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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Keywords

  • MODIS NDVI and NDI
  • drought
  • soil moisture FWI

Index Terms

  • Biogeosciences: Remote sensing
  • Hydrology: Drought
  • Hydrology: Soil moisture
  • Biogeosciences: Natural hazards

Abstract

Evaluation of MODIS NDVI and NDWI for vegetation drought monitoring using Oklahoma Mesonet soil moisture data

Yingxin Gu

ASRC Research and Technology Solutions, USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA

Eric Hunt

National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

Brian Wardlow

National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

Jeffrey B. Basara

Oklahoma Climatological Survey, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA

Jesslyn F. Brown

USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA

James P. Verdin

USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA

The evaluation of the relationship between satellite-derived vegetation indices (normalized difference vegetation index and normalized difference water index) and soil moisture improves our understanding of how these indices respond to soil moisture fluctuations. Soil moisture deficits are ultimately tied to drought stress on plants. The diverse terrain and climate of Oklahoma, the extensive soil moisture network of the Oklahoma Mesonet, and satellite-derived indices from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provided an opportunity to study correlations between soil moisture and vegetation indices over the 2002–2006 growing seasons. Results showed that the correlation between both indices and the fractional water index (FWI) was highly dependent on land cover heterogeneity and soil type. Sites surrounded by relatively homogeneous vegetation cover with silt loam soils had the highest correlation between the FWI and both vegetation-related indices (r∼0.73), while sites with heterogeneous vegetation cover and loam soils had the lowest correlation (r∼0.22).

Received 22 August 2008; accepted 8 October 2008; published 18 November 2008.

Citation: Gu, Y., E. Hunt, B. Wardlow, J. B. Basara, J. F. Brown, and J. P. Verdin (2008), Evaluation of MODIS NDVI and NDWI for vegetation drought monitoring using Oklahoma Mesonet soil moisture data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L22401, doi:10.1029/2008GL035772.

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