DOI: 10.7910/dvn/jztn8z
title: Database of Agroclimatic Indices in Honduras (1981-2022): Historical Record of Dry Conditions, Heatwaves, and Water Availability Across Agricultural Seasons

description: The dataset consists of spatial information with a grid resolution of 0.05°, providing historical agroclimatic indices related to dry conditions, extreme heat, and water availability during the agricultural seasons (Primera, Canícula, Postrera, and Apante) in Honduras. Spanning from 1981 to 2022, it includes eight indices categorized into Dry Conditions (Number of Dry Days, Number of Dry Spells, Average Length of Dry Spells), &lt;br&gt;&lt;/br&gt; 
Extreme Heat (Number of Heat Days, Number of Heat Nights), and Water Availability (Potential Evapotranspiration, Total Precipitation, Standardized Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Index). 
To elucidate the impact of climate variability, the dataset considers eight El Niño events (1982, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2009, 2015) and seven La Niña events (1988, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2011, 2021, 2022). These events provide a framework for characterizing how each agroclimatic indicator responds under the influence of different phases of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, offering valuable insights for understanding and adapting to climate variations in the agricultural context.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/br&gt; 
&lt;b&gt;Metodology:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/br&gt; 
&lt;b&gt;1. Dry Conditions Indices:&lt;/b&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Historical daily rainfall data from the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation Measurement (CHIRPS) &lt;a href="https://www.chc.ucsb.edu/data/" target="_blank"&gt;dataset&lt;/a&gt; were used.
&lt;b&gt;Index Definitions:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Number of dry days:&lt;/b&gt; Days when the amount of daily precipitation falls below 1 mm.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Number of dry spells:&lt;/b&gt; Period of five or more consecutive dry days immediately followed by a wet day (when precipitation falls above 1 mm).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Average length of dry spells:&lt;/b&gt; Describes the average duration in days of dry spells.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/br&gt; 
&lt;b&gt;2. Extreme Heat Indices:&lt;/b&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Historical daily maximum and minimum temperature data were obtained from the AgERA5 &lt;a href="https://cds.climate.copernicus.eu/cdsapp#!/dataset/sis-agrometeorological-indicators?tab=overview" target="_blank"&gt; database&lt;/a&gt;, and a resampling process was applied to reduce the spatial scale of the original maps from 0.1° to 0.05°.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Index Definitions:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Number of heat days:&lt;/b&gt; Days with a maximum temperature greater than 30°C (≈80th percentile).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Number of heat nights:&lt;/b&gt; Nights with a minimum temperature greater than 20°C (≈80th percentile).&lt;br&gt;&lt;/br&gt; 
&lt;b&gt;3. Water Availability Indices:&lt;/b&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Priestley-Taylor equation was used to calculate Potential Evapotranspiration (ETo) due to its simplicity and suitability for tropical conditions. Daily maximum and minimum temperature data, as well as solar radiation, were obtained from the AgERA5 database. A resampling process was also applied to reduce the spatial scale of the original maps from 0.1° to 0.05°. The SPEI indicator calculation was based on daily precipitation data from CHIRPS and ETo calculated using daily maximum and minimum temperature data, as well as solar radiation, from the AgERA5 database.&lt;p&gt; 
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Index Definitions:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Total precipitation:&lt;/b&gt;Total amount of precipitation.&lt;p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Potential Evapotranspiration:&lt;/b&gt;Potential water loss due to evaporation and plant transpiration.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;b&gt;SPEI:&lt;/b&gt; The Standardized Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Index computed using a two-month temporal scale.