Potential evapotranspiration deficit (PED) can be thought of as a drought index. It is the difference between how much water could potentially be lost from the soil through evapotranspiration and how much is actually available. When PED is high, plants do not have the full amount of water available they need for growth. As our climate changes, increasing temperatures and rainfall pattern changes are expected to increase PED, and the frequency and intensity of drought, particularly in currently drought-prone regions.
More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf.
