Remote Sensing and Salinity
Soil Science Essay, 2012, 1, 1-9
What Remote Sensing (Optical) can tells us about Salinization
Gustavo Barreda
James Cook University
School of Environmental and Earth Science
Abstract.
Introduction
With the current growth population, the production of food is critical for future survival. To produce high quantities of food, we need fertile soils and keep them fertilize. Soils are the most important resource in earth. Quality soils vary and we need to classify them and protect them. In situ qualification is slow and expensive. Advances in remote sensing gives the opportunity to assess soil in large scale in remote areas and monitor changes easily and cheaply compare to field-testing. One of the biggest dangers to soil fertility in Australia and the world is soil erosion. Erosion degrades soils, however its long terms effects can be more severe than short-term effects like crop productivity loss (Rengasamy, 2002).
Soil erosion needs to be monitored specially salinization. In Australia and the world salinization is a major source of degradation. There are 230 million ha of irrigated land in the world, and 45 million ha of those are salt-affected (19.5 percent) and of the 1,500 million ha under dry land agriculture, 32 million are salt-affected to varying degrees (2.1 percent) (Rengasamy, 2002). Careful monitoring of soil salinization is needed to reduce degradation and protect sustainable land use and management.
Salinity is a natural process that occurs when dissolved salts accumulate in soil water, this affects plant growth and a way to monitor soil degradation with emphasis on salinization is through the use of remote sensing techniques. Remote sensing with technological improvements in the last decade is becoming important and a valuable tool. Remote sensors are quick instruments that can be used to identify and produce map soils checking their degradation. Airborne geophysics and ground based-electromagnetic induction meters
What Remote Sensing (Optical) can tells us about Salinization
Gustavo Barreda
James Cook University
School of Environmental and Earth Science
Abstract.
Introduction
With the current growth population, the production of food is critical for future survival. To produce high quantities of food, we need fertile soils and keep them fertilize. Soils are the most important resource in earth. Quality soils vary and we need to classify them and protect them. In situ qualification is slow and expensive. Advances in remote sensing gives the opportunity to assess soil in large scale in remote areas and monitor changes easily and cheaply compare to field-testing. One of the biggest dangers to soil fertility in Australia and the world is soil erosion. Erosion degrades soils, however its long terms effects can be more severe than short-term effects like crop productivity loss (Rengasamy, 2002).
Soil erosion needs to be monitored specially salinization. In Australia and the world salinization is a major source of degradation. There are 230 million ha of irrigated land in the world, and 45 million ha of those are salt-affected (19.5 percent) and of the 1,500 million ha under dry land agriculture, 32 million are salt-affected to varying degrees (2.1 percent) (Rengasamy, 2002). Careful monitoring of soil salinization is needed to reduce degradation and protect sustainable land use and management.
Salinity is a natural process that occurs when dissolved salts accumulate in soil water, this affects plant growth and a way to monitor soil degradation with emphasis on salinization is through the use of remote sensing techniques. Remote sensing with technological improvements in the last decade is becoming important and a valuable tool. Remote sensors are quick instruments that can be used to identify and produce map soils checking their degradation. Airborne geophysics and ground based-electromagnetic induction meters
References: Abdel-Hamid, M.A., Sherestha, D. and Valenzuela, C. 1992, “Delineating, Mapping and Monitoring of Soil Salinity in the Northern Nile Delta (Egypt) Brewer, R. S. (1977). Quality of water for irrigation. Journal of the irrigation and Drainage Division, Proceedings American Society Civil Engineers 103: 135-154. Machanda, M.L., 1981, “Use of R.S.T. in the Study of Distribution of Salt Affected in North-West India”, J Metternicht, G.I.; Zinck, J.A. 2003. “Remote sensing of soil salinity: Potentials and Constraints”, Remote Sensing Environment, 85, 1-20. National Land and Water Resources Audit (2000). Australian dryland salinity assessment 2000: extent, impacts, processes, monitoring and management options 9p. 129). Canberra, Australia: National Land and Water Resources Audit. Northcote, K. H. and Skene, J. K. M. (1972). Australian soils with saline and sodic properties. Soil publication No. 27. (CSIRO: Australia.) Rao, B., Sankar, T., Dwivedi, R., Thammappa, S., Venkataratnam, L., Sharma, R Regasamy, P., 2002, Transient salinity and subsoil constraints to dryland farming in Australia sodic soils: an overview. Aust. J. Exp. Agric 42, 351-361. Shaw, R. J., and Thorburn, P. J. (1985). Prediction of leaching fraction from soil properties, irrigation water and rainfall. Irrigation Science 6: 73-83. Tricatsoula, E. 1988. Digital image processing and geographic information system for soil and land use mapping with emphasis on soil moisture and salinity/alkalinity determination. Zinck, J. A. 2001. Monitoring salinity from remote sensing data. In R. Goossens & B. M. De Vliegher (Eds.), Proceeding of the 1st Workshop of the EARSeL Special Interest Group on