Estimate Salinity of Soils, Some Nutrients Solubility and Their Spatial Distribution in Baqubah City - Diyala – Iraq Using Remote Sensing And GIS

Abstract

Monitoring salinity of soils by using remote sensing data is required to keep changes track in salinity for
reclamation and timely using of these soils. A study was conducted to evaluate the concentration of
some ionic composition (Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cl, HCO3, and SO4), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), electrical
conductivity (EC) and mapping their spatial distribution in soils of Baqubah governorate – Iraq. Thirty soil
samples from 0-30 cm depth at the study area were collected randomly using GPS. The soil soluble cations
and anions were determined in laboratory, EC and SAR was calculated. Then, the satellite image of
Landsat 8 satellite taken on 23/12/2020 was used for preparing maps for these selected soil samples
properties. The results showed that all the soil samples can classify to two categories, slightly (normal soil)
and moderate (saline soils) according to EC and SAR values. Keeping monitoring of salt affected areas
need continuous updating and that can be achieved with using remote sensing techniques due to field
and lab data collection are expensive and time consuming.