Flash Drought Dynamics and Vegetation Responses to Soil Moisture and Vapor Pressure Deficit in India

Abstract Flash droughts (FDs), marked by rapid onset and intensification, have garnered increasing attention due to their significant impact on agricultural productivity and ecosystem services. Here, we investigate the individual and combined impacts of soil moisture (SM) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) on vegetation productivity during FDs across India. We also assess the spatial patterns, intensity, and ecological consequences of FDs, with emphasis on biome‐specific vegetation responses across diverse climatic zones. Our results show that low‐intensity FD events are widespread across India, whereas high‐intensity events are primarily confined to the central regions. We also find that SM is the primary driver of vegetation productivity in humid ecosystems, since variations in solar‐induced fluorescence during FDs (hot periods of FDs) are controlled by SM‐induced stress over ∼62% (41%) of the area. In contrast, VPD is prepotent in semi‐arid and semi‐humid regions during hot, energy‐intensive conditions. Additionally, SHapley Additive exPlanations analysis of recovery‐phase predictors reveals that resilience time is the primary driver of post‐FD recovery, followed by drought severity. Biome‐level analysis indicates that croplands are particularly sensitive to FDs, exhibiting a faster response time of 11 days. Trend analysis further shows that, although exposure to FDs is declining across all biomes, croplands display the smallest rate of decline in the percentage of FD affected area at −0.15% yr −1 , compared to forests at −0.27% yr −1 and grasslands at −0.26% yr −1 . Our findings provide a comprehensive understanding of short‐term hydroclimatic stress and vegetation recovery dynamics across India's diverse biomes.