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Ali Mansourian

Ali Mansourian

Researcher

Ali Mansourian

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

Author

  • Nuwanthi Arampola
  • Rachid Oucheikh
  • Belinda Medlyn
  • Samuel Hislop
  • Brendan Choat
  • Pengxiang Zhao
  • Benjamin Smith
  • Ali Mansourian

Summary, in English

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.

Department/s

  • Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)
  • Centre for Geographical Information Systems (GIS Centre)
  • Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (MGeo)
  • Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
  • eSSENCE: The e-Science Collaboration
  • MECW: The Middle East in the Contemporary World
  • MERGE: ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate
  • LU Profile Area: Nature-based future solutions

Publishing year

2026-04

Language

English

Publication/Series

Environmental Modelling and Software

Volume

199

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Elsevier

Topic

  • Physical Geography

Keywords

  • Drought driven canopy browning
  • Eucalypt forest
  • Lagged and cumulative ecosystem responses
  • Machine learning
  • Remote sensing
  • Topography
  • Vegetation recovery

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1364-8152