ABSTRACT
Sensing Products ...........................................................................279 15.5 Discussions and Conclusions ......................................................................280 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 282 Appendix A ............................................................................................................ 283 References ..............................................................................................................284
Drought may impose serious challenges to natural systems and many sectors of society and is among the most costly disasters leading to tremendous losses around the globe. With the climate change accompanied by climate extremes, it is expected that drought events are likely to become more intensified and frequent in the future (Dai, 2011; Trenberth et al., 2003, 2004). Accurate and reliable drought monitoring and prediction are of critical importance to the drought mitigation efforts and preparedness plans to address drought-related issues, such as food security and water scarcity across the local and global scales.
