Remote Sensing Techniques In Soil Degradation Detection

Soil salinization as a result of natural or human-induces processes is a serious global-scale problem. Numerous studies and efforts in assessing and controlling soil salinity have been made. Nearly sixty percent of the salt-affected soils around the world are in irrigated farmlands, and this trend is increasing. Salinization is a major reason for degradation of soil resources and decline of soil fertility. From an ecological and economic point of view it is extremely important to establish the occurrence and distribution of soil salinization as well as the intensity of the process. Remote sensing techniques are widely used in soil surveys to detect and map salt-affected areas. However, many constrain in monitoring and evaluating the spatial and temporal variability of the salinization process has been found out. Difficulties also arise in applying remote sensing to the assessment of slightly affected soils. The goal of this paper is to examine the spectral reflectance properties of soils with different degree of salinization and the feasibility of using spectral indicators derived from Vis/NIR data as detectors of salt-affected soils and quantitative estimators of soil salinity level.