Drought and Moisture Surplus for the Conterminous United States, Annual Data 5-Year Windows (Image Service)

<b>Note: To download this raster dataset</b>, go to <a href='https://data-usfs.hub.arcgis.com/datasets/drought-and-moisture-surplus-for-the-conterminous-united-states-annual-data-5-year-windows-image-service' target='_blank' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>ArcGIS Open Data Set</a> and click the download button, and under additional resources select raster download option; the data can also be downloaded directly from the <a href='https://data.fs.usda.gov/geodata/rastergateway/OSC/climate.php' target='_blank' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>FSGeodata Clearinghouse</a>. To summarize this dataset by U.S. Forest Service Lands, see the <a href='https://usfs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=3b1396771b164dc4ae89885466a25116' target='_blank' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Drought Summary Tool</a>. You can also explore cumulative drought and moisture changes from this <a href='https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/451930a4f1b44147b5f110c5eee12b4f' target='_blank' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>StoryMap</a>; additional drought products from the <a href='https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/sc' target='_blank' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Office of Sustainability and Climate</a> are available in our <a href='https://usfs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MinimalGallery/index.html?appid=46e069c721bb49c6abe5a9d57e3a365f' target='_blank' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Climate Gallery</a> and the <a href='https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/sc/drought' target='_blank' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>OSC Drought page</a>.<div><br /></div><div>The Moisture Deficit and Surplus map uses moisture difference z-score datasets developed by scientists Frank Koch, John Coulston, and William Smith of the Forest Service Southern Research Station. A z-score is a statistical method for assessing how different a value is from the mean (average). Mean moisture values were derived from historical data on precipitation and potential evapotranspiration, from 1900 to 2023. The greater the z-value, the larger the departure from average conditions, indicating larger moisture deficits or surpluses. Thus, the dark red areas on this map indicate a five-year period with extremely dry conditions, relative to the average conditions over the past century. For further reading on the methodology used to build these maps, see the publication here: <a href='https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/43361' target='_blank' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/43361</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>

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