Drought Spatiotemporal Characteristics Based on a Vegetation Condition Index in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

M. Fadhil Al-Quraishi, Ayad (2021) Drought Spatiotemporal Characteristics Based on a Vegetation Condition Index in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Iraqi Journal of Science, 62 (11).

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Abstract

Drought is a complex phenomenon that has severe impacts on the environment. Vegetation and its conditions are very sensitive to drought effects. This study aimed to monitor and assess the drought severity and its relationships to some ecological variables in ten districts of Erbil Governorate (Kurdistan Region), Iraq, throughout 20 years (1998-2017). The results revealed that droughts frequently hit Erbil throughout the study period. The Landsat time-series- based on Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) significantly correlated with precipitation, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and latitude. Extreme VCI-based drought area percentages were recorded in 1999, 2000, 2008, and 2011 by 43.4%, 67.9%, 43.3%, and 40.0%, respectively. The highest crop yield reduction in the study area occurred mainly in 2000, 2008, and 2012 due to low precipitation rates. These results reveal the capability of the VCI for drought characteristics and highlighting relationships with some ecological variables, which provide vital information to the decision-makers, environmental, and economic sectors.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Drought, Landsat time series, VCI, Crops yield, Erbil
Subjects: Q Science > QE Geology
S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
T Technology > TN Mining engineering. Metallurgy
T Technology > TP Chemical technology
Depositing User: ePrints deposit
Date Deposited: 14 Feb 2022 13:28
Last Modified: 14 Feb 2022 13:28
URI: http://eprints.tiu.edu.iq/id/eprint/819

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