Long-term spatiotemporal characteristics of meteorological drought in China from a three-dimensional (longitude, latitude, time) perspective

•An integrated processing framework for drought detection and analysis is proposed.•The spatiotemporal patterns and dynamics of meteorological drought are revealed.•Into the 2010 s, China's meteorological drought became more severe and active.•ENSO has a relatively large and complex impact on meteorological drought in China. Currently, there is an absence of an exhaustive elucidation regarding the long-term spatiotemporal characteristics of meteorological droughts in China. Previous studies have predominantly fixated on the lower-dimensional (temporal or spatial) facets of drought events, overlooking critical spatiotemporal details. This paper proposes an integrated processing framework that employs a three-dimensional clustering algorithm to discern drought events and quantifies the spatiotemporal patterns and dynamic attributes of China’s meteorological droughts during 1950–2021 from a three-dimensional perspective encompassing longitude, latitude, and time, capturing comprehensive spatiotemporal information. Additionally, the cross wavelet transform is harnessed to elucidate the impact of teleconnection factors on meteorological drought. The findings underscore that prolonged and extensive meteorological drought events, characterized by heightened severity, primarily manifest during the 1950 s, 1960 s, and 2010 s in temporal, predominantly within the central and western China spatially. From 1950 onwards, the severity, duration, and affected area of meteorological droughts in China exhibit a discernible pattern of initial decline followed by escalation. Into the 2010 s, meteorological droughts became more severe and active. China's meteorological drought displays two relatively prevailing spatial migration patterns: an overarching eastward and westward migration. In the former, the most frequent migration occurs to the east and northeast during its monthly evolution, while the latter involves migration primarily towards the west, southwest, and northwest. The impact of teleconnection factors on meteorological drought shows a spatiotemporal heterogeneity, with ENSO exhibiting a relatively substantial and intricate influencer. This research unearths the latest long-term spatiotemporal dynamics of meteorological drought in China, which contributes to an improved comprehension of drought patterns and behaviors.