NDVI Anomalies Show Areas of Likely Drought in the Western US (Southwest view) (2004)

Synopsis

Satellite data can gauge the health of plants, which is a good indicator of drought. Satellite imagery shows changes in vegetation between 1999 and 2003. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) measures how dense and green plant leaves are, which suggests overall vegetative health. The NDVI images are also useful as a measure of drought when compared to 'normal' plant health. NASA scientists calculate average NDVI values for an area to find out what is normal at a particular time of year. This data was measured by the vegetation instrument on Europe's SPOT satellite provided by DigitalGlobe/SPOT, under agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS). In 2002, drought had settled across the Midwest. Large dark brown sections of eastern Colorado show where vegetation was less lush and healthy than normal. This version of the visualization focuses on the southwestern United States. Note: Push into south western United States showing August NDVI data from 1999 to 2003 (with dates). Data Collected: SPOT/NDVI: 1999/08/10, 2000/08/10, 2001/08/10, 2002/08/10, 2003/08/10. Animator: Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC). Scientist: Asaph Anyamba (NASA/GSFC). Platforms/Sensors/Data Sets: SPOT-4/VGT-S10/NDVI, Terra and Aqua/MODIS/Blue Marble: Next Generation.

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Collection

NASA

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Drought, NDVI

More like this

• A Tour of the Cryosphere (2005)
• A Tour of the Cryosphere (2009)
• Lake Mead Shrinks! (2003)
• Larsen Ice Shelf Collapse (WMS) (2005)
• Portrait of Global Fires with Zoom to Rodeo/Chediski Fire with Clock (2002)
• A Short Tour of the Cryosphere (2006)
• Zoom into Mount Etna (2001)
• Progression of the West Nile Virus Through the Continental United States (2002)
• Hurricane Katrina: Natural Hazards (2005)
• The Roiling Clouds of Katrina