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Identifying phase-specific environmental drivers of drought-induced vegetation dynamics via spectral Proxies

Arampola, Nuwanthi ; Oucheikh, Rachid LU orcid ; Medlyn, Belinda ; Hislop, Samuel ; Choat, Brendan ; Zhao, Pengxiang LU ; Smith, Benjamin LU and Mansourian, Ali LU orcid (2026) In Environmental Modelling and Software 199.
Abstract

Drought-induced canopy browning and recovery dynamics threaten ecosystem stability worldwide, with Australia serving as a representative case. This study examined the 2019–2020 drought and subsequent recovery in Eucalyptus forests across two bioregions of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW): the North Coast and South Eastern Highlands. Canopy browning and recovery were quantified using a 2010–2022 Sentinel-2 time series of Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), which has been previously identified as the most effective spectral index for detecting drought-related declines in canopy greenness, and were validated with field-measured canopy health. Artificial neural networks were used to link NBR z-scores with climatic (precipitation,... (More)

Drought-induced canopy browning and recovery dynamics threaten ecosystem stability worldwide, with Australia serving as a representative case. This study examined the 2019–2020 drought and subsequent recovery in Eucalyptus forests across two bioregions of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW): the North Coast and South Eastern Highlands. Canopy browning and recovery were quantified using a 2010–2022 Sentinel-2 time series of Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), which has been previously identified as the most effective spectral index for detecting drought-related declines in canopy greenness, and were validated with field-measured canopy health. Artificial neural networks were used to link NBR z-scores with climatic (precipitation, temperature, potential evapotranspiration), topographic (Topographic Wetness Index, aspect, slope), soil, and vegetation variables. Lagged and cumulative precipitation and temperature emerged as the dominant drivers of canopy browning, while recovery was influenced by potential evapotranspiration and temperature. Regional contrasts underscored the role of local climate, topography, and vegetation composition in shaping drought impacts and post-drought recovery trajectories.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Drought driven canopy browning, Eucalypt forest, Lagged and cumulative ecosystem responses, Machine learning, Remote sensing, Topography, Vegetation recovery
in
Environmental Modelling and Software
volume
199
article number
106928
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:105030940252
ISSN
1364-8152
DOI
10.1016/j.envsoft.2026.106928
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2026
id
dcdc5e0c-f041-442c-8764-493bab8cfd20
date added to LUP
2026-04-02 13:07:18
date last changed
2026-05-28 19:47:41
@article{dcdc5e0c-f041-442c-8764-493bab8cfd20,
  abstract     = {{<p>Drought-induced canopy browning and recovery dynamics threaten ecosystem stability worldwide, with Australia serving as a representative case. This study examined the 2019–2020 drought and subsequent recovery in Eucalyptus forests across two bioregions of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW): the North Coast and South Eastern Highlands. Canopy browning and recovery were quantified using a 2010–2022 Sentinel-2 time series of Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), which has been previously identified as the most effective spectral index for detecting drought-related declines in canopy greenness, and were validated with field-measured canopy health. Artificial neural networks were used to link NBR z-scores with climatic (precipitation, temperature, potential evapotranspiration), topographic (Topographic Wetness Index, aspect, slope), soil, and vegetation variables. Lagged and cumulative precipitation and temperature emerged as the dominant drivers of canopy browning, while recovery was influenced by potential evapotranspiration and temperature. Regional contrasts underscored the role of local climate, topography, and vegetation composition in shaping drought impacts and post-drought recovery trajectories.</p>}},
  author       = {{Arampola, Nuwanthi and Oucheikh, Rachid and Medlyn, Belinda and Hislop, Samuel and Choat, Brendan and Zhao, Pengxiang and Smith, Benjamin and Mansourian, Ali}},
  issn         = {{1364-8152}},
  keywords     = {{Drought driven canopy browning; Eucalypt forest; Lagged and cumulative ecosystem responses; Machine learning; Remote sensing; Topography; Vegetation recovery}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Environmental Modelling and Software}},
  title        = {{Identifying phase-specific environmental drivers of drought-induced vegetation dynamics via spectral Proxies}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2026.106928}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.envsoft.2026.106928}},
  volume       = {{199}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}