2008-2009 hydrological year

This flash format video contains the 23 NDVI fortnightly images that complete the 2008/2009 hydrologic year. Each one of these images represents the vegetation status of the Guadalquivir basin at a certain time.

Depending on photo-synthetic activity of the vegetation, it is represented in brown, yellow or green shades. Brown shades represent the driest areas with NDVI values between -1 and 0.4; the pixels whose value is about 0.4 are shown in yellow; and those whose values are between 0.4 and 1 are represented in green, being the most intense greens the highest NDVI values.

Maximum values appear in the second fortnight of February and first fortnight of March in the forest zones of North and East of the river basin: Sierra Morena and Cordillera Prebética. From April, it is observed how the vigour of the vegetation is diminishing as high temperatures are beginning.

On the contrary, the basin minimum values can be seen on the dry land extensions. The lowest values are seen in the desert zones in Almería

At the meadows and lowlands zones of the river basin, there are many plots used for irrigated land, whose NDVI values depend on the sowing and harvest. Generally, all irrigation crops show a similar behaviour, being observed high NDVI values from the beginning of February till the end of April. From May, the greenery will begin its decline.

Nevertheless, the more important area is the great rice plantation extensions of Bajo Guadalquivir marsh, where rice is sowed in June and harvested after September, so it reaches its maximum splendour in the summertime, mostly in August.