Vegetation & Total Rainfall

Global Map Vegetation Image 1 Global Map Vegetation Image 2 Global Map Vegetation Image 3 Global Map Vegetation Image 4 Global Map Vegetation Image 5 Global Map Vegetation Image 6 Global Map Vegetation Image 7 Global Map Vegetation Image 8 Global Map Vegetation Image 9 Global Map Vegetation Image 10 Global Map Vegetation Image 11 Global Map Vegetation Image 12 Global Map Vegetation Image 13 Global Map Vegetation Image 14 Global Map Vegetation Image 15 Global Map Vegetation Image 16 Global Map Vegetation Image 17 Global Map Vegetation Image 18 Global Map Vegetation Image 19 Global Map Vegetation Image 20 Global Map Vegetation Image 21 Global Map Vegetation Image 22 Global Map Vegetation Image 23 Global Map Vegetation Image 24 Global Map Vegetation Image 25 Global Map Vegetation Image 26 Global Map Vegetation Image 27 Global Map Vegetation Image 28 Global Map Vegetation Image 29 Global Map Vegetation Image 30 Global Map Vegetation Image 31 Global Map Vegetation Image 32 Global Map Vegetation Image 33 Global Map Vegetation Image 34 Global Map Vegetation Image 35 Global Map Vegetation Image 36 Global Map Vegetation Image 37 Global Map Vegetation Image 38 Global Map Vegetation Image 39 Global Map Vegetation Image 40 Global Map Vegetation Image 41 Global Map Vegetation Image 42 Global Map Vegetation Image 43 Global Map Vegetation Image 44 Global Map Vegetation Image 45 Global Map Vegetation Image 46 Global Map Vegetation Image 47 Global Map Vegetation Image 48 Global Map Vegetation Image 49 Global Map Vegetation Image 50 Global Map Vegetation Image 51 Global Map Vegetation Image 52 Global Map Vegetation Image 53 Global Map Vegetation Image 54 Global Map Vegetation Image 55 Global Map Vegetation Image 56 Global Map Vegetation Image 57 Global Map Vegetation Image 58 Global Map Vegetation Image 59 Global Map Vegetation Image 60 Global Map Vegetation Image 61 Global Map Vegetation Image 62 Global Map Vegetation Image 63 Global Map Vegetation Image 64 Global Map Vegetation Image 65 Global Map Vegetation Image 66 Global Map Vegetation Image 67 Global Map Vegetation Image 68 Global Map Vegetation Image 69 Global Map Vegetation Image 70 Global Map Vegetation Image 71 Global Map Vegetation Image 72 Global Map Vegetation Image 73 Global Map Vegetation Image 74 Global Map Vegetation Image 75 Global Map Vegetation Image 76 Global Map Vegetation Image 77 Global Map Vegetation Image 78 Global Map Vegetation Image 79 Global Map Vegetation Image 80 Global Map Vegetation Image 81 Global Map Vegetation Image 82 Global Map Vegetation Image 83 Global Map Vegetation Image 84 Global Map Vegetation Image 85 Global Map Vegetation Image 86 Global Map Vegetation Image 87 Global Map Vegetation Image 88 Global Map Vegetation Image 89 Global Map Vegetation Image 90 Global Map Vegetation Image 91 Global Map Vegetation Image 92 Global Map Vegetation Image 93 Global Map Vegetation Image 94 Global Map Vegetation Image 95 Global Map Vegetation Image 96 Global Map Vegetation Image 97 Global Map Vegetation Image 98 Global Map Vegetation Image 99 Global Map Vegetation Image 100 Global Map Vegetation Image 101 Global Map Vegetation Image 102 Global Map Vegetation Image 103 Global Map Vegetation Image 104 Global Map Vegetation Image 105 Global Map Vegetation Image 106 Global Map Vegetation Image 107 Global Map Vegetation Image 108 Global Map Vegetation Image 109 Global Map Vegetation Image 110 Global Map Vegetation Image 111 Global Map Vegetation Image 112 Global Map Vegetation Image 113 Global Map Vegetation Image 114 Global Map Vegetation Image 115 Global Map Vegetation Image 116 Global Map Vegetation Image 117 Global Map Vegetation Image 118 Global Map Vegetation Image 119 Global Map Vegetation Image 120 Global Map Vegetation Image 121 Global Map Vegetation Image 122 Global Map Vegetation Image 123 Global Map Vegetation Image 124 Global Map Vegetation Image 125 Global Map Vegetation Image 126 Global Map Vegetation Image 127 Global Map Vegetation Image 128 Global Map Vegetation Image 129 Global Map Vegetation Image 130 Global Map Vegetation Image 131 Global Map Vegetation Image 132 Global Map Vegetation Image 133 Global Map Vegetation Image 134 Global Map Vegetation Image 135 Global Map Vegetation Image 136 Global Map Vegetation Image 137 Global Map Vegetation Image 138 Global Map Vegetation Image 139 Global Map Vegetation Image 140 Global Map Vegetation Image 141 Global Map Vegetation Image 142 Global Map Vegetation Image 143 Global Map Vegetation Image 144 Global Map Vegetation Image 145 Global Map Vegetation Image 146 Global Map Vegetation Image 147 Global Map Vegetation Image 148 Global Map Vegetation Image 149 Global Map Vegetation Image 150 Global Map Vegetation Image 151 Global Map Vegetation Image 152 Global Map Vegetation Image 153 Global Map Vegetation Image 154 Global Map Vegetation Image 155 Global Map Vegetation Image 156 Global Map Vegetation Image 157 Global Map Vegetation Image 158 Global Map Vegetation Image 159 Global Map Vegetation Image 160 Global Map Vegetation Image 161 Global Map Vegetation Image 162 Global Map Vegetation Image 163 Global Map Vegetation Image 164 Global Map Vegetation Image 165 Global Map Vegetation Image 166 Global Map Vegetation Image 167 Global Map Vegetation Image 168 Global Map Vegetation Image 169 Global Map Vegetation Image 170 Global Map Vegetation Image 171 Global Map Vegetation Image 172 Global Map Vegetation Image 173 Global Map Vegetation Image 174 Global Map Vegetation Image 175 Global Map Vegetation Image 176 Global Map Vegetation Image 177 Global Map Vegetation Image 178 Global Map Vegetation Image 179 Global Map Vegetation Image 180 Global Map Vegetation Image 181 Global Map Vegetation Image 182 Global Map Vegetation Image 183 Global Map Vegetation Image 184 Global Map Vegetation Image 185 Global Map Vegetation Image 186 Global Map Vegetation Image 187 Global Map Vegetation Image 188 Global Map Vegetation Image 189 Global Map Vegetation Image 190 Global Map Vegetation Image 191 Global Map Vegetation Image 192 Global Map Vegetation Image 193 Global Map Vegetation Image 194 Global Map Vegetation Image 195 Global Map Vegetation Image 196 Global Map Vegetation Image 197 Global Map Vegetation Image 198 Global Map Vegetation Image 199 Global Map Vegetation Image 200 Global Map Vegetation Image 201 Global Map Vegetation Image 202 Global Map Vegetation Image 203 Global Map Vegetation Image 204 Global Map Vegetation Image 205 Global Map Vegetation Image 206 Global Map Vegetation Image 207 Global Map Vegetation Image 208 Global Map Vegetation Image 209 Global Map Vegetation Image 210 Global Map Vegetation Image 211 Global Map Vegetation Image 212 Global Map Vegetation Image 213 Global Map Vegetation Image 214 Global Map Vegetation Image 215 Global Map Vegetation Image 216 Global Map Vegetation Image 217 Global Map Vegetation Image 218 Global Map Vegetation Image 219 Global Map Vegetation Image 220 Global Map Vegetation Image 221 Global Map Vegetation Image 222 Global Map Vegetation Image 223 Global Map Vegetation Image 224 Global Map Vegetation Image 225 Global Map Vegetation Image 226 Global Map Vegetation Image 227 Global Map Vegetation Image 228 Global Map Vegetation Image 229 Global Map Vegetation Image 230 Global Map Vegetation Image 231 Global Map Vegetation Image 232 Global Map Vegetation Image 233 Global Map Vegetation Image 234 Global Map Vegetation Image 235 Global Map Vegetation Image 236 Global Map Vegetation Image 237 Global Map Vegetation Image 238 Global Map Vegetation Image 239 Global Map Vegetation Image 240 Global Map Vegetation Image 241 Global Map Vegetation Image 242 Global Map Vegetation Image 243 Global Map Vegetation Image 244 Global Map Vegetation Image 245 Global Map Vegetation Image 246 Global Map Vegetation Image 247 Global Map Vegetation Image 248 Global Map Vegetation Image 249 Global Map Vegetation Image 250 Global Map Vegetation Image 251 Global Map Vegetation Image 252 Global Map Vegetation Image 253 Global Map Vegetation Image 254 Global Map Vegetation Image 255 Global Map Vegetation Image 256 Global Map Vegetation Image 257 Global Map Vegetation Image 258 Global Map Vegetation Image 259 Global Map Vegetation Image 260 Global Map Vegetation Image 261 Global Map Vegetation Image 262 Global Map Vegetation Image 263 Global Map Vegetation Image 264 Global Map Vegetation Image 265 Global Map Vegetation Image 266 Global Map Vegetation Image 267 Global Map Vegetation Image 268 Global Map Vegetation Image 269 Global Map Vegetation Image 270 Global Map Vegetation Image 271 Global Map Vegetation Image 272 Global Map Vegetation Image 273 Global Map Vegetation Image 274 Global Map Vegetation Image 275 Global Map Vegetation Image 276 Global Map Vegetation Image 277 Global Map Vegetation Image 278 Global Map Vegetation Image 279 Global Map Vegetation Image 280 Global Map Vegetation Image 281 Global Map Vegetation Image 282 Global Map Vegetation Image 283 Global Map Vegetation Image 284
Vegetation
Vegetation Scale
Total Rainfall
Total Rainfall Scale
Global Map Total Rainfall Image 1 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 2 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 3 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 4 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 5 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 6 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 7 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 8 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 9 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 10 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 11 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 12 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 13 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 14 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 15 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 16 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 17 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 18 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 19 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 20 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 21 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 22 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 23 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 24 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 25 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 26 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 27 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 28 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 29 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 30 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 31 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 32 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 33 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 34 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 35 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 36 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 37 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 38 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 39 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 40 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 41 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 42 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 43 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 44 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 45 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 46 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 47 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 48 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 49 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 50 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 51 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 52 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 53 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 54 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 55 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 56 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 57 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 58 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 59 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 60 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 61 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 62 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 63 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 64 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 65 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 66 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 67 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 68 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 69 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 70 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 71 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 72 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 73 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 74 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 75 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 76 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 77 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 78 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 79 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 80 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 81 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 82 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 83 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 84 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 85 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 86 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 87 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 88 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 89 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 90 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 91 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 92 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 93 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 94 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 95 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 96 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 97 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 98 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 99 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 100 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 101 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 102 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 103 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 104 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 105 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 106 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 107 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 108 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 109 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 110 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 111 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 112 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 113 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 114 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 115 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 116 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 117 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 118 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 119 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 120 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 121 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 122 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 123 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 124 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 125 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 126 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 127 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 128 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 129 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 130 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 131 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 132 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 133 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 134 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 135 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 136 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 137 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 138 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 139 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 140 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 141 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 142 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 143 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 144 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 145 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 146 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 147 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 148 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 149 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 150 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 151 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 152 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 153 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 154 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 155 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 156 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 157 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 158 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 159 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 160 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 161 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 162 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 163 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 164 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 165 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 166 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 167 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 168 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 169 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 170 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 171 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 172 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 173 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 174 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 175 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 176 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 177 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 178 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 179 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 180 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 181 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 182 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 183 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 184 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 185 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 186 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 187 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 188 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 189 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 190 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 191 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 192 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 193 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 194 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 195 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 196 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 197 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 198 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 199 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 200 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 201 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 202 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 203 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 204 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 205 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 206 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 207 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 208 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 209 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 210 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 211 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 212 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 213 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 214 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 215 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 216 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 217 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 218 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 219 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 220 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 221 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 222 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 223 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 224 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 225 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 226 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 227 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 228 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 229 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 230 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 231 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 232 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 233 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 234 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 235 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 236 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 237 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 238 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 239 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 240 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 241 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 242 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 243 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 244 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 245 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 246 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 247 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 248 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 249 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 250 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 251 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 252 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 253 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 254 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 255 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 256 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 257 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 258 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 259 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 260 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 261 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 262 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 263 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 264 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 265 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 266 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 267 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 268 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 269 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 270 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 271 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 272 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 273 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 274 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 275 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 276 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 277 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 278 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 279 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 280 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 281 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 282 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 283 Global Map Total Rainfall Image 284

One of the most important ingredients for plant growth is water. In many ecosystems, particularly grasslands and cropland, seasonal plant growth occurs in perfect synch with the rainy season. In times of drought, vegetation in these ecosystems grows poorly, if at all. Abundant rain leads to a burst of green. Other ecosystems, such as the boreal forests of northern Russia, Europe, and North America, draw on ground water and so respond more slowly to changes in rainfall.

On these maps, vegetation is pictured as a scale, or index, of greenness. Greenness is based on several factors: the number and type of plants, how leafy they are, and how healthy they are. In places where foliage is dense and plants are growing quickly, the index is high, represented in dark green. Regions where few plants grow have a low vegetation index, shown in tan. The index is based on measurements taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite. Areas where the satellite did not collect data are gray.

The rainfall maps show total monthly rainfall in millimeters from NASA’s Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) dataset. High rain totals are represented in dark blue, while small rainfall totals are shown in white.

The relationship between rainfall and vegetation is pronounced in southern Africa and southern Asia. A belt of seasonal rains encircles the globe near the Equator. In, June, July, and August, when the rains move north of the equator, Africa's Sahel region (a grassland-savanna landscape south of the Sahara Desert) is dark green, alive with growing plants. As the rains move south in September, the vegetation follows. The plants that had been growing in the Sahel fade, while southern Africa comes to life. Likewise, the Asian monsoon controls plant growth in India and Southeast Asia. The seasonal rains and accompanying green-up begin first in Southeast Asia in April or May, and extend westward into India by June or July. Rains and vegetation begin to fade in late autumn.

In other ecosystems the connection between rain and plant growth seems counterintuitive. In South America, savannas and grasslands of the southern part of the continent are greener when it rains. But in the heart of the continent, the Amazon Rainforest is greenest during the driest months (June-September). This pattern is because the forest has a steady supply of groundwater all year, so it grows best when the rain clouds thin enough to let sunlight through.

View, download, or analyze more of these data from NASA Earth Observations (NEO):
Vegetation
Total Rainfall