Investigating the Relationship between Meteorological Drought and Remotely Sensed Drought Indices in the Semnan Shurab Basin

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD student, Natural Resources Engineering Department, Faculty of Desert Studies, Semnan University, Semnan. Iran.

2 Professor, Desertification Group, Faculty of Desert Studies, Semnan University, Semnan. Iran.

3 Agricultural Education and Extension Institute,Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tehran, Iran.

10.29252/aridbiom.2026.23739.2058

Abstract

Drought is one of the most significant climatic phenomena, with substantial impacts on natural resources, agriculture, and the economies of human societies. Among the various types of drought, meteorological drought is considered a primary indicator for the analysis of both long-term and short-term droughts due to its direct relationship with atmospheric conditions, particularly variations in temperature and precipitation. This phenomenon can significantly influence vegetation and water resources by altering precipitation patterns and land surface temperature. The Semnan Shurab Basin, located in an arid and semi-arid region of Iran, is highly sensitive to climatic variability and changes in land surface temperature. In this study, the Vegetation Health Index (VHI) was used to examine the relationship between drought conditions and vegetation dynamics. First, VHI values were calculated for four 16-day periods corresponding to the months of April, May, and June—when natural vegetation in Iran typically reaches its peak—over the period from 2001 to 2022. Subsequently, the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) was computed at a 12-month time scale for ten meteorological stations located within and around the study area. The SPEI values were spatially interpolated using the inverse distance weighting (IDW) method. In the final step, the correlation coefficients and trend slopes between the 12-month SPEI and VHI were calculated and analyzed. The results indicate a strong correlation between the standardized precipitation–evapotranspiration index and vegetation condition, particularly in April and May. Furthermore, the assessment of vegetation sensitivity to climatic fluctuations and drought in the Semnan Shurab Basin using VHI reveals a spatially diverse response of vegetation to climate variability.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Arid Biome
Volume 15, Issue 1
March 2025
Pages 137-153

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