Seasonal to interannual variability of vegetation and fires at SAFARI 2000 sites inferred from advanced very high resolution radiometer time series data

NOAA advanced very high resolution radiometer data are used to place the SAFARI 2000 and SAFARI 1992 intensive campaigns in the context of the interannual variability of vegetation conditions in southern Africa. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) measurements and sea surface temperature (SST) indices of El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are compared and the connections explained. The paper shows the vegetation evolution for the 2000 growing season, with unprecedented high and persistent NDVI anomalies associated with a cold phase of ENSO (La Niña) and above average rainfall between November and May, south of 15°S. In contrast, the 1992 season showed marked negative NDVI anomalies associated with an extreme drought in the southern part of the region, associated with the warm phase of ENSO (El Niño). These differences in NDVI patterns resulted in different patterns of fire distribution. More satellite detections of active fires were observed in 2000 than in 1992, especially for Botswana, Namibia, southern Zimbabwe, and southern Mozambique. Comparisons between in situ airborne measurements collected in 2000 and 1992 require an understanding of the extremely different vegetation and fire conditions associated with those years. Generalizations from results of the two SAFARI campaigns should be made with careful consideration of the extreme differences in conditions and the large interannual variability encountered in southern Africa, as depicted by the long‐term record of satellite vegetation measurements.