An Enhanced Saline Soil Dielectric Constant Model Used for Remote Sensing Soil Moisture and Salinity Retrieval

Abstract

The soil dielectric constant model is essential for retrieving soil properties based on microwave remote sensing. However, the existing saline soil dielectric constant models perform poorly in simulating the dielectric constant of soil with high water content and salinity. In this study, the Wang Yueru (WYR) saline soil dielectric constant model, which was demonstrated to perform well in describing the effect of salinity and moisture on the dielectric constant, was validated based on experimental measurements of soil samples under different water content and salinity degrees. Furthermore, we adjusted the model form, refitted the empirical coefficient in the model, and finally acquired a two-stage model for simulating the soil dielectric constant. The enhanced model was validated under different soil moisture and salinity ranges using experimental measurements of soil samples. Compared to the original model, the proposed model exhibits a larger improvement in simulating the soil dielectric constant, and the RMSE of the simulated results dramatically decreased from 7.3 to 1.6, especially for soil with high salinity and water content. On this basis, a model suitable for L-band microwave was established. This model is of great significance for studying soil dielectric characteristics and retrieving soil parameters based on L-band data. Furthermore, this model can be used to retrieve soil salinity and water content using microwave remote sensing under a broadened application situation, such as in saline-alkali soils, wetlands, and salt marshes.

ECWS: Soil Salinity Measurement Method Based on Electrical Conductivity and Moisture Content

“…Zhao [10] used UAV multispectral remote sensing data to construct an SSC inversion model based on support vector machine regression, random forest, and other machine learning algorithms, which provided technical support for the rapid monitoring and control of soil salinization in irrigation areas. Gao [11] verified and optimized the dielectric constant model of saline soil based on soil samples with different gradient moisture content and salinity, and established a remote sensing inversion model suitable for L-band microwave remote sensing. However, due to its discontinuity in time, it is difficult to obtain short-time interval remote sensing images due to the influence of natural conditions and satellite sensor types, which is not conducive to continuous long-term high-precision SSC monitoring research.…”