Version 1
: Received: 2 August 2024 / Approved: 4 August 2024 / Online: 5 August 2024 (11:04:28 CEST)
How to cite:
Chivangulula, F. M.; Amraoui, M.; Pereira, M. G. Assessment of the Drought Regime in SA, Based on Drought and Vegetation Indices. Preprints2024, 2024080232. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0232.v1
Chivangulula, F. M.; Amraoui, M.; Pereira, M. G. Assessment of the Drought Regime in SA, Based on Drought and Vegetation Indices. Preprints 2024, 2024080232. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0232.v1
Chivangulula, F. M.; Amraoui, M.; Pereira, M. G. Assessment of the Drought Regime in SA, Based on Drought and Vegetation Indices. Preprints2024, 2024080232. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0232.v1
APA Style
Chivangulula, F. M., Amraoui, M., & Pereira, M. G. (2024). Assessment of the Drought Regime in SA, Based on Drought and Vegetation Indices. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0232.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Chivangulula, F. M., Malik Amraoui and Mário Gonzalez Pereira. 2024 "Assessment of the Drought Regime in SA, Based on Drought and Vegetation Indices" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.0232.v1
Abstract
Drought affects human and natural systems, human and animal life and health, and socioeconomic activities. Drought consequences depend on its type and class, but also on the preparedness and resistance of communities to this climate disturbance. In the last decades, droughts accounted for about 16% of the total number of disasters but were responsible for 95% of the number of deaths and 26% of economic losses in Africa. This study aims to assess the drought regime in Southern Africa based on drought and vegetation indices. The SPI and SPEI were calculated at different timescales, using ERA5 data for the 1971 – 2020 period. The spatiotemporal distribution of drought descriptors was analyzed and compared with the patterns of the NDVI, EVI and VCI vegetation indices. The results reveal (i) the occurrence of droughts of various classes and at different timescales throughout the study period and region, (ii) high spatial variability in the number, duration, severity and intensity of drought, which tends to decrease with increasing timescale, (iii) high spatial-temporal agreement between drought and vegetation indices that confirm the dryness of vegetation during drought. These results aim to support policymakers in defining legislation to manage drought and water resources.
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Atmospheric Science and Meteorology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
