Comparison of NOAA AVHRR Data to Meteorologic Drought Indices

Evaluation of the AVHRR sensor on-board the NOAA-6 satellite shows that the spatial and temporal variations in drought conditions as defined by the Crop Moisture Index (CMI), Drought Severity Index (DSI), and the Hydrologic Deficit (HD) can be estimated by a combination of remote sensing vegetation indices. Multiple regression analysis explains 80, 57, and 44 percent of the variation in the CMI, DSI, and the HD, respectively, when regressed against AVHRR spectral channels and derived vegetation indices for four study periods extending from June through August, 1980. Regression R2 values for a single selected study period range from 62 to 90 percent, 68 to 91 percent, and 51 to 88 percent of the variation in each of the nine Oklahoma climatic divisions for the SMI, DSI and the HD, respectively