Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Vegetation Dynamics as a Response to Climate Variability and Drought Patterns in the Semiarid Region, Eritrea
There is a growing concern over change in vegetation dynamics and drought patterns with the increasing climate variability and warming trends in Africa, particularly in the semiarid regions of East Africa. Here, several geospatial techniques and datasets were used to analyze the spatio-temporal vege...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-03-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/11/6/724 |
| _version_ | 1828136514315354112 |
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| author | Simon Measho Baozhang Chen Yongyut Trisurat Petri Pellikka Lifeng Guo Sunsanee Arunyawat Venus Tuankrua Woldeselassie Ogbazghi Tecle Yemane |
| author_facet | Simon Measho Baozhang Chen Yongyut Trisurat Petri Pellikka Lifeng Guo Sunsanee Arunyawat Venus Tuankrua Woldeselassie Ogbazghi Tecle Yemane |
| author_sort | Simon Measho |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is a growing concern over change in vegetation dynamics and drought patterns with the increasing climate variability and warming trends in Africa, particularly in the semiarid regions of East Africa. Here, several geospatial techniques and datasets were used to analyze the spatio-temporal vegetation dynamics in response to climate (precipitation and temperature) and drought in Eritrea from 2000 to 2017. A pixel-based trend analysis was performed, and a Pearson correlation coefficient was computed between vegetation indices and climate variables. In addition, vegetation condition index (VCI) and standard precipitation index (SPI) classifications were used to assess drought patterns in the country. The results demonstrated that there was a decreasing NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) slope at both annual and seasonal time scales. In the study area, 57.1% of the pixels showed a decreasing annual NDVI trend, while the significance was higher in South-Western Eritrea. In most of the agro-ecological zones, the shrublands and croplands showed decreasing NDVI trends. About 87.16% of the study area had a positive correlation between growing season NDVI and precipitation (39.34%, <i>p</i> < 0.05). The Gash Barka region of the country showed the strongest and most significant correlations between NDVI and precipitation values. The specific drought assessments based on VCI and SPI summarized that Eritrea had been exposed to recurrent droughts of moderate to extreme conditions during the last 18 years. Based on the correlation analysis and drought patterns, this study confirms that low precipitation was mainly attributed to the slowly declining vegetation trends and increased drought conditions in the semi-arid region. Therefore, immediate action is needed to minimize the negative impact of climate variability and increasing aridity in vegetation and ecosystem services. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:05:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9c99aabd4bf7472392d3217739af2ab6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:05:28Z |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-9c99aabd4bf7472392d3217739af2ab62022-12-22T04:10:21ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922019-03-0111672410.3390/rs11060724rs11060724Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Vegetation Dynamics as a Response to Climate Variability and Drought Patterns in the Semiarid Region, EritreaSimon Measho0Baozhang Chen1Yongyut Trisurat2Petri Pellikka3Lifeng Guo4Sunsanee Arunyawat5Venus Tuankrua6Woldeselassie Ogbazghi7Tecle Yemane8State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environment Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Resources and Environment Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, ChinaFaculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, ThailandCollege of Global Change and Earth System Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 1000875, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Resources and Environment Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, ChinaOffice of Land Use Planning and Policy, Land Development Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Bangkok 10900, ThailandDepartment of Conservation, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngamwongwan Road, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, ThailandDepartment of Land Resource and Environment, Hamelmalo Agricultural College, Keren 397, EritreaWater Resource Department, Ministry of Land, Water and Environment, Asmara 25387, EritreaThere is a growing concern over change in vegetation dynamics and drought patterns with the increasing climate variability and warming trends in Africa, particularly in the semiarid regions of East Africa. Here, several geospatial techniques and datasets were used to analyze the spatio-temporal vegetation dynamics in response to climate (precipitation and temperature) and drought in Eritrea from 2000 to 2017. A pixel-based trend analysis was performed, and a Pearson correlation coefficient was computed between vegetation indices and climate variables. In addition, vegetation condition index (VCI) and standard precipitation index (SPI) classifications were used to assess drought patterns in the country. The results demonstrated that there was a decreasing NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) slope at both annual and seasonal time scales. In the study area, 57.1% of the pixels showed a decreasing annual NDVI trend, while the significance was higher in South-Western Eritrea. In most of the agro-ecological zones, the shrublands and croplands showed decreasing NDVI trends. About 87.16% of the study area had a positive correlation between growing season NDVI and precipitation (39.34%, <i>p</i> < 0.05). The Gash Barka region of the country showed the strongest and most significant correlations between NDVI and precipitation values. The specific drought assessments based on VCI and SPI summarized that Eritrea had been exposed to recurrent droughts of moderate to extreme conditions during the last 18 years. Based on the correlation analysis and drought patterns, this study confirms that low precipitation was mainly attributed to the slowly declining vegetation trends and increased drought conditions in the semi-arid region. Therefore, immediate action is needed to minimize the negative impact of climate variability and increasing aridity in vegetation and ecosystem services.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/11/6/724vegetation dynamicsclimate variabilityNDVIdroughtVCIprecipitationtemperatureSPI |
| spellingShingle | Simon Measho Baozhang Chen Yongyut Trisurat Petri Pellikka Lifeng Guo Sunsanee Arunyawat Venus Tuankrua Woldeselassie Ogbazghi Tecle Yemane Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Vegetation Dynamics as a Response to Climate Variability and Drought Patterns in the Semiarid Region, Eritrea Remote Sensing vegetation dynamics climate variability NDVI drought VCI precipitation temperature SPI |
| title | Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Vegetation Dynamics as a Response to Climate Variability and Drought Patterns in the Semiarid Region, Eritrea |
| title_full | Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Vegetation Dynamics as a Response to Climate Variability and Drought Patterns in the Semiarid Region, Eritrea |
| title_fullStr | Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Vegetation Dynamics as a Response to Climate Variability and Drought Patterns in the Semiarid Region, Eritrea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Vegetation Dynamics as a Response to Climate Variability and Drought Patterns in the Semiarid Region, Eritrea |
| title_short | Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Vegetation Dynamics as a Response to Climate Variability and Drought Patterns in the Semiarid Region, Eritrea |
| title_sort | spatio temporal analysis of vegetation dynamics as a response to climate variability and drought patterns in the semiarid region eritrea |
| topic | vegetation dynamics climate variability NDVI drought VCI precipitation temperature SPI |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/11/6/724 |
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