scholarly journals Time Varying Spatial Downscaling of Satellite-Based Drought Index

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 3693
Author(s):  
Hone-Jay Chu ◽  
Regita Faridatunisa Wijayanti ◽  
Lalu Muhamad Jaelani ◽  
Hui-Ping Tsai

Drought monitoring is essential to detect the presence of drought, and the comprehensive change of drought conditions on a regional or global scale. This study used satellite precipitation data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), but refined the data for drought monitoring in Java, Indonesia. Firstly, drought analysis was conducted to establish the standardized precipitation index (SPI) of TRMM data for different durations. Time varying SPI spatial downscaling was conducted by selecting the environmental variables, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and land surface temperature (LST) that were highly correlated with precipitation because meteorological drought was associated with vegetation and land drought. This study used time-dependent spatial regression to build the relation among original SPI, auxiliary variables, i.e., NDVI and LST. Results indicated that spatial downscaling was better than nonspatial downscaling (overall RMSEs: 0.25 and 0.46 in spatial and nonspatial downscaling). Spatial downscaling was more suitable for heterogeneous SPI, particularly in the transition time (R: 0.863 and 0.137 in June 2019 for spatial and nonspatial models). The fine resolution (1 km) SPI can be composed of the environmental data. The fine-resolution SPI captured a similar trend of the original SPI. Furthermore, the detailed SPI maps can be used to understand the spatio-temporal pattern of drought severity.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianliang Jiang ◽  
Xiaoling Su

<p>Although the concept of ecological drought was first defined by the Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) in 2016, there remains no widely accepted drought index for monitoring ecological drought. Therefore, this study constructed a new ecological drought monitoring index, the standardized ecological water deficit index (SEWDI). The SEWDI is based on the difference between ecological water requirements and consumption, referred to as the standardized precipitation index (SPI) method, which was used to monitor ecological drought in Northwestern China (NWRC). The performances of the SEWDI and four widely-used drought indices [standardized root soil moisture index (SSI), self-calibrated Palmer drought index (scPDSI), standardized precipitation-evaporation drought index (SPEI), and SPI) in monitoring ecological drought were evaluated through comparing the Pearson correlations between these indices and the standardized normalized difference vegetation index (SNDVI) under different time scales, wetness, and water use efficiencies (WUEs) of vegetation. Finally, the rotational empirical orthogonal function (REOF) was used to decompose the SEWDI at a 12-month scale in the NWRC during 1982–2015 to obtain five ecological drought regions. The characteristics of ecological drought in the NWRC, including intensity, duration, and frequency, were extracted using run theory. The results showed that the performance of the SEWDI in monitoring ecological drought was highest among the commonly-used drought indices evaluated under different time scales [average correlation coefficient values (r) between SNDVI and drought indices: SEWDI<sub></sub>= 0.34, SSI<sub></sub>= 0.24, scPDSI<sub></sub>= 0.23, SPI<sub></sub>= 0.20, SPEI<sub></sub>= 0.18), and the 12-month-scale SEWDI was largely unaffected by wetness and WUE. In addition, the results of the monitoring indicated that serious ecological droughts in the NWRC mainly occurred in 1982–1986, 1990–1996, and 2005–2010, primarily in regions I, II, and V, regions II, and IV, and in region III, IV, and V, respectively. This study provides a robust approach for quantifying ecological drought severity across natural vegetation areas and scientific evidence for governmental decision makers.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 2534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willibroad Gabila Buma ◽  
Sang-Il Lee

As the world population keeps increasing and cultivating more land, the extraction of vegetation conditions using remote sensing is important for monitoring land changes in areas with limited ground observations. Water supply in wetlands directly affects plant growth and biodiversity, which makes monitoring drought an important aspect in such areas. Vegetation Temperature Condition Index (VTCI) which depends on thermal stress and vegetation state, is widely used as an indicator for drought monitoring using satellite data. In this study, using clear-sky Landsat multispectral images, VTCI was derived from Land Surface Temperature (LST) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Derived VTCI was used to observe the drought patterns of the wetlands in Lake Chad between 1999 and 2018. The proportion of vegetation from WorldView-3 images was later introduced to evaluate the methods used. With an overall accuracy exceeding 90% and a kappa coefficient greater than 0.8, these methods accurately acquired vegetation training samples and adaptive thresholds, allowing for accurate estimations of the spatially distributed VTCI. The results obtained present a coherent spatial distribution of VTCI values estimated using LST and NDVI. Most areas during the study period experienced mild drought conditions, though severe cases were often seen around the northern part of the lake. With limited in-situ data in this area, this study presents how VTCI estimations can be developed for drought monitoring using satellite observations. This further shows the usefulness of remote sensing to improve the information about areas that are difficult to access or with poor availability of conventional meteorological data.


Author(s):  
Pandji W. Dhewantara ◽  
Wenbiao Hu ◽  
Wenyi Zhang ◽  
Wenwu Yin ◽  
Fan Ding ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo quantify the effects of climate variability, selected remotely-sensed environmental factors on human leptospirosis in the high-risk counties in China.IntroductionLeptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the pathogenic Leptospira bacteria and is ubiquitously distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Leptospirosis transmission driven by complex factors include climatic, environmental and local social conditions 1. Each year, there are about 1 million cases of human leptospirosis reported globally and it causes approximately 60,000 people lost their lives due to infection 2. Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province are two of highly endemic areas in the southwest China that had contributed for 47% of the total national reported cases during 2005-2015 3. Factors underlying local leptospirosis transmission in these two areas is far from clear and thus hinder the efficacy of control strategies. Hence, it is essential to assess and identify local key drivers associated with persistent leptospirosis transmission in that areas to lay foundation for the development of early-warning systems. Currently, remote sensing technology provides broad range of physical environment data at various spatial and temporal scales 4, which can be used to understand the leptospirosis epidemiology. Utilizing satellite-based environmental data combined with locally-acquired weather data may potentially enhance existing surveillance programs in China so that the burden of leptospirosis could be reduced.MethodsThis study was carried out in two counties situated in different climatic zone in the southwestern China, Mengla and Yilong County (Fig 1). Total of 543 confirmed leptospirosis cases reported during 2006-2016 from both counties were used in this analysis. Time series decomposition was used to explore the long-term seasonality of leptospirosis incidence in two counties during the period studied. Monthly remotely-sensed environmental data such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), modified normalized water difference index (MNDWI) and land surface temperature (LST) were collected from satellite databases. Climate data include monthly precipitation and relative humidity (RH) data were obtained from local weather stations. Lagged effects of rainfall, humidity, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI) and land surface temperature (LST) on leptospirosis was examined. Generalized linear model with negative binomial link was used to assess the relationships of climatic and physical environment factors with leptospirosis. Best-fitted model was determined based on the lowest information criterion and deviance.ResultsLeptospirosis incidence in both counties showed strong and unique annual seasonality. Bi-modal temporal pattern was exhibited in Mengla County while single epidemic curve was persistently demonstrated in Yilong County (Fig 2). Total of 10 and 20 models were generated for Mengla and Yilong County, respectively. After adjusting for seasonality, final best-fitted models indicated that rainfall at lag of 6-month (incidence rate ratio (IRR)= 0.989; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.985-0.993, p<0.001) and current LST (IRR=0.857, 95%CI:0.729-0.929, p<0.001) significantly associated with leptospirosis in Mengla County (Table 1). While in Yilong, rainfall at 1-month lag, MNDWI (5-months lag) and LST (3-months lag) were associated with an increased incidence of leptospirosis with a risk ratio of 1.013 (95%CI: 1.003-1.023), 7.960 (95%CI: 1.241-47.66) and 1.193 (95%CI:1.095-1.301), respectively.ConclusionsOur study identified lagged effect and relationships of weather and remotely-sensed environmental factors with leptospirosis in two endemic counties in China. Rainfall in combination with satellite derived physical environment factors such as flood/water indicator (MNDWI) and temperature (LST) could help explain the local epidemiology as well as good predictors for leptospirosis outbreak in both counties. This would also be an avenue for the development of leptospirosis early warning system in to support leptospirosis control in China.References1. Haake, D. A. , Levett, P. N. Leptospirosis in humans. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology 2015, 387, 65-97.2. Costa, F. et al. Global Morbidity and Mortality of Leptospirosis: A Systematic Review. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2015, 9, e0003898.3. Dhewantara, P. W. et al. Epidemiological shift and geographical heterogeneity in the burden of leptospirosis in China. Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2018, 7, 57.4. Herbreteau, V., Salem, G., Souris, M., Hugot, J. P. & Gonzalez, J. P. Thirty years of use and improvement of remote sensing, applied to epidemiology: from early promises to lasting frustration. Health & Place 2007, 13, 400-403. 


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (24) ◽  
pp. 8371
Author(s):  
Irina Ontel ◽  
Anisoara Irimescu ◽  
George Boldeanu ◽  
Denis Mihailescu ◽  
Claudiu-Valeriu Angearu ◽  
...  

This paper will assess the sensitivity of soil moisture anomaly (SMA) obtained from the Soil water index (SWI) product Metop ASCAT, to identify drought in Romania. The SWI data were converted from relative values (%) to absolute values (m3 m−3) using the soil porosity method. The conversion results (SM) were validated using soil moisture in situ measurements from ISMN at 5 cm depths (2015–2020). The SMA was computed based on a 10 day SWI product, between 2007 and 2020. The analysis was performed for the depths of 5 cm (near surface), 40 cm (sub surface), and 100 cm (root zone). The standardized precipitation index (SPI), land surface temperature anomaly (LST anomaly), and normalized difference vegetation index anomaly (NDVI anomaly) were computed in order to compare the extent and intensity of drought events. The best correlations between SM and in situ measurements are for the stations located in the Getic Plateau (Bacles (r = 0.797) and Slatina (r = 0.672)), in the Western Plain (Oradea (r = 0.693)), and in the Moldavian Plateau (Iasi (r = 0.608)). The RMSE were between 0.05 and 0.184. Furthermore, the correlations between the SMA and SPI, the LST anomaly, and the NDVI anomaly were significantly registered in the second half of the warm season (July–September). Due to the predominantly agricultural use of the land, the results can be useful for the management of water resources and irrigation in regions frequently affected by drought.


PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junqiang Yao ◽  
Yong Zhao ◽  
Xiaojing Yu

Observations indicate that temperature and precipitation patterns changed dramatically in Xinjiang, northwestern China, between 1961 and 2015. Dramatic changes in climatic conditions can bring about adverse effects. Specifically, meteorological drought severity based on the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) showed a decreasing trend in Xinjiang prior to 1997, after which the trend reversed. SPEI-based drought severity shows a much stronger change during 1997–2015 than the SPI, which is independent of the effect of evaporative demand. Meteorological drought severity has been aggravated by a significant rise in temperature (1.1 °C) over the last two decades that has not been accompanied by a corresponding increase in precipitation. As a result, the evaporative demand in Xinjiang has risen. An examination of a large spatio-temporal extent has made the aggravated drought conditions more evident. Our results indicate that increased meteorological drought severity has had a direct effect on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and river discharge. The NDVI exhibited a significant decrease during the period 1998–2013 compared to 1982–1997, a decrease that was found to be caused by increased soil moisture loss. A positive relationship was recorded between evaporative demand and the runoff coefficients of the 68 inland river catchments in northwestern China. In the future, meteorological drought severity will likely increase in arid and semiarid regions as global warming continues.


DYNA ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (214) ◽  
pp. 204-214
Author(s):  
Carlos David Ojeda Flechas ◽  
Jaime Alejandro Burbano Rodriguez ◽  
Yesid Carvajal Escobar ◽  
Francisco Luis Hernández Torres

The Synthesized Drought Index in the Valle del Cauca was evaluated, applying Principal Component Analysis to satellite images that described: Land Surface Temperature, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and Precipitation. The magnitude of drought represented by this index was identified in the first component and validated with the Quarterly Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI – 3), obtained from 78 weather stations, which achieved correlations of between 0.55 and 0.71 during warm ENSO events. Comprehensive drought in the department was characterized by exhibiting areas of non-drought in the southwest, in the center-south a transition phase from wet to extremely dry, the Inter-Andean Valley showed sectors of severe drought, and to the east, extremely dry areas. Additionally, in a pilot municipality in the driest area of the department, a susceptibility model was implemented to detect areas affected by drought, applying the Analytical Hierarchical Process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 4147
Author(s):  
Jingyu Zhang ◽  
Jindi Wang ◽  
Rui Sun ◽  
Hongmin Zhou ◽  
Helin Zhang

The leaf area index (LAI) is a critical parameter for characterizing the structure and function of vegetation in ecosystems. Currently, operational LAI products always have coarse spatial resolution, and fine-resolution LAI maps are urgently needed for ecological environment assessment and the precise monitoring of cropland growth. LAI downscaling methods are efficient at improving the spatial resolution of LAI products but often ignore the scaling effect of the model. In this study, a novel model-downscaling method is proposed for fine-resolution LAI estimation. It uses scaling equations of model parameters (SEMPs) to describe the scaling relations of models at different spatial resolutions and construct a downscaled model from a coarse-resolution model. Landsat Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) at 30 m and Global LAnd Surface Satellite (GLASS) LAI at 1 km spatial resolutions are used because they are readily available. The downscaled model is evaluated by a fine-resolution model directly constructed with fine-resolution data. The fine-resolution LAI values estimated by this model-downscaling method are evaluated with field LAI measurements. The validation results show that the proposed method can generate highly accurate LAIs, with an RMSE of 0.821 at the Pshenichne cropland site in Ukraine and an RMSE of 0.515 at the Camerons forest site in Australia when compared with field LAI measurements. The results are also better than those of Ovakoglou’s downscaling method. These results demonstrate that the model-downscaling method for fine-resolution LAI estimation is viable and referable for related studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 2341
Author(s):  
Lidong Zou ◽  
Sen Cao ◽  
Anzhou Zhao ◽  
Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa

Due to excessive human disturbances, as well as predicted changes in precipitation regimes, tropical dry forests (TDFs) are susceptible to meteorological droughts. Here, we explored the response of TDFs to meteorological drought by conducting temporal correlations between the MODIS-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) to a standardized precipitation index (SPI) between March 2000 and March 2017 at the Santa Rosa National Park Environmental Monitoring Super Site (SRNP-EMSS), Guanacaste, Costa Rica. We conducted this study using monthly and seasonal scales. Our results indicate that the NDVI and LST are largely influenced by seasonality, as well as the magnitude, duration, and timing of precipitation. We find that greenness and evapotranspiration are highly sensitive to precipitation when TDFs suffer from long-term water deficiency, and they tend to be slightly resistant to meteorological drought in the wet season. Greenness is more resistant to short-term rainfall deficiency than evapotranspiration, but greenness is more sensitive to precipitation after a period of rainfall deficiency. Precipitation can still strongly influence evapotranspiration on the canopy surface, but greenness is not controlled by the rainfall, but rather phenological characteristics when leaves begin to senesce.


2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 649-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godfrey Mutowo ◽  
David Chikodzi

Purpose – Drought monitoring is an important process for national agricultural and environmental planning. Droughts are normal recurring climatic phenomena that affect people and landscapes. They occur at different scales (locally, regionally, and nationally), and for periods of time ranging from weeks to decades. In Zimbabwe drought is increasingly becoming an annual phenomenon, with varying parts of the country being affected. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the spatial variations in the seasonal occurrences of drought in Zimbabwe over a period of five years. Design/methodology/approach – The Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), which shows how close the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index of the current time is to the minimum Normalized Difference Vegetation Index calculated from the long-term record for that given time, was used to monitor drought occurrence in Zimbabwe. A time series of dekadal Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, calculated from SPOT images, was used to compute seasonal VCI maps from 2005 to 2010. The VCI maps were then classified into three drought severity classes (severe, moderate, and mild) based on the relative changes in the vegetation condition from extremely bad to optimal. Findings – The results showed that droughts occur annually in Zimbabwe though, on average, the droughts are mostly mild. The occurrence and the spatial distribution of drought in Zimbabwe was also found to be random affecting different places from season to season thus the authors conclude that most parts of the country are drought prone. Originality/value – Remote sensing technologies utilising such indices as the VCI can be used for drought monitoring in Zimbabwe.


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