Field Scale Soil Moisture Estimation with Ground Penetrating Radar and Sentinel 1 Data

Rutkay Atun, Önder Gürsoy () and Sinan Koşaroğlu
Additional contact information
Rutkay Atun: Department of Geomatics Engineering, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas 58140, Türkiye
Önder Gürsoy: Department of Geomatics Engineering, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas 58140, Türkiye
Sinan Koşaroğlu: Department of Geophysics Engineering, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas 58140, Türkiye

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-18

Abstract: This study examines the combined use of ground penetrating radar (GPR) and Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data for estimating soil moisture in a 25-decare field in Sivas, Türkiye. Soil moisture, vital for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem management, was assessed using in situ measurements, SAR backscatter analysis, and GPR-derived dielectric constants. A novel empirical model adapted from the classical soil moisture index (SSM) was developed for Sentinel-1, while GPR data were processed using the reflected wave method for estimating moisture at 0–10 cm depth. GPR demonstrated a stronger correlation within situ measurements (R 2 = 74%) than Sentinel-1 (R 2 = 32%), reflecting its ability to detect localized moisture variations. Sentinel-1 provided broader trends, revealing its utility for large-scale analysis. Combining these techniques overcame individual limitations, offering detailed spatial insights and actionable data for precision agriculture and water management. This integrated approach highlights the complementary strengths of GPR and SAR, enabling accurate soil moisture mapping in heterogeneous conditions. The findings emphasize the value of multi-technique methods for addressing challenges in sustainable resource management, improving irrigation strategies, and mitigating climate impacts.

Keywords: soil moisture; Sentinel 1; ground penetrating radar (GPR); surface soil moisture (SSM); empirical model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/24/10995/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/24/10995/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:24:p:10995-:d:1544132

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().