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.