APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE SENSING

& GIS TECHNIQUES IN

SOIL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
Dr. M S Yadav
Scientist ‘SD’ & Project Manager,
Soil Resources Division

PRESENTED BY:
SHUBHAM CHANDRA TRIPATHI
1907650255011
1st year, M.Tech
SGID, RSAC-UP
 CONTENTS
• WHAT IS REMOTE SENSING?
• WHAT IS GIS?
• MAIN AREAS OF APPLICATION.
• WHAT ARE SOILS?
• SOIL PROPERTIES AFFECTING REFLECTANCE.
• SOIL SALINITY ANDSPECTRAL REFLECTANCE.
• CASE STUDY
• CONCLUSION
• REFERENCES ON SPECTRAL CHARECTERISTICS OF SOIL
 WHAT IS REMOTE SENSING?
Remote sensing is the art or science of acquiring
information of phenomenon or object while being
at a distance from it.
Types of remote sensing:
1. Active remote sensing: using own source of
energy.
2. Passive remote sensing: using sun as energy
source.
 Process of remote sensing
The above figure shows the process of rempote sensing
including both types of it i.e active and passive remote
sensing.
 WHAT IS GIS?

Geographical information system is the system

to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage,
and present spatial or geographic data.
• GIS are broadly classified into 3 types:-
• Web-based GIS: ONS
• Geobrowser: Google Earth
• Desktop GIS: QGIS
COMPONENTS OF GIS
 MAIN AREAS OF APPLICATION

• Soil mapping
• Land degradation / wasteland
mapping
• Monitoring changes in degraded/
wastelands
 What are soils?
• Soils are the weathered material between the
surface of the Earth and the bedrock.
• Soils are composed of diff. composition and sizes
of particles of inorganic minerals and organic
matter.
• Particles are about 50% of the soil volume, pores
occupy the rest of the space. Pores can contain
air, water (or ice!)
• Soils have vertical zonation (soil horizons) created
by biological, chemical and physical properties.
Composition of soil
 Soil Grain Size
Diff. size particles play different roles in soils:
• Sand (0.02 to 0.2 mm fine sand; 0.2 to 2 mm coarse
sand): large air spaces, rapid drainage of water
• Silt (0.002 to 0.02 mm): enhance movement and
retention of soil capillary water
• Clay (< 0.002 mm): enhance movement and retention
of soil capillary water; carry electrical charges which
hold ions of dissolved minerals (e.g. potassium and
calcium)
Gravels (> 2 to 20 mm); Stones (>20mm)
 SOIL PROPERTIES AFFECTING
REFLECTANCE
- Soil colour
- Mineral contents, including iron-oxide and
carbonates
– Soil texture (proportion of sand/silt/clay)
– Soil moisture content
– Organic matter content
– Surface roughness /tillage
– Salt/ gypsum efflorescence
– Erosivity of soil
Spectral reflectance in different
Landsat bands
 Basic Dry Soil Spectrum
100
90
80
70 Silt

60
50
40 Sand

30

20
10
0
0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 1.7 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.5
Wavelength ( m)

=>>>Key characteristic of soil spectrum: increasing reflectance with increasing

wavelength through the visible, near and mid infrared portions of the spectrum
Spectral reflectance of soils of diff.
textures
Spectral characteristics of sand and
silt in Vis &NIR
 Effect of Soil Moisture and Texture
Percent Reflectance

60
50
Sand
Sand
Sand 0 – 4% moisture content
• Clays hold more water
40 more ‘tightly’ than sand.
30
20
5 – 12%

22 – 32%
• Thus, clay spectra display
10 more prominent water
0
0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 1.7 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.5
absorption bands than sand
a.
spectra.
Percent Reflectance

60
Clay
• AVIRIS can be useful for
Clay
Clay
50 2 – 6%
40 quantifying these
30
20
absorption features.
35 – 40%
10
0
0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 1.7 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.5
b. Wavelength ( m)
 Effect of Organic Matter

Organic matter is a strong absorber of EMR, so more organic matter leads to

darker soils (lower reflectance curves).
 Effect of Iron Oxide

Recall that iron oxide causes a charge transfer absorption in the UV, blue and green
wavelengths, and a crystal field absorption in the NIR (850 to 900 nm). Also,
scattering in the red is higher than soils without iron oxide, leading to a red color.
 SOIL SALINITY AND SPECTRAL
REFLECTANCE
• Reflectance generally increases with
increasing surface soil salt concentrations.
• Salt-affected soils show relatively higher
spectral response in the visible and near IR
compared to non-saline soils.
• Strongly saline-sodic soils exhibit higher
spectral response than moderately saline-
sodic soils.
 CASE STUDY

Mapping and characterization of salt-affected

and waterlogged soils in the Gangetic plain of
central Haryana (India) for reclamation and
management, A.K. Mandal, Cogent Geoscience
(2016), 2: 1213689.
 INTRODUCTION
IRS LISS III Resource SAT data (2005–07) were
integrated with ground truth and soil studies for
delineation and characterization of salt-affected
and waterloggedsoils in the Indo-Gangetic plain
of central Haryana. The quality appraisal for
salty ground water was also conducted prior to
its use for irrigation. Such studies are useful for
planning reclamation and management of salt-
affected soils and poor quality ground water.
 CASE STUDY AREA
The study area (29°52′58.32″N to 30°15′34.42″N latitude
and 76°25′31.31″ to 77°21′19.19″E longitude) covered
administrative boundary of Kurukshetra district of central
Haryana (1,530 km2) and lies 253 m above mean sea level.

The primary source of irrigation is the WYC and Bhakra

canal. In the absence of canal irrigation supply ground
water from tube wells is commonly used for irrigation.
Prolonged irrigation altered the moisture regime and
chemical characteristics of soils leading to salt infestations,
waterlogging and low productivity (Singh, 2009).
 OBLECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The complexity of soil salinity, alkalinity and waterlogging
problems in central Haryana and the Gangetic Plain of India were
reported by several authors and is a primary concern for
reclamation and management.
Keeping in view the use of poor quality ground water for
irrigation and its impact on soil degradation (salt enrichment)
and reduced crop production (Gupta, 2010), chemical
characterization of ground water is also necessary before its use
in irrigation. To address these issues, the present study is aimed
at the delineation and characterization of degraded (salt-
affected and waterlogged) soils, and appraisal of ground water
quality in central Haryana useful for planning reclamation and
management.
 Data, software, tools, and equipment used

• (1) IRS 1C LISS III (Resource SAT) data (www nrsc.gov.in) for March
2005 (pre-monsoon), June 2006 (summer) and October 2007 (post-
monsoon) seasons. The specifications are shown in Table 1.
• (2) Survey of India topographical maps at 1:50,000 scale
(www.surveyofindia.gov.in) showing administrative boundaries,
infrastructure (roads/railways), irrigation/drainage (canal/river) and
settlements (state/district HQ, villages).
• (3) Software: ILWIS (ver. 3.3), MS Office-Excel (2007), ERDAS
IMAGINE, ARC GIS.
• (4) Legacy data: Salt-affected soil maps at 1:250,000 scale (National
Remote Sensing Agency, 1997), water quality and soil mineralogy
data (Gupta, 2010; Kapoor et al., 1981; Manchanda, 1976; Verma et
al., 2012) and Soil map of Haryana (Sachdev, Lal, Rana, & Sehgal,
1995).
• (5) Soil sampling tools: color chart, auger, spade, knife etc.
• (6) GPS (Lawrence global) for collecting location-data for soil
profiles and soil sampling sites, water samples and tube wells.
FIGURE 1.IRS FCC and NDVI images for the study area.
FIGURE 2.FCC (B432) showing salt-affected soils
and waterlogged areas.
TABLE 2. Spatial characteristic of interpreted units in Kurukshetra district
Interpreted Land use/Land cover/ Image tone Ranges of soil properties
units Surface soil moisture/ pHs ECe dS m−1 Depth (m) of WT
Wetness and other
visible/In situ local
observations
1 Strongly sodic Barren salt crust and as- Dark grayish 9.6–10.2 4.5–7.4 100–120
soil and sodic sociated with salt grasses/ white, spotted
GW bushes/pasture/scrub red to dark red
lands, forest covered and scattered surface
higher moisture content
at surface
2 Strongly sodic Barren, surface salt crust, Grayish white, 9.8–10.7 1.2–8.5 100–120
soil and normal sparse vegetation, forest red to dark red
(good quality) cover*, higher moisture cover, defined
GW accumulation at surface boundary*
during October and
March season
3 Moderately sodic Tiny salt patches with Red to grayish 9.3–10.2 2.4–6.6 60–100
soil and normal patchy crop stand red with white or
GW showing poor yel- low mottles
germination, cropped
areas around the patches
showed moderate crop
growth
4 Moderately Scattered cropped areas Irregular grayish 9.1–9.6 1.2–1.8 100–120
sodic soil and with very poor to dark grayish
sodic GW vegetative growth, mixed with red to
prolonged water light red color
stagnation after
irrigation with poor
quality ground water
5 Slightly sodic soil Vegetative growth of Red to dark red 8.5–9.0 <4.0 100–120
and crop crops are comparable to gray patches at
covered normal soils, yield is some locations
relatively low
6 Surface Stagnant water, scattered Dark gray/black 8.4–8.9 8–12 Surface water
ponding- slight growth of aquatic grasses, patches, higher
canal irrigated, excess water
irrigation water from the absorption in
cropped areas post-monsoon
accumulated at low-lying (October) data
flats/depres- sions
7 Sub-surface Partially cropped, low Dark 7.8–8.2 6–10 <1.5
water- logging vege- tative growth, high blue/blue-
moisture content in soil black tone
profile, high water table
depth
8 Irrigated crop Normal vegetation Red to dark red 7.5–8.0 <4 100–120
9 Riverine sand Barren sandy soil at Yellowish 7.0–7.5 2–5 40–80
surface along the river white/ white
course and often found with red
with natural vegetation mottles
viz, grasses, shrubs,
bushes
FIGURE 3.Distribution of degraded soils in Kurukshetra
District, Haryana, India.
 RESULTS
a. Image interpretation and ground truth studies of
degraded soils
The spatial characteristics of salt-affected and waterlogged soil;
natural vegetation and field crops were presented with soil
chemical properties and ground water data (Table 2).

• The seasonal data showed higher extents of moist salt-

affected soils and waterlogged areas (irrigated) during March
and October(Figure 1) and dry salts (salt crust) during June.
This may possibly be due to similar reflectance of saltand sand
and the absence of vegetative cover during the dry season.
b. Distribution of salt-affected and waterlogged soils
The spatial distribution of salt-affected and waterlogged soils is
shown in Figure 3 and the extents were presented in Table 3 as
shown below
Table 3. Spatial extent of salt-affected soils and associated land
degradations
Sl no. Categories of salt-affected soils and associated Area (ha) %
degradations
1 Slightly sodic soil 10,409 61.0
2 Moderately sodic soil 5,697 33.6
3 Strongly sodic soil 34 0.2
4 Surface ponding-slight 363 2.1
5 Sub-surface waterlogging 203 1.2
6 Riverine sand 210 1.2
Total 16,916
 Conclusions of the case study
Visual and digital analysis of IRS LISS III multi-temporal data was used
for identification and delineation of sodic soils and waterlogged areas
in the Gangetic plain of Central Haryana. Field validation and
laboratory analysis for physical and chemical properties facilitated
development of map legends.
High values for spectral reflectance were observed from salty surfaces,
and higher energy absorption in visible and infrared bands suggested
the identification of strongly sodic soils and surface waterlogging. The
mixed spectral signatures for salt, scattered crop covers and
waterlogging were authenticated by field investigation. Saturation of
Na2CO3 and NaHCO3 salts in soil and ground water caused alkalization
and low soil productivity. Fine soil texture and the presence of
concretionary calcium carbonate layer at sub-surface depths tended to
produce waterlogging. Sodic soils and sodic water can be reclaimed
with suitable amendments such as gypsum or pyrite.
 CONCLUSION
• Soil reflectance carry imp. info about soil properties.
• Reflectance should be studied with caution because
soil is a complex system.
• Soil reflectance libraries should also have
corresponding info on climate, topography, parent
material, age, detailed physical & chemical analysis
data of soils for correct identification based only on
spectra.
• Caution is required for classifying soils using spectra
because of interference from atmosphere, water
content, slope & aspects, sun angle, shadow &
vegetation cover.
 Selected references on spectral
characteristics of Indian soils
• Dwivedi, R.S., Singh, A. N. and Raju, K.K. (1981) Spectral characteristics of
some typical Indian soils as affected by tillage and cover types. J. Indian
Soc Photo-interpretation & Remote Sensing. 9(2):33-40.
• Sinha, A.K. (1986) Spectral reflectance of soils and correlation with soil
properties and surface conditions. J. Indian Soc Remote Sensing. 14(1):1-9.
• Rao, B.R.M. et al.(1995) Spectral behavior of salt-affected soils. Int. J.
Remote Sensing. 16(12):2125-2136.
• Saxena, R.K. et al (2003) Spectral reflectance properties of some dominant
soils occurring on diff. altitudinal zones in Uttaranchal Himalayas.
Agropedology 13(2):35-43.
• Srivastava, R. et al. (2004)Spectral reflectance properties of some shrink-
swell soils of central India as influenced by soil properties. Agropedology
14(1):45-54.
• Spectral reflectance characteristics of soils of Indo-Gangetic Plains (2007)
Report. National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land use Planning, Nagpur. 25p.
THANK YOU