The Examination of the Relationship between Drought and Vegetation in Coastal Regions of Turkey Using the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) and the Vegetation Health Index (VHI)
Authors
MEHMET ALI CELIK and HUSEYIN BAYRAM
Abstract
Enriching climate data via satellite imagery and full, up-to-date and detailed monitoring of current drought conditions is of great importance. In this study, drought analysis was performed using 16 daily and monthly temporal resolution and 250 m and 1 km spatial resolution satellite data of TERRA platform’s MODIS satellite. Thus, both the information gathered about the drought has been confirmed and the question what is the best method of reflecting drought conditions has been answered. This study’s findings show that satellite based plant index provides significant convenience in understanding and predicting drought. In this study, Turkey’s vegetation with rich biodiversity in the coastal areas is examined for its relationship with drought conditions. In this regard, as a result of station-based drought analysis, some years have been identified as dry seasons. In some seasons coastal areas receive high rainfall. During the arid year, significant declines in the photosynthesis activity of the vegetation have been detected. These declines have been reflected both in VCI and VHI index values. In this study, more than one satellite based arid indexes have been used. Thus, the results have been confirmed. According to the results of the study, 44,6% of Turkey's coasts are not affected by the stress conditions the drought caused on plants. This rate is quite high compared to the interior regions of Turkey. In the interior regions of Turkey, the rate of vegetation affected by meteorological drought-based stress is about 80%, whereas in the coastal areas this
