How did the aridity of the climate in Slovakia change over last decades?

The availability of water is a crucial factor influencing the stability of an ecosystem, the vitality of its flora and fauna, and the economic growth of a society.The changes in the aridity of a climate have an important effect not only on ecosystems, but also on economies, agriculture, and the available water supply.The aridity index (AI) is one of the most frequently used indices for assessing the degree of dryness of a climate.The AI is based on long-term water deficits and therefore expresses over long periods changes.Fluctuations in aridity can also be used to quantify the impact of climate change on regional climatic conditions.Our research is focused on quantifying changes in climate conditions for 76 climatological stations in Slovakia; these changes are based on an analysis of trends in the aridity index.We also examined changes in the seasonal and long-term patterns of related variables and climate drought indexes (SPI10, SPEI10) to identify the drivers of changes in the aridity of the climate of the region.Our findings indicate rising trends in climate aridity, primarily driven by increases in air temperatures, especially the minimum air temperature, even though the trend in precipitation totals is still constant (but also increasing in some areas).Furthermore, our analysis reveals that drought has become a year-round concern over recent decades, which reinforces our assertion that certain regions of Slovakia are at risk of desertification.