Abstract

Drought has become a more frequent phenomenon under changing climatic conditions, particularly in Sub Saharan Africa. This study tested the utility of a newly proposed Temperature-Vegetation Water Stress Index (T-VWSI) in detecting drought severity using Landsat data for the years 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2018. This index was created using both NDVI and LST to detect drought severity within the region. The results show that the year 2016 experienced the most severe levels of drought, with the northern areas of the uMsinga region being most severely affected. SPI was used to corroborate the findings of the T-VWSI index and also established that the year 2016 was the year of severe drought in uMsinga. The results of this study have illustrated the potential of the T-VWSI index in effectively mapping and detecting drought over large spatial areas.

摘要

在不断变化的气候条件下，干旱已成为一种更为常见的现象，特别是在撒哈拉以南非洲地区。本研究使用 2008 年、2012 年、2016 年和 2018 年的 Landsat 数据测试了新提出的温度-植被水分胁迫指数 (T-VWSI) 在检测干旱严重程度方面的效用。该指数是使用 NDVI 和 LST 创建的，用于检测干旱区域内的严重程度。结果显示，2016 年经历了最严重的干旱，其中 uMsinga 地区的北部地区受灾最严重。SPI 被用来证实 T-VWSI 指数的结果，并确定 2016 年是 uM​​singa 严重干旱的一年。这项研究的结果说明了 T-VWSI 指数在有效绘制和检测大空间区域干旱方面的潜力。