Gamma Ray Sensor for Topsoil Mapping: The Mole

Egmond, Fenny van; Loonstra, E.H.; Limburg, J.

doi:10.1007/978-90-481-8859-8_27

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Emissions of the radionuclides 238 U and 137 Cs were omitted from our analyses because preliminary investigations did not show relationships with clay content, confirming the findings of Köster et al (1988). In fingerprinting research, 40 K and 232 Th have also been shown to be the most important explanatory factors for the clay and sand content (De Meijer & Donoghue, 1995;Hebinck et al, 2007;Van Egmond et al, 2010). The 40 K and 232 Th or TC data were used only as explanatory variables when scatter plots indicated a linear relation between the radionuclide or TC and clay content.…”

Section: Linear Regression and Model Comparisonsupporting

confidence: 57%

“…The data used in this study were collected with a proximal gamma spectrometer referred to as ‘The Mole’ (Van Egmond et al , 2010). The Mole is a gamma‐ray spectrometer with a CsI‐crystal of 70 × 150 mm.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…So far, many gamma‐ray spectrometry studies have been performed in relatively old weathered landscapes. Fewer studies have investigated its performance for mapping soil properties in young Holocene deltaic environments such as those found in the Netherlands (De Meijer & Donoghue, 1995; Van Egmond et al , 2010). The objective of the present study was to investigate the prediction of soil clay contents using gamma‐ray spectrometry in marine clay districts in the Netherlands at different spatial scales.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mapping soil clay contents in Dutch marine districts using gamma-ray spectrometry

Klooster

Egmond²,

Sonneveld

2011

European Journal of Soil Science

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Conventional soil sampling methods to obtain high-resolution soil data are labour intensive and costly. Recently, gamma ray spectrometry has emerged as a promising technique to overcome these obstacles. The objective of our study was to investigate the prediction of soil clay contents using gamma-ray spectrometry in three marine clay districts in the Netherlands: the southwestern marine district (SMD), the IJsselmeerpolder district (IJPD) and the northern marine district (NMD). The performance of linear regression models was investigated at field (<1 km 2 ), regional (1-1000 km 2 ) and district (>1000 km 2 ) scales and for all the Dutch marine districts together. For this study, a database was available with 1371 gamma-ray spectra measured on arable fields in marine clay districts during the period 2005-2008 and these were all linked to laboratory analyses of clay contents. At the field scale, linear regression models based on 40 K, 232 Th, or a combination of these revealed much smaller root mean squared error (RMSE) values (2-3%) compared with a model based on the field mean (8-10%). At the district scale, the regression models for the SMD and IJPD, which have comparable sediments, performed better than for the NMD. This indicates that the prediction of clay contents in late Holocene marine sediments may be made with gamma-ray spectrometry provided that the origin of the parent material results in a unique fingerprint. Because of the heterogeneous parent material of all marine districts taken together, our study shows that no unique and precise fingerprint exists, and the RMSE of 6% between clay contents and gamma-ray spectra is not much different from the RMSE of 7% when using the overall mean as a predictor.

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Section: Linear Regression and Model Comparisonsupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mapping soil clay contents in Dutch marine districts using gamma-ray spectrometry

Klooster

Egmond²,

Sonneveld

2011

European Journal of Soil Science

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“…(Figure 4) The measured signal is deconvoluted into the four elements and total counts. These elements are then calibrated to the desired soil properties using a few soil samples and a γ‐soil property database that serves as a knowledge base (van Egmond et al ., in preparation).…”

Section: Examplementioning

confidence: 99%

iSOIL: exploring the soil as the basis for quality crop production and food security

Egmond

Dietrich

Werban

et al. 2009

Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops &Amp; Foods

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Introduction The quality and safety of crops and derived products depend among other factors on the quality and safety of the soil. To control the quality and safety of the soil and adjust crop and soil management to meet the desired quality and safety standards, a profound knowledge of the soil is indispensable. At present the techniques available for soil mapping are too expensive, are at low resolution and are not suitable for precision farming applications. Objective The EU‐funded project iSOIL aims to improve existing and develop new techniques and methodologies for sensor‐based high‐resolution digital soil mapping (DSM). Methods: In seven work packages the project members will develop and improve current methodologies for high‐resolution DSM using geophysical, spectroscopic and monitoring techniques. Results The anticipated result of the project is a set of target‐oriented techniques and guidelines for economically feasible high‐resolution DSM. The anticipated results are illustrated by a gamma‐ray soil mapping example. Conclusion The combination of geophysical methods and DSM techniques can provide a fast and cost‐effective approach to create high‐resolution digital soil property maps for large areas, but there is still some research necessary. These methods can be used for precision farming and will improve the production of crops at desirable quality and safety levels.

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“…A simplified version of SGU's Quaternary deposit (QD) map displaying the dominant soil type at 0.5 m soil depth is shown in the background in the part of the area consisting of arable land. The arrow indicates Entorp Farm, which was used for exemplifying how the different digital soil mapping methods work locally Egmond et al 2010). The radius of the footprint of such an instrument is roughly four times the distance between the sensor and the ground (IAEA 2003), making very detailed mapping possible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptation of regional digital soil mapping for precision agriculture

2016

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In the initial phase of a national project to map clay, sand and soil organic matter (SOM) content in arable topsoil in Sweden, a study area in south-west Sweden comprising about 100 000 ha of arable land was assessed. Models were created for texture, SOM and two estimated variables for lime requirement determination (target pH and buffering capacity), using a data mining method (multivariate adaptive regression splines). Two existing reference soil datasets were used: a grid dataset and a dataset created for individual farms. The predictor data were of three types: airborne gamma-ray spectrometry data, digital elevation from airborne laser scanning, and legacy data on Quaternary geology. Validations were designed to suit applicability assessments of prediction maps for precision agriculture. The predictor data proved applicable for regional mapping of topsoil texture at 50 9 50 m 2 spatial resolution (root mean square error: clay = 6.5 %; sand = 13.2 %). A novel modelling strategy, 'Farm Interactive', in which soil analysis data for individual farms were added to the regional data, and given extra weight, improved the map locally. SOM models were less satisfactory. Variable-rate application files for liming created from derived digital soil maps and locally interpolated soil data were compared with 'ground truth' maps created by proximal sensors on one test farm. The Farm Interactive methodology generated the best predictions and was deemed suitable for adaptation of regional digital soil maps for precision agricultural purposes.

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Gamma Ray Sensor for Topsoil Mapping: The Mole

Cited by 21 publications

References 7 publications

Mapping soil clay contents in Dutch marine districts using gamma-ray spectrometry

Mapping soil clay contents in Dutch marine districts using gamma-ray spectrometry

iSOIL: exploring the soil as the basis for quality crop production and food security

Adaptation of regional digital soil mapping for precision agriculture

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