Assessing Vegetation Response to Drought in the Central Part of Oltenia Plain (Romania) Using Vegetation and Drought Indices

Drought is an extremely negative phenomenon that is becoming increasingly frequent in the southern part of Romania (Oltenia Plain). An insufficiency or lack of precipitation, especially in the warm season, induces a state of stress on the vegetation, damaging it prematurely and decreasing the agricultural yield. Integrating satellite observations into research inventories has practical applications for drought dynamics in plain regions and may significantly contribute to its agricultural sustainability. The aim of our study was to highlight the relationship between drought and vegetation health in the central parts of the Oltenia Plain, namely, the Băilești Plain and Nedeia Plain. We used four different indices (SPI/SPI-CDF-ISND, SPEI, NDVI, NDMI) in order to assess the occurrence of meteorological and agricultural drought and gained a wider picture regarding past and future trends. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of vegetation health index trends and their implications for climate change. The selected indices were the most suitable for assessing drought according to the literature, and combining all of them helped us to obtain a full picture of drought’s impact on vegetation.