Using NDVI to measure precipitation in semi-arid landscapes
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Abstract
Measuring precipitation in semi-arid landscapes is important for understanding the processes related to rainfall and run-off; however, measuring precipitation accurately can often be challenging especially within remote regions where precipitation instruments are scarce. Typically, rain-gauges are sparsely distributed and research comparing rain-gauge and RADAR precipitation estimates reveal that RADAR data are often misleading, especially for monsoon season convective storms. This study investigates an alternative way to map the spatial and temporal variation of precipitation inputs along ephemeral stream channels using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery. NDVI values from 26 years of pre- and post-monsoon season Landsat imagery were derived across Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), a region covering 3,367 km2 of semiarid landscapes in southwestern Arizona, USA. The change in NDVI from a pre-to post-monsoon season image along ephemeral stream channels explained 73% of the variance in annual monsoonal precipitation totals from a nearby rain-gauge. In addition, large seasonal changes in NDVI along channels were useful in determining when and where flow events have occurred.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Using NDVI to measure precipitation in semi-arid landscapes |
| Series title | Journal of Arid Environments |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2016.04.004 |
| Volume | 131 |
| Year Published | 2016 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Academic Press |
| Contributing office(s) | Fort Collins Science Center |
| Description | 10 p. |
| First page | 15 |
| Last page | 24 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| Other Geospatial | Sonoran Desert, Yuma Proving Ground |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |