Fascinating how many data points are being utilized to predict drought conditions that have spread across the U.S.
The USGS interactive map (snapshot below) “service provides regularly updated geospatial data related to drought conditions, including eMODIS VegDRI (each Monday at 12:30 pm), AVHRR VegDRI (every other Tuesday at 4 pm) 7-Day Average Streamflows (USGS Water Watch: daily), Precipitation Derivatives (NWS Precipitation Analysis: daily at 7 pm), and the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor (Thursday at 8:30 am).”
Take the first one - the MODIS VegDRI. It “is a hybrid drought monitoring and mapping tool that integrates satellite observations of vegetation status and climate data with information on land cover, soil characteristics, and other environmental factors. Developed by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center and the National Drought Mitigation Center, VegDRI reveals vegetation conditions as plants respond to solar energy, soil moisture, and other limiting factors. Researchers use integrated VegDRI data to produce detailed VegDRI maps (figure 1) that show levels of drought stress on vegetation across the conterminous U.S. With their relatively high degree of spatial detail, VegDRI maps support near-real-time monitoring of drought effects at state and county levels.”
Or the U.S. Drought Monitor “Tracking drought blends science and art. No single definition of drought works for all circumstances, so people rely on drought indices to detect and measure droughts. But no single index works under all circumstances, either. That's why we need the Drought Monitor, a synthesis of multiple indices and impacts, that represents a consensus of federal and academic scientists.”
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