Agricultural Drought in Slovakia: An Impact Assessment

This book gives an insight into the evaluation of drought in Slovakia and provides an assessment of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as a method suitable for an evaluation of drought in agricultural land. Dry seasons in the time series from 1960 to 2014 were determined according to the monthly Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). The field research was carried out on 12 sites including western Slovakia, Prešov, Trnava and Nitra regions. Data collected from satellite imagery, climate data analyses and drought indices was analysed to determine the value of NDVI as an evaluation tool.

Dr. Veronika Zuzulová is a researcher and teacher at the Department of Environmental Management of the Faculty of European Studies and Regional Development at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia. Her research focuses on drought analysis in agricultural land and using remote sensing data to determine the state of vegetation. As a teacher, she is involved in Bioclimatology, Ecological Engineering, Global Environmentalism, Environmental Science Basics, Environmental Ecology, Landscape Science and Landscape Ecology.Assoc. Prof. Jaroslav Vido works as a researcher and teacher at the Department of Natural Environment of the Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, Slovakia. His research activities focus on comprehensive drought and water regime assessment at various levels of the ecological hierarchy. As a teacher is focused on aspects of Bioclimatology and Hydrology. Mr. Vido studied the problematics of the methodology of drought monitoring at the National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, U.S.Prof. Bernard Šiška works as a professor at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra. His professional activities are focused on environmental studies in Slovakia, especially in the agricultural landscape. He was a responsible person for greenhouse gases inventory from the agricultural sector as well as climate change impacts on the agricultural landscape in Slovakia since 1996. The results of his research were used in National Communication on Climate change in Slovakia. IPCC presented to Bernard Šiška contribution to IPCC Nobel peace prize winner 2007. Since 2011 is the president of the Slovak Bioclimatological Society at the Slovak Academy of Science.