## 5 Conclusions
### Scope and Challenges  
Our study focused exclusively on the magnitude and nature of the SST-SIF relationship to understand the contribution of the tropical Indian Ocean variability to the vegetation anomalies in India. However, other factors would influence this ocean-atmosphere-vegetation interaction, especially during the monsoon period. The observed SST-SIF relationship can be extended further by incorporating the time lag between them, which may aid in a better understanding of varying vegetation responses to SST variations in the tropical Indian Ocean. Being an agricultural-based country, human factors like improvements in irrigation infrastructure would considerably impact the variability of crop productivity in India. Incorporating these human activities might also help to better understand the mechanism behind the decreased SST link to overall Indian SIF; particularly in the months of July, August and September. An extensive study with more data and detailed analysis could be the future scope of our study. The contribution of the SST to the SIF anomalies suggests the predictability of possible outward changes in the growth and physiological status of vegetation in India resulting from anomalous SST of the tropical Indian Ocean. Such forecasts are beneficial to forest management practices and the efficient use of water resources in croplands under extreme climate conditions. They may also contribute to the understanding of future imbalances in the Indian terrestrial carbon budget arising from climate change. The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs15071756/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs15071756/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs15071756/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/rs15071756/s1)), Table S1: Years considered for the composite anomalies during June. Figure S1: Regions showing statistically significant composite anomalies of SIF (W m\({}^{-2}\) um\({}^{-1}\) Sr\({}^{-1}\)) across India during the month of July when, SST anomalies of the Western Indian Ocean (a,d), Northern Indian Ocean (b,e), and Central Indian Ocean (c,f) demonstrated positive (upper) and negative (lower) trends. The warmer SST in the oceanic regions lead to positive SIF anomalies, while colder SST leads to negative SIF anomalies. Figure S2: Regions showing statistically significant composite anomalies of SIF (W m\({}^{-2}\) um\({}^{-1}\) Sr\({}^{-1}\)) across India during the month of August when, SST anomalies of the Western Indian Ocean (a,d), Northern Indian Ocean (b,e), and Central Indian Ocean (c,f) demonstrated positive (upper) and negative (lower) trends. The warmer SST in the oceanic regions lead to positive SIF anomalies, while colder SST leads to negative SIF anomalies. Figure S4: (i) Regions showing statistically significant composite anomalies of specific humidity (Kg/Kg) across India during the month of July when, SST anomalies of the Western Indian Ocean (a,d), Northern Indian Ocean (b,e), and Central Indian Ocean (c,f) demonstrated positive (upper) and negative (lower) variations. (ii) Regions showing statistically significant composite anomalies of rainfall (mm) across India during the month of July when, SST anomalies of the Western Indian Ocean (a,d), Northern Indian Ocean (b,e), and Central Indian Ocean (c,f) demonstrated positive (upper) and negative (lower) variations. (iii) Regions showing statistically significant composite anomalies of soil moisture (m\({}^{3}\  
(lower) variations. (iv) Regions showing statistically significant composite anomalies of air temperature (\({}^{\circ}\)C) across India during the month of September when, SST anomalies of the Western Indian Ocean (a,d), Northern Indian Ocean (b,e), and Central Indian Ocean (c,f) demonstrated positive (upper) and negative (lower) variations.