Surface Soil Water Content Estimation from Thermal Remote Sensing based on the Temporal Variation of Land Surface Temperature

Soil water content (SWC) is a crucial variable in the thermal infrared research and is the major control for land surface hydrological processes at the watershed scale. Estimating the surface SWC from remotely sensed data using the triangle method proposed by Price has been demonstrated in previous...

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Main Authors: Dianjun Zhang, Ronglin Tang, Wei Zhao, Bohui Tang, Hua Wu, Kun Shao, Zhao-Liang Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2014-04-01
Series:Remote Sensing
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/6/4/3170
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spelling doaj-e0a7efe7c4d5493a9ee4bd4c95210d292020-11-24T22:20:23ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922014-04-01643170318710.3390/rs6043170rs6043170Surface Soil Water Content Estimation from Thermal Remote Sensing based on the Temporal Variation of Land Surface TemperatureDianjun Zhang0Ronglin Tang1Wei Zhao2Bohui Tang3Hua Wu4Kun Shao5Zhao-Liang Li6Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaKey Laboratory of Resources and Environmental information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaInstitute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, ChinaKey Laboratory of Resources and Environmental information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaKey Laboratory of Resources and Environmental information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaSchool of Computer and Information, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, ChinaKey Laboratory of Agri-Informatics, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, ChinaSoil water content (SWC) is a crucial variable in the thermal infrared research and is the major control for land surface hydrological processes at the watershed scale. Estimating the surface SWC from remotely sensed data using the triangle method proposed by Price has been demonstrated in previous studies. In this study, a new soil moisture index (Temperature Rising Rate Vegetation Dryness Index—TRRVDI) is proposed based on a triangle constructed using the mid-morning land surface temperature (LST) rising rate and the vegetation index to estimate the regional SWC. The temperature at the dry edge of the triangle is determined by the surface energy balance principle. The temperature at the wet edge is assumed to be equal to the air temperature. The mid-morning land surface temperature rising rate is calculated using Meteosat Second Generation—Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (MSG-SEVIRI) LST products over 4 cloud-free days (day of year: 206, 211, 212, 242) in 2007. The developed TRRVDI is validated by in situ measurements from 19 meteorological stations in Spain. The results indicate that the coefficient of determination (R2) between the TRRVDI derived using the theoretical limiting edges and the in situ SWC measurements is greater than that derived using the observed limiting edges. The R2 values are 0.46 and 0.32; respectively (p < 0.05). Additionally, the TRRVDI is much better than the soil moisture index that was developed using one-time LST and fractional vegetation cover (FVC) with the theoretically determined limiting edges.http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/6/4/3170thermal infraredsoil water contenttriangle methodTRRVDItemperature rising rate
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Dianjun Zhang
Ronglin Tang
Wei Zhao
Bohui Tang
Hua Wu
Kun Shao
Zhao-Liang Li
spellingShingle Dianjun Zhang
Ronglin Tang
Wei Zhao
Bohui Tang
Hua Wu
Kun Shao
Zhao-Liang Li
Surface Soil Water Content Estimation from Thermal Remote Sensing based on the Temporal Variation of Land Surface Temperature
Remote Sensing
thermal infrared
soil water content
triangle method
TRRVDI
temperature rising rate
author_facet Dianjun Zhang
Ronglin Tang
Wei Zhao
Bohui Tang
Hua Wu
Kun Shao
Zhao-Liang Li
author_sort Dianjun Zhang
title Surface Soil Water Content Estimation from Thermal Remote Sensing based on the Temporal Variation of Land Surface Temperature
title_short Surface Soil Water Content Estimation from Thermal Remote Sensing based on the Temporal Variation of Land Surface Temperature
title_full Surface Soil Water Content Estimation from Thermal Remote Sensing based on the Temporal Variation of Land Surface Temperature
title_fullStr Surface Soil Water Content Estimation from Thermal Remote Sensing based on the Temporal Variation of Land Surface Temperature
title_full_unstemmed Surface Soil Water Content Estimation from Thermal Remote Sensing based on the Temporal Variation of Land Surface Temperature
title_sort surface soil water content estimation from thermal remote sensing based on the temporal variation of land surface temperature
publisher MDPI AG
series Remote Sensing
issn 2072-4292
publishDate 2014-04-01
description Soil water content (SWC) is a crucial variable in the thermal infrared research and is the major control for land surface hydrological processes at the watershed scale. Estimating the surface SWC from remotely sensed data using the triangle method proposed by Price has been demonstrated in previous studies. In this study, a new soil moisture index (Temperature Rising Rate Vegetation Dryness Index—TRRVDI) is proposed based on a triangle constructed using the mid-morning land surface temperature (LST) rising rate and the vegetation index to estimate the regional SWC. The temperature at the dry edge of the triangle is determined by the surface energy balance principle. The temperature at the wet edge is assumed to be equal to the air temperature. The mid-morning land surface temperature rising rate is calculated using Meteosat Second Generation—Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (MSG-SEVIRI) LST products over 4 cloud-free days (day of year: 206, 211, 212, 242) in 2007. The developed TRRVDI is validated by in situ measurements from 19 meteorological stations in Spain. The results indicate that the coefficient of determination (R2) between the TRRVDI derived using the theoretical limiting edges and the in situ SWC measurements is greater than that derived using the observed limiting edges. The R2 values are 0.46 and 0.32; respectively (p < 0.05). Additionally, the TRRVDI is much better than the soil moisture index that was developed using one-time LST and fractional vegetation cover (FVC) with the theoretically determined limiting edges.
topic thermal infrared
soil water content
triangle method
TRRVDI
temperature rising rate
url http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/6/4/3170
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