Droughts are normal recurring climatic phenomena that vary in space, time, and intensity. They may affect people and the landscape at local scales for short periods or cover broad regions and have impacts that are felt for years (for example, The Dust Bowl). The spatial and temporal variability and multiple impacts of droughts provide challenges for mapping and monitoring on all scales. A team of researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey's EROS Data Center, the National Drought Mitigation Center http://www.drought.unl.edu, and the High Plains Regional Climate Center http://www.hprcc.unl.edu are developing methods for regional-scale mapping and monitoring of drought conditions for the conterminous U.S. The ultimate goal of the project is to deliver timely geo-referenced information (in the form of maps and data) about areas where the vegetation is impacted by drought.

Research and methods for Drought Monitoring are developed in tandem with Remote Sensing Phenology.