Identifying the Impact of Regional Meteorological Parameters on US Crop Yield at Various Spatial Scales Using Remote Sensing Data

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of meteorological parameters such as temperature and precipitation on gross primary production (GPP) in the continental United States (CONUS) during boreal summer using satellite-based temperature and precipitation indices and GPP data at various scales (i.e., pixel, county, and state levels). The strong linear relationship between temperature and precipitation indices is presented around the central United States, particularly in the Great Plains, where the year-to-year variation of GPP is very sensitive to meteorological conditions. This sensitive GPP variation is mostly attributable to the semi-arid climate in the Great Plains, where crop productivity and temperature are closely related. The more specific information for the regionality of the relationships across the variables manifests itself at higher resolutions. The impact of the summer meteorological condition on the annual crop yield is particularly significant. Maize and soybean yields show a strong correlation with both Temperature Condition Index (TCI) and Precipitation Condition Index (PCI) in the Great Plains, with a relatively higher relationship with TCI than PCI, which is consistent with the relationship compared with GPP. This study suggests that in-depth investigations into the relationship between maize and soybean yields and the climate are required. The region-dependent relationship between GPP and meteorological conditions in our study would guide agricultural decision making in the future climate.