The overall plan for this Research Fellowship was to read and digest the literature on droughtand aquatic systems and their biota, to produce a report for Land & Water Australia on the major findings from the review of the literature, and to use this Fellowship effort to set up the writing of a book on drought and aquatic systems. The time to read about drought and think about what we know, in spite of some necessary interruptions, has been a very rewarding experience, and I am grateful to Land & Water Australia for giving me the opportunity to dig into the drought literature.