Regional mapping of root zone soil moisture using optical satellite imagery

K. Fleming; Jan M. H. Hendrickx; Sung-ho Hong

doi:10.1117/12.603397

25 May 2005 Regional mapping of root zone soil moisture using optical satellite imagery

K. Fleming, Jan M. H. Hendrickx, Sung-ho Hong

Proceedings Volume 5811, Targets and Backgrounds XI: Characterization and Representation; (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.603397
Event: Defense and Security, 2005, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

Root zone soil moisture is a dynamic variable subject to rapid changes in time as well as space. Accurate, detailed information on the distribution of soil moisture is difficult to obtain. Ground based methods for the measurement of temporal and spatial changes in root zone soil moisture require much time and effort and, therefore, have limited value for soil moisture monitoring at the regional scale. Existing remote sensing methods use microwaves to measure soil moisture near the soil surface (0-10 cm). In this study, the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) is applied to a series of LandSat TM optical images to determine the regional distribution of the evaporative fraction. From this, soil moisture conditions are derived using an empirical relationship between evaporative fraction and root zone soil moisture. Ground measurements available in the Middle Rio Grande Basin do not cover a sufficiently wide range of soil moisture values for validation of the soil moisture maps derived from optical satellite imagery. Therefore, we conducted a qualitative validation by comparing predicted soil moisture conditions along three transects perpendicular to the Rio Grande with ground observations. This analysis shows that the remote sensing approach is successful in distinguishing between moist and dry pixels in the Middle Rio Grande Basin. Further field investigation will be required to validate the product quantitatively.

Citation Download Citation

K. Fleming, Jan M. H. Hendrickx, and Sung-ho Hong "Regional mapping of root zone soil moisture using optical satellite imagery", Proc. SPIE 5811, Targets and Backgrounds XI: Characterization and Representation, (25 May 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.603397

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available