Normalized difference vegetation index associated with pluviometric variables for Espinharas River sub-basin - PB/RN States

In the Brazilian semiarid, where the caatinga biome is inserted, precipitation is a limiting factor for its socioeconomic and environmental development, This study evaluated the correlation between the level of vegetation cover and the local rainfall variables, considering the climatology of 2005 and 2015, using images from the TM and OLI sensors of the Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 satellites, respectively. The year 2005 presented higher NDVI values compared to 2015, with maximum values of 0.71 and 0.78 in the dry and wet periods, respectively. In 2015, the maximum values are 0.64 and 0.61, for the dry and wet periods, respectively. The highest values were observed in the rainy period of 2005, in the weather stations of Matureia, Salgadinho and Areia de Baraunas. In the dry period, the low variability of NDVI values is noted, with the highest readings observed in the Matureia, Salgadinho and Teixeira platforms. The platforms that showed the greatest reductions in NDVI values from 2005 to 2015, in the rainy season, were Matureia, Santa Teresinha and Salgadinho, with reductions of 41.9%, 38.2% and 32.7%, respectively. The most significant correlations were established for the dry periods. The smallest correlations were found in the rainy season. The increase in rainfall levels in the region did not imply a progressive increase in NDVI values.