RAINFALL AND VEGETATION MONITORING IN THE SAVANNA ZONE OF THE DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLIC OF SUDAN USING THE NOAA ADVANCED VERY HIGH-RESOLUTION RADIOMETER

NOAA-6 and NOAA-7 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) global-area coverage (4 km ground resolution) data were obtained at three-day intervals throughout each of the four-month periods covering the 1980, 1983 and 1984 growing seasons, between latitudes 10 degree and 22 degree North in the Democratic Republic of Sudan. Daily rainfall data for twelve meteorological stations spanning the Savanna Zone were analyzed. Rainfall in Sudan during 1980 was below normal, but in 1983 and 1984 there were moderate and severe droughts. The satellite data were used to calculate normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values from the visible and near-infrared bands of the satellite data.