Soil Water Index 2010-August 2017 California,
Northern Triangle of Central America and Florida,USA
Description:
This research uses data from Soil Water Index from Copernicus
(http://land.copernicus.eu/global/products/swi) and the United States Drought Monitor
(http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ ) to do a numeric research of the impact of droughts on specific
areas of California, Florida, US and Northern Triangle of Central America (Guatemala, El
Salvador and Honduras)
The first part of the research compares the images from the US Drought Monitor to see
the impacts of droughts in California and Florida. The images are compared with the numeric
data got from Soil Water Index of Copernicus.
The H5 source data from Copernicus was processed to get the latitude and longitude of
each point data. It was stored in a database and then displayed in Google Maps and plotted in
line charts. (See images of the software tool on the appendix A).
The numeric data from SWI Copernicus (figure 1) is validated by the images of US
Drought Monitor (figures 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h, 2i).
Rainy season in California is from October to March. These months are represented in
the SWI Line Chart and images from US Drought Monitor.
The California drought started on January 2013 and finished on December 2016,
confirmed by this USA Today article
(http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-dry-end-to-rainy-season--story.html ).
A sharp validation of SWI data is the short drought of Florida in 2017 reported by USA
Today
(https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2017/05/05/move-over-california-florida-has-usas-wor
st-drought/-/)
The line chart of Copernicus (figure 4) reflects the drought of Central Florida in May,
2017 (figure 5A,5B and 5C).
In Guatemala, Central America two lakes disappeared due to lack of rains. Source:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/lake-atescatempa-guatemala-drought-el-nino-vide
o/ . Nations Geographic reported that.
Figures 6 and 7 has the SWI for these two lakes areas and shows the low soil moisture
starting in July 2014. The SWI had a recovery after July 2016.
Prime Coffee plantations of Guatemala have a severe damage due to low soil moisture.
Figures 11,12, 13 and 14 shows SWI for coffee plantations areas and confirms the low rain
index starting July 2014 and a recovery after July 2016.
The same low moisture scenario from July 2014 to July 2016 has the Mayan Biosphere,
Southern Coast of Guatemala and all the Northern Triangle of Central America. Figures 15, 16
and 17.
Follow up and Future Research. As you can see on the Figure One, SWI for California,
the drought started on January, 2013 and become severe on September, 2013. The drought in
Central America started on July, 2014. California drought finished on December 2016, source
USA Today. Also the SWI of the Northern Triangle of Central America shows a recovery of soil
moisture from July, 2016. Further research is needed to understand if the rainy season of
California (September to March) could help to predict the droughts in Central America(rainy
season May to October).
Comparison between Copernicus Soil Water Index data and Images from Drought
Monitor for the United States. California and Florida droughts.
Figure One. Graphic from Data of Soil Water Index of Copernicus. The data area is from the Central part of
the State with more affectation of the drought. See maps from Drought Monitor for the United States. The
graphics confirms the data got from Copernicus.
California rainest months are December thru March
(http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-dry-end-to-rainy-season--story.html ).
California worst drought started on January, 2013. It last until November, 2016.
Figure Two A: January 1, 2013
Figure Two B: February 26, 2013
Figure 2C: November 5, 2013
Figure 2D: December 17, 2013
Figure 2E: January 14, 2014
Figure 2F: February 25, 2014
Figure 2G: November 18, 2014
Figure 2H: December 16, 2014
Figure 2I: February 24, 2015
Figure 2H: February 23, 2016
Figure 2I: December 27, 2016
End of California drought:
The drought in California ended around December, 2016. You can check on the graphic
of Figure One based on Copernicus Soil Water Index data and the images from the Drought
Monitor for the USA that the affected areas have more moisture. Here are the images for
January, February and March 2017.
Figure 3 A: January 24, 2017
Figure 3 B: February 28, 2017
Figure 3C: March 28, 2017
Central Florida drought May, 2017 and recovery of soil moisture for June, 2017
On May 5th, 2017, USA Today reported a severe drought in Florida. This is confirmed
with data from Copernicus Soil Water Index and the maps from Drought Monitor for the USA.
(Source:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2017/05/05/move-over-california-florida-has-usas-wors
t-drought/-/ )
According to data from Soil Water Index and the maps of Drought Monitor, the soil
moisture recovers to normal indexes in June, 2017.
Figure 4 Copernicus Soil Water Index Data
Figure 5A
Figure 5B
Figure 5C
Reported droughts in Northern Triangle of Central America.
Two lakes in Guatemala in risk of disappear. One on the Southeastern part and the
other on the Western HighLand of the Country.
The first lake is the Atescatnempa. According with this article in National Geographic
published in May, 2017, this lake disappeared. Source:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/lake-atescatempa-guatemala-drought-el-nino-vide
o/
The rainy season in Central America is during the months of May thru October. Looking
the data from Soil Water Index for the region of Atescatempa Lake in Guatemala. Notice that
comparing index for May, June and July for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 with these months for
2014, 2015 and 2016, it shows the drop on soil moisture.
Figure 6
Figure 7: Area of the Atescatempa Lake in Guatemala
The other affected lake in Guatemala is La Estancia in the Western HighLands of
Guatemala. The data from Soil Water Index for this area shows again that the worst drought
started on July 2014 and ended on June, 2017.
Figure 8.
Figure 9. La Estancia Lake in Western Highlands in Guatemala.
Rust epidemic affects Guatemala Prime Coffee
Since 2012 the prime coffee of Guatemala has been affected. One probably reason is
the high temperatures and lack of rains in coffee plantations areas. Soil Water Index for the
following coffee plantation areas shows what is the rain behaviour. Coffee plantations needs
the May rains to blossom. Source:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/07/28/-/rust-devastates-guatemalas-prime-c
offee-crop-and-its-farmers
The Soil Water Index shows a lack of soil moisture for the coffee plantations areas:
a) Huehuetenango: July, 2014 to July, 2016.
b) Antigua Guatemala: July, 2014 to May, 2016.
c) Santa Rosa: July, 2014 to July 2016.
d) Alta Verapaz: July, 2014 to May, 2016.
Figure 10
Coffee plantations
areas:
-Huehuetenango
-San Marcos
-Antigua
Guatemala,
Sacatepéquez
-Alta Verapaz
-Santa Rosa
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 14
Soil Moisture for Mayan Biosphere, Guatemala South Coast and all the Northern Triangle
of Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras)
The Mayan Biosphere is very important for nature diversity. The South Coast of
Guatemala is one of the most moisture areas so it is important to see the effects of low rains.
The Mayan Biosphere shows a low rainfall from May,2015 to May 2016.
The Southern Coast of Guatemala shows low rainfall from July,2014 to July, 2016.
In general, the Northern Triangle of Central America has a low rainfall index from
July,2014 to July 2016.
Figure 15
Figure 16
Figure 17