T.I. Kharitonova, Surkov N.V. LANDSCAPE APPROACH TO MODELLING SOIL AND VEGETATION MOISTURE DYNAMICS USING REMOTE SENSING TECHNICS // Arid ecosystems. 2020. V. 26. № 1 (82). P. 13-20. | PDF
The paper discusses remote sensing methods of describing the intra-seasonal dynamics of soil and vegetation moisture content. Field moisture of soil and vegetation cover is described by an integral indicator, which combines values of water content in upper horizon of the soil (5-10 cm), herbaceous phytomass and tree leaves. The field moisture integral indicator demonstrates the reliable relationship with the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), with the coefficient of determination R2 reaching values of 0,91 for certain land cover classes. The most significant factors determining the loss of moisture during the summer period are the volume of photosynthetically active phytomass, potential incoming solar radiation during the study period and the water supply in soil and vegetation at the beginning of vegetation. These factors describe 67% of the NDWI difference from May to August 2016 in forests sites and 89% in steppes. The obtained results could be used to search for fire-hazardous areas in steppes and forests and to monitor vineyards.
Keywords: Karadag Nature reserve, soil and vegetation moisture content, NDWI, semi-arid landscapes of Crimea.
DOI: 10.24411/1993-3916-2020-10079