Assessment of the impact of drought on the vegetation cover in Lorestan Province using advanced infrared images

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• Samad khosravi Yagane ¹
• Mostafa Karampour ²
• Behrouz Nasiri ²

¹ Ph.D. student in climatology, Department of Geography, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran

² Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran.

10.22067/geoeh.2023.82117.1356

Abstract

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is one of the key instruments on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) polar-orbiting satellite, Suomi NPP, which was successfully launched on October 28, 2011. VIIRS represents a new generation of moderate-resolution imaging capabilities, succeeding the AVHRR at NOAA and MODIS on the Terra and Aqua satellites. It provides operational environmental monitoring and supports numerical weather prediction through its 22 radiometric imaging bands, ranging from 0.41 to 12.5 micrometers.
To examine the impact of precipitation on vegetation cover in Lorestan Province, the monthly mean Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was calculated using rainfall data from seven meteorological stations in the province. Additionally, weekly-averaged infrared images from the Suomi NPP sensor over the period 2013 to 2021 (April 1 to the end of July) were analyzed to assess the state of vegetation cover.
The results indicated that the correlation between the SPI and the vegetation indices NDVI, VCI, TCI, and VHI were 0.037, 0.048, 0.174, and 0.150, respectively. Among these indices, the TCI index exhibited the highest correlation with SPI, making it a suitable method for combining remote sensing data with meteorological station data to monitor vegetation cover conditions in Lorestan Province.
The findings also revealed that vegetation experienced varying degrees of drought each year, with the most severe drought occurring in 2021 across most regions of the province, particularly in the central, southern, and northeastern areas. In contrast, drought conditions were less severe in 2013, 2015, and 2018, while vegetation cover showed better conditions in 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Keywords

• Remote Sensing
• Drought Monitoring
• Vegetation Indices
• Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI)
• VIIRS Satellite Data
• Lorestan province

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