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ARS Home » Plains Area » El Reno, Oklahoma » Oklahoma and Central Plains Agricultural Research Center » Agroclimate and Hydraulics Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #433817
Research Project: Development of a Monitoring Network, Engineering Tools, and Guidelines for the Design, Analysis, and Rehabilitation of Embankment Dams, Hydraulic Structures, and Channels

Location: Agroclimate and Hydraulics Research Unit

Title: Regional agroclimatic variability and the impact on vegetation productivity in the continental United States

Author
item YATTA, MOUSSA THEODORE - University Of Missouri
item DOMMO, ATANAS - University Of Missouri
item Hunt, Sherry
item ALOYSIUS, NOEL - University Of Missouri

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/10/2026
Publication Date: 4/20/2026
Citation: Yatta, M., Dommo, A., Hunt, S., Aloysius, N. 2026. Regional agroclimatic variability and the impact on vegetation productivity in the continental United States. Meeting Abstract. University of Missouri Show Me Research Week, Columbia, MO April 20-24, 2026.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Changing weather patterns across the Continental United States (CONUS) have significant impact on agricultural productivity. The impacts include crop failures due to increased frequencies of short-duration and prolonged droughts. Here, we investigate the spatial and temporal variability of agroclimatic indices and their potential influence on crop productivity using satellite-derived Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) as a proxy for crop productivity. Daily meteorological variables from the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) and evapotranspiration and soil moisture data from Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM) were used to compute a suite of temperature, precipitation, and water-balance–based agroclimatic indices over the period 1980–2024. A dendrogram clustering approach was applied to growing-season available water (Precipitation (P) – Actual Evapotranspiration (E)) to delineate climatically coherent regions across the CONUS. Trend analysis using the Mann–Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator revealed widespread increases in rainfall intensity, consecutive dry days, extreme precipitation, growing degree days, heat stress, and growing season length, alongside declining consecutive wet days in most regions. Preliminary results indicate that regions with high evaporative demand exhibit stronger warming, increasing aridity, and elevated heat stress, suggesting heightened vulnerability of agricultural systems. In this presentation, we will show the regional variations in agroclimatic indices and their likely impacts on vegetation productivity.