Spatiotemporal Responses of Vegetation to Hydroclimatic Factors over Arid and Semi-arid Climate

Brijesh Yadav (), Lal Chand Malav, Shruti V. Singh, Sushil Kumar Kharia, Md. Yeasin, Ram Narayan Singh, Mahaveer Nogiya, Roshan Lal Meena, Pravash Chandra Moharana, Nirmal Kumar, Ram Prasad Sharma, Gangalakunta P. Obi Reddy, Banshi Lal Mina and Prakash Kumar Jha
Additional contact information
Brijesh Yadav: ICAR—National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning, Regional Center, Udaipur 313001, India
Lal Chand Malav: ICAR—National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning, Regional Center, Udaipur 313001, India
Shruti V. Singh: Krishi Vigyan Kendra, ICAR—Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Kushinagar 274406, India
Sushil Kumar Kharia: Department of Soil Sciences, College of Agriculture, Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner 334006, India
Md. Yeasin: ICAR—Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India
Ram Narayan Singh: ICAR—National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management, Baramati 413115, India
Mahaveer Nogiya: ICAR—National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning, Regional Center, Udaipur 313001, India
Roshan Lal Meena: ICAR—National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning, Regional Center, Udaipur 313001, India
Pravash Chandra Moharana: ICAR—National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440033, India
Nirmal Kumar: ICAR—National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440033, India
Ram Prasad Sharma: ICAR—National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning, Regional Center, Udaipur 313001, India
Gangalakunta P. Obi Reddy: ICAR—National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning, Nagpur 440033, India
Banshi Lal Mina: ICAR—National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning, Regional Center, Udaipur 313001, India
Prakash Kumar Jha: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 21, 1-29

Abstract: Understanding the dynamics of vegetative greenness and how it interacts with various hydroclimatic factors is crucial for comprehending the implications of global climate change. The present study utilized the MODIS-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to understand the vegetation patterns over 21 years (2001–2021) in Rajasthan, India. The rainfall, land surface temperature (LST), and evapotranspiration (ET) were also analyzed. The changes, at a 30 m pixel resolution, were evaluated using Mann–Kendall’s trend test. The results reveal that the NDVI, ET, and rainfall had increasing trends, whereas the LST had a decreasing trend in Rajasthan. The NDVI increased for 96.5% of the total pixels, while it decreased for 3.4% of the pixels, of theh indicates vegetation improvement rather than degradation. The findings of this study provide direct proof of a significant reduction in degraded lands throughout Rajasthan, particularly in the vicinity of the Indira Gandhi Canal command area. Concurrently, there has been a noticeable expansion in the cultivated land area. The trend of vegetation decline, particularly in the metro cities, has occurred as a result of urbanization and industrialization. In contrast to the LST, which has a decreasing gradient from the western to eastern portions, the spatial variability in the NDVI, ET, and rainfall have decreasing gradients from the southern and eastern to western regions. The results of correlations between the vegetative indices and hydroclimatic variables indicate that the NDVI has a strong positive correlation with ET (r 2 = 0.86), and a negative correlation with LST (r 2 = −0.55). This research provides scientific insights into vegetation change across Rajasthan, and may help the state to monitor vegetation changes, conserve ecosystems, and implement sustainable ecosystem management.

Keywords: vegetation dynamics; NDVI; rainfall; land surface temperature; remote sensing; Rajasthan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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