Remote monitoring of impacts of ENSO related drought stress on Sabah rainforests

The performance of the NOAA AVHRR derived V13 vegetation index, relative to the NDVI, for monitoring impacts of the 1997-1998 ENSO related drought stress on Sabah rainforests was explored. Results demonstrated that the V13 index, which incorporates MIR reflectance, was more strongly correlated to rainfall values of this ENSO event than the more widely used NDVI. Moreover, maximum correlation was achieved at a longer lag period using the V13 than the NDVI, demonstrating its possible utility in a forecasting and monitoring system of ENSO related drought impacts on Sabah rainforests.