Increasing vulnerability of vegetation to Meteorological and Groundwater drought: A Case study in Argentina

Continental Argentina, South America. This study integrates multiple data sources to analyze the response of vegetation to meteorological and groundwater drought events in Argentina. It utilizes GRACE satellite data to monitor water storage variations, the GLDAS hydrological model to track soil moisture levels, and NDVI to assess vegetation health, categorized by different vegetation types. Meteorological data facilitated the computation of drought severity using the Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). Anomalies in groundwater storage, derived from these data, informed the calculation of the Grace Groundwater Drought Index (GGDI). A comprehensive statistical analysis was conducted to examine the impact of meteorological (SPEI) and groundwater (GGDI) droughts on various vegetation types. The study reveals that from 2002 to 2022, GRACE-TWSA and GLDAS-TWSA displayed consistent trends in Argentina. Meteorological droughts, characterized by higher frequency and intensity, predominantly affect croplands and grasslands. Compared to lagged effects, the cumulative impact of droughts was found to be more significant. Shrublands demonstrated the greatest resistance to drought, whereas vegetation in humid regions showed lower drought tolerance. Notably, the duration associated with the lag effects of meteorological droughts decreased from 2.16 months in 2002–1.52 months in 2020, suggesting an increasing sensitivity of vegetation to these droughts. This underscores the urgency of developing targeted drought resilience and water resource management strategies. [Display omitted] •Meteorological drought affects vegetation more than groundwater drought.•Cumulative drought impact outweighs drought lag effect in Argentina.•Drought has the greatest impact on croplands.•The impact of drought on vegetation is accelerating.•Dynamic trends reveal shorter drought lag impacting vegetation.