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The use of NDVI and its Derivatives for Monitoring Lake Victoria’s Water Level and Drought Conditions

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Abstract

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which is a measure of vegetation vigour, and lake water levels respond variably to precipitation and its deficiency. For a given lake catchment, NDVI may have the ability to depict localized natural variability in water levels in response to weather patterns. This information may be used to decipher natural from unnatural variations of a given lake’s surface. This study evaluates the potential of using NDVI and its associated derivatives (VCI (vegetation condition index), SVI (standardised vegetation index), AINDVI (annually integrated NDVI), green vegetation function (F g ), and NDVIA (NDVI anomaly)) to depict Lake Victoria’s water levels. Thirty years of monthly mean water levels and a portion of the Global Inventory Modelling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) NDVI datasets were used. Their aggregate data structures and temporal co-variabilities were analysed using GIS/spatial analysis tools. Locally, NDVI was found to be more sensitive to drought (i.e., responded more strongly to reduced precipitation) than to water levels. It showed a good ability to depict water levels one-month in advance, especially in moderate to low precipitation years. SVI and SWL (standardized water levels) used in association with AINDVI and AMWLA (annual mean water levels anomaly) readily identified high precipitation years, which are also when NDVI has a low ability to depict water levels. NDVI also appears to be able to highlight unnatural variations in water levels. We propose an iterative approach for the better use of NDVI, which may be useful in developing an early warning mechanisms for the management of lake Victoria and other Lakes with similar characteristics.

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Acknowledgements

The Authors thank the Editor-in-Chief, G. P. Tsakiris and the two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions during the review period of the manuscript. JLA acknowledges the financial support of the Alexander von Humbodlt Foundation (Ludwig Leichhardt’s Memorial Fellowship), The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), and a Curtin Research Fellowship. He is grateful for the warm welcome and the conducive working atmosphere provided by his host Prof. Heck at the Geodetic Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The authors are grateful to E. Forootan of Bonn University for providing the tide gauge data and Fig. 3. They acknowledge the datasets used in this work and are grateful to Dr. Kevin Fleming for proof reading the manuscript, but take the responsibility of any errors. This is a TIGeR publication No. 396.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kyambogo Universities, Kampala, Uganda

    Paul Omute

  2. Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

    Rob Corner & Joseph Langat Awange

  3. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Joseph Langat Awange

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  1. Paul Omute
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Correspondence to Joseph Langat Awange.

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Omute, P., Corner, R. & Awange, J.L. The use of NDVI and its Derivatives for Monitoring Lake Victoria’s Water Level and Drought Conditions. Water Resour Manage 26, 1591–1613 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-011-9974-z

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