Exploring vegetation health in Southern Thailand under climate stress from temperature and water impacts between 2000 and 2023

Abstract This study provides a detailed spatiotemporal analysis of vegetation health in Southern Thailand from 2000 to 2023, focusing on the impacts of temperature and water stress on vegetation degradation. Using high-resolution Landsat-derived kernel Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (kNDVI)...

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Main Authors: Kaleem Mehmood, Shoaib Ahmad Anees, Fahad Shahzad, Sultan Muhammad, Qijing Liu, Waseem Razzaq Khan, Munawar Shah, Punyawi Jamjareegulgarn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16293-x
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author Kaleem Mehmood
Shoaib Ahmad Anees
Fahad Shahzad
Sultan Muhammad
Qijing Liu
Waseem Razzaq Khan
Munawar Shah
Punyawi Jamjareegulgarn
author_facet Kaleem Mehmood
Shoaib Ahmad Anees
Fahad Shahzad
Sultan Muhammad
Qijing Liu
Waseem Razzaq Khan
Munawar Shah
Punyawi Jamjareegulgarn
author_sort Kaleem Mehmood
collection DOAJ
description Abstract This study provides a detailed spatiotemporal analysis of vegetation health in Southern Thailand from 2000 to 2023, focusing on the impacts of temperature and water stress on vegetation degradation. Using high-resolution Landsat-derived kernel Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (kNDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST), alongside precipitation (PPT), soil moisture (SM), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and solar radiation (SR), several key indices were derived such as Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), Temperature Condition Index (TCI), and Vegetation Health Index (VHI). The study offers a robust framework to monitor vegetation health under climate stress by integrating satellite-based indices with detailed climate datasets. Our findings reveal significant temperature-induced stress during critical years like 2005 and 2016, with over 60% of the region experiencing vegetation degradation. Long-term trend analysis indicates that while 22.5% of forested areas show signs of recovery, 3.6% continue to degrade, primarily due to persistent temperature extremes and water stress. Soil moisture emerged as a critical driver during the dry season, positively influencing 11.16% of the region, while solar radiation exhibited mixed effects depending on moisture availability. These insights highlight the complex interplay of climatic drivers on vegetation dynamics, particularly in tropical ecosystems. The study underscores the need for adaptive management strategies to enhance resilience against climate extremes, providing valuable guidance for sustainable land management in Southern Thailand.
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issn 2045-2322
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spelling doaj-art-e520d26f0e164b29b54d8fe651131efe2025-08-24T11:22:51ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115112610.1038/s41598-025-16293-xExploring vegetation health in Southern Thailand under climate stress from temperature and water impacts between 2000 and 2023Kaleem Mehmood0Shoaib Ahmad Anees1Fahad Shahzad2Sultan Muhammad3Qijing Liu4Waseem Razzaq Khan5Munawar Shah6Punyawi Jamjareegulgarn7College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry UniversityDepartment of Forestry, The University of AgriculturePrecision Forestry Key Laboratory of Beijing, Beijing Forestry UniversityInstitute of Forest Science, University of SwatCollege of Forestry, Beijing Forestry UniversityDepartment of Forestry Science and Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra MalaysiaSpace education and GNSS lab, NCGSA, Institute of Space TechnologyKing Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Prince of Chumphon CampusAbstract This study provides a detailed spatiotemporal analysis of vegetation health in Southern Thailand from 2000 to 2023, focusing on the impacts of temperature and water stress on vegetation degradation. Using high-resolution Landsat-derived kernel Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (kNDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST), alongside precipitation (PPT), soil moisture (SM), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and solar radiation (SR), several key indices were derived such as Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), Temperature Condition Index (TCI), and Vegetation Health Index (VHI). The study offers a robust framework to monitor vegetation health under climate stress by integrating satellite-based indices with detailed climate datasets. Our findings reveal significant temperature-induced stress during critical years like 2005 and 2016, with over 60% of the region experiencing vegetation degradation. Long-term trend analysis indicates that while 22.5% of forested areas show signs of recovery, 3.6% continue to degrade, primarily due to persistent temperature extremes and water stress. Soil moisture emerged as a critical driver during the dry season, positively influencing 11.16% of the region, while solar radiation exhibited mixed effects depending on moisture availability. These insights highlight the complex interplay of climatic drivers on vegetation dynamics, particularly in tropical ecosystems. The study underscores the need for adaptive management strategies to enhance resilience against climate extremes, providing valuable guidance for sustainable land management in Southern Thailand.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16293-xVegetation health indexkNDVILand surface temperatureClimate stressDrought impactsSpatiotemporal analysis
spellingShingle Kaleem Mehmood
Shoaib Ahmad Anees
Fahad Shahzad
Sultan Muhammad
Qijing Liu
Waseem Razzaq Khan
Munawar Shah
Punyawi Jamjareegulgarn
Exploring vegetation health in Southern Thailand under climate stress from temperature and water impacts between 2000 and 2023
Scientific Reports
Vegetation health index
kNDVI
Land surface temperature
Climate stress
Drought impacts
Spatiotemporal analysis
title Exploring vegetation health in Southern Thailand under climate stress from temperature and water impacts between 2000 and 2023
title_full Exploring vegetation health in Southern Thailand under climate stress from temperature and water impacts between 2000 and 2023
title_fullStr Exploring vegetation health in Southern Thailand under climate stress from temperature and water impacts between 2000 and 2023
title_full_unstemmed Exploring vegetation health in Southern Thailand under climate stress from temperature and water impacts between 2000 and 2023
title_short Exploring vegetation health in Southern Thailand under climate stress from temperature and water impacts between 2000 and 2023
title_sort exploring vegetation health in southern thailand under climate stress from temperature and water impacts between 2000 and 2023
topic Vegetation health index
kNDVI
Land surface temperature
Climate stress
Drought impacts
Spatiotemporal analysis
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16293-x
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