Use of A MODIS Satellite-Based Aridity Index to Monitor Drought Conditions in Mongolia from 2001 to 2013
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Target Area and Analysis Period
2.2. Data
2.3. Analytical Methods
3. Results
3.1. Distribution of Averaged AI in Mongolia from 2001 to 2013
- Zone 10 is climatically an Ar region. From 2001 to 2013, however, this zone had less vegetation and was similar to an HAr region.
- Zone 11 is climatically a SAr region. The amount of vegetation in the summer is moderate. However, the actual water retention throughout the year in zone 11 inferred from its SbAI value was similar to that of an HAr region.
3.2. Difference of Climatic Conditions Using AI
3.3. Trends of NDVImax and SbAI in Zones 10 and 11 during 2001–2020
3.4. Detection of Drought Using SbAI
4. Discussion
- The NDVImax was small compared with the NDVImax values in other Ar and SAr regions.
- Did Mongolia become drier climatically? Although the AI distribution was almost unchanged compared with 1981–2010, annual rainfall during 1994–2010 was about 30 mm less than during 1982–1993. There is a possibility that the amount of vegetation was sensitive to a rainfall decrease of 30 mm. In fact, the NDVImax had been decreasing up to 2010 after peaking in 1994. The NDVImax was small even at its peak value of 0.39 in 1994, and it did not reach its averaged value of 0.4 in zones 2 and 3.
- The SbAI during the summer was relatively small (wet). However, the SbAI through the year was large (dry). In Mongolia, most of the annual rainfall occurs from April to July, and that rainfall is reflected by the NDVImax in August. After August, vegetation is dried or eaten by livestock, and the land surface wetness decreases (large SbAI). At the same time, there is less rainfall during seasons other than summer.
- Under the current conditions, the capacity of the land surface to retain water leads to a large SbAI because the concentrated summer rainfall affects the growth of vegetation.
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
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Class | Range of SbAI | Range of AI |
---|---|---|
Hyper arid (HAr) | SbAI > 0.025 | AI < 0.05 |
Arid (Ar) | 0.022 ≤ SbAI ≤ 0.025 | 0.05 ≤ AI < 0.2 |
Semi-arid (SAr) | 0.017 ≤ SbAI < 0.022 | 0.2 ≤ AI < 0.5 |
Dry sub-humid (DSH) | 0.015 ≤ SbAI < 0.017 | 0.5 ≤ AI < 0.65 |
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Kimura, R.; Moriyama, M. Use of A MODIS Satellite-Based Aridity Index to Monitor Drought Conditions in Mongolia from 2001 to 2013. Remote Sens. 2021, 13, 2561. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13132561
Kimura R, Moriyama M. Use of A MODIS Satellite-Based Aridity Index to Monitor Drought Conditions in Mongolia from 2001 to 2013. Remote Sensing. 2021; 13(13):2561. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13132561
Chicago/Turabian StyleKimura, Reiji, and Masao Moriyama. 2021. "Use of A MODIS Satellite-Based Aridity Index to Monitor Drought Conditions in Mongolia from 2001 to 2013" Remote Sensing 13, no. 13: 2561. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13132561