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Assessment of spatio-temporal vegetation dynamics in tropical arid ecosystem of India using MODIS time-series vegetation indices

Arabian Journal of Geosciences volume 13, Article number: 704 (2020) Cite this article

Abstract

In the present study, we analyzed spatio-temporal vegetation dynamics to identify and delineate the vegetation stress zones in tropical arid ecosystem of Anantapuramu district, Andhra Pradesh, India, using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), and Vegetation Anomaly Index (VAI) derived from time-series Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 16-day products (MOD13Q1) at 250 m spatial resolution for the growing season (June to September) of 19 years during 2000 to 2018. The 1-month Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was computed for 30 years (1989 to 2018) to quantify the precipitation deficit/surplus regions and assess its influence on vegetation dynamics. The growing season mean NDVI and VCI were correlated with growing season mean 1-month SPI of dry (2003) and wet (2007) years to analyze the spatio-temporal vegetation dynamics. The correlation analysis between SPI and NDVI for dry year (2003) showed strong positive correlation (r = 0.89). Analysis of VAI for dry year (2003) indicates that the central, western, and south-western parts of the district reported high vegetation stress with VAI of less than − 2.0. This might be due to the fact that central and south-western parts of the district are more prone to droughts than the other parts of the district. The correlation analysis of SPI, NDVI, and VCI distinctly shows the impact of rainfall on vegetation dynamics. The study clearly demonstrates the robustness of NDVI, VCI, and VAI derived from time-series MODIS data in monitoring the spatio-temporal vegetation dynamics and delineate vegetation stress zones in tropical arid ecosystem of India.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the US Geological Survey (USGS) for providing the temporal MODIS 250m products (https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/) through the Earth Explorer Data Gateway. The authors are thankful to all India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Anantapuramu and Minor Irrigation, Department of Command Area Development, Anantapuramu, for their support in providing the climatic data for the study area. The support of Shri K.C. Arun Kumar, Young Professional—II in data processing and GIS mapping is duly acknowledged. We sincerely thank anonymous reviewers whose constructive comments and suggestions greatly improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICAR—National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Amravati Road, Nagpur -, 440 033, India

    Gangalakunta P. Obi Reddy, Nirmal Kumar, Nisha Sahu, Rajeev Srivastava & Surendra Kumar Singh

  2. ICAR—National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Regional Centre, Bengaluru -, 560 024, India

    Lekkala Gopala Krishnama Naidu

  3. ICAR—Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Santhosh Nagar, Hyderabad -, 500 059, India

    Gajjala Ravindra Chary

  4. International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Cairo -, 11728, Egypt

    Chandrashekhar M. Biradar

  5. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad -, 502 324, India

    Murali Krishna Gumma

  6. ICAR—All India Coordinated Research Project for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Anantapuramu -, 515 001, India

    Bodireddy Sahadeva Reddy

  7. Minor Irrigation, Department of Command Area Development, Anantapuramu -, 515 003, India

    Javaji Narendra Kumar

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  1. Gangalakunta P. Obi Reddy
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  2. Nirmal Kumar
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  3. Nisha Sahu
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  4. Rajeev Srivastava
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  5. Surendra Kumar Singh
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  6. Lekkala Gopala Krishnama Naidu
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  7. Gajjala Ravindra Chary
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  8. Chandrashekhar M. Biradar
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  9. Murali Krishna Gumma
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  10. Bodireddy Sahadeva Reddy
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  11. Javaji Narendra Kumar
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Correspondence to Gangalakunta P. Obi Reddy.

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Reddy, G.P., Kumar, N., Sahu, N. et al. Assessment of spatio-temporal vegetation dynamics in tropical arid ecosystem of India using MODIS time-series vegetation indices. Arab J Geosci 13, 704 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05611-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05611-4

Keywords

  • SPI
  • MODIS
  • NDVI
  • VCI
  • VAI
  • Vegetation stress zones
  • Tropical arid ecosystem

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