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Modified soil adjusted vegetation index of the Sarcobatus Flat area of the Death Valley

Published by U.S. Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | Metadata Last Checked: February 10, 2026 | Last Modified: 2020-11-17T00:00:00Z
The raster-based Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index was derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery data acquired during June 1989 for Sarcobatus Flat. The index has been shown to increase the dynamic range of the vegetation signal while further minimizing the soil background influences, resulting in greater vegetation sensitivity as defined by a "vegetation signal" to "soil noise" ratio. The data set was used in determining phreatophyte boundaries for a ground-water evapotranspiration study and relative differences in vegetation density between discharge areas.

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