The summer of 2022 in central and northern Italy is facing a significant water deficit due to low rainfall during winter 2021 and spring 2022. The Po River, one of the main rivers in the region, is experiencing its worst conditions in the last century, mainly due to high temperatures and reduced snow cover at higher altitudes.
To monitor and assess the environmental situation, the Italian Space Agency’s hyperspectral satellite, PRISMA, plays a crucial role. PRISMA measures the properties of the Earth’s surface in detail, contributing to environmental monitoring efforts.
In June 2021 and May 2022, PRISMA acquired images of the Codigoro area in Ravenna. These images, processed using false color techniques, reveal the impact of the ongoing drought on large cultivated areas in May 2022. The advanced sensor of the PRISMA satellite enables the quantification of soil moisture. The images clearly show dominant yellow and brown colors, indicating a water deficit, as measured by the Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), in late spring 2022 compared to the summer period of 2021.
The data and information presented in this article were generated by F. Serva and L. Ansalone under an ASI License to Use, using the original PRISMA product © ASI – (2022).
For a full-frame image in jpg format, you can download it from this link: [Download the full frame image in jpg](https://www.asi.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NDMI.jpg)
