Soil sampling method based on field measurements and remote sensing images

Seeking a representative and economical soil sampling solution that combines soil properties with advanced technologies has been a difficult task in soil related studies. A new method for soil sampling was presented based on measured soil moisture and salinity data, remote sensing images and analysis of spatial distributions of soil properties in Lubotan land reclamation area in Shaanxi, China. The results showed that with the available data sets of 33 points, up to 101 unknown points could be estimated, and further interpolation of 343 points displayed spatial distribution of soil salinity in the study area. The coefficients of determination (R2) for the predicted soil moisture and soil salinity were 0.867 and 0.817, respectively. Furthermore, Kriging analysis for top soil salinity distribution in the study area showed that soil salinity had a medium degree of autocorrelation and low variability. This study may provide timely understanding of soil reclamation efforts and local water management practice.