mixed Forests zones observed only weak and moderate seasonal droughts. There is a trend of increasing intensity and frequency of droughts at present period. (5) The large crop losses (10-43% from the trend) were observed in years with a spring-summer drought such as 1996, 2003 and 2007. In 2000 the significant loss of crop (up to 33%) was observed under weak seasonal drought. Significant statistical relationship is observed between crop loss (average on Ukraine and separately zones) and spring-summer SPEI3 (Pearson’s coefficient 0.57-0.58). Relationship between crop yield and sc-PDSI is weak and insignificant. References 1. Semenova I.G. (2014). Description of drought conditions in Ukraine in the end of 20th and the early 21st century // Vestnik Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University. V.1. P. 20-29 (in Russian). 2. Semenova I.G. (2013). Regional atmospheric blocking in the drought periods in Ukraine // Journal of Earth Science and Engineering. V. 3 (5). P. 341-348. 3. V. Tymofeyev and I. Semenova (2012). Recent climate changes in East Europe and Ukraine // 3rd International Conference on Earth System Modelling, 17 – 21 September 2012, Hamburg, Germany.