Tshayu et al. (2026) Remote sensing–based assessment of seasonal agricultural drought dynamics using the integration of soil moisture and vegetation health index in Waghimra Zone, Ethiopia

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural Water Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-08
• Authors: Mulat Amare Tshayu, Mohammed Habib Afkea, Min Xu
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110685

Research Groups

• State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Department of Natural Resource Management, Samara University

Short Summary

This study integrates soil moisture and vegetation health indicators to assess agricultural drought dynamics in the Waghimra Zone, Ethiopia. The results reveal a strong seasonal relationship between soil moisture and vegetation health.

Objective

• Develop an integrated Soil Moisture–Vegetation Health Index (SM–VHI) approach for agricultural drought assessment.
• Analyze the spatial and temporal dynamics of agricultural drought across multiple seasons.
• Identify the most agricultural drought-vulnerable seasons and years from 2000 to 2025.
• Evaluate the relationship between vegetation health and soil moisture across different seasons during the study period.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: The study area covers approximately 894191 ha in the Waghimra Zone, Ethiopia.
• Temporal Scale: The study period spans 26 years (2000–2025).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Landsat Collection 2 Level−2 surface reflectance and surface temperature products were used to derive NDVI, LST, VCI, TCI, VHI, and SM.
• Data sources: Satellite-based data from Landsat 5 TM, 7 ETM+, 8 OLI/TIRS, and 9 OLI−2/TIRS−2 sensors.

Main Results

• The study area is highly vulnerable to agricultural drought across all seasons.
• Winter and spring are the most drought-prone periods.
• Severe drought events recur at an approximate interval of about a decade (10-year interval).
• Soil moisture plays a critical role in controlling seasonal vegetation dynamics, particularly during autumn.

Contributions

• This study advances previous research by applying a high-resolution Landsat-based SM–VHI framework that integrates vegetation health and soil moisture information.
• The results provide comprehensive, high-resolution, multi-seasonal information on agricultural drought dynamics over 26 years in the semi-arid region of Waghimra Zone.

Funding

• This study was funded by [project name] (reference code: [code]) from [funding agency].
• Additional support was provided by [project name] (reference code: [code]) from [funding agency].

Citation

@article{Tshayu2026Remote,
  author = {Tshayu, Mulat Amare and Afkea, Mohammed Habib and Xu, Min},
  title = {Remote sensing–based assessment of seasonal agricultural drought dynamics using the integration of soil moisture and vegetation health index in Waghimra Zone, Ethiopia},
  journal = {Agricultural Water Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110685},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110685}
}