Researchers associated with the National Drought Mitigation Center are leading a four-year NASA-funded project to develop the Quick Drought Response Index, or QuickDRI. It will complement VegDRI by detecting drought’s effects on vegetation at time intervals of a month or less.
VegDRI, now an operational tool with a map released every week or every two weeks, shows the effects of drought on vegetation at seasonal scales, based on data from remote sensing, climate observations and static biophysical variables such as land use. The fast-onset “flash” drought in 2012 highlighted the need for tools to detect fast-moving drought.
After a one-year feasibility study yielded promising results, the QuickDRI research team received $1.3 million for a three-year project to turn QuickDRI into an operational tool, starting in 2013. The grant award is from NASA’s Applied Sciences for Water Resources program, led by Bradley Doorn.
Partners include Martha Anderson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and Chris Hain at the University of Maryland, who produce the Evaporative Stress Index (ESI); Jesslyn Brown with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Resources Observation and Science Center; and Matthew Rodell, at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, who produces groundwater maps based on data from the GRACE satellites. The maps are on the NDMC’s website.
Story on page 14 of the Fall 2013 edition of DroughtScape