Estimation of Soil Moisture Content in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo-State Using Remote Sensing Technique: 2017 Study

Abstract

Soil moisture estimation is essential for optimal water and soil resource management. Surface soil moisture is an important variable in the natural water cycle, which plays an important role in the global equilibrium of water and energy due to its impact on hydrological, ecological and meteorological processes. Soil moisture changes due to the variability of soil characteristics, topography, and vegetation in time and place and affects vegetation distribution. Too little moisture can result in yield loss and plant death and too much causes root disease and wasted water. Soil moisture measurements are performed directly using in situ methods and indirectly, using transfer functions or remote sensing. Since in-situ measurements are usually costly and time-consuming in large areas, we can use methods such as remote sensing to estimate soil moisture at very large scales. The purpose of this study is to estimate soil moisture using land surface temperature. In this work, ground temperature was calculated using Landsat-8 thermal infrared band for Oredo Local Government Area and was used to estimate the soil moisture of the study area using ArcGIS (Arc-map 10.2.2). The study revealed places with low, moderate and high moisture contents with the moderate moisture index being dominant in both seasons. This study will thus serve as a database that will enable farmers to embark on precision farming with the local government area under investigation.