Category Archives: Remote sensing

Relationship between Rainfall and Surface Soil Moisture ‎within Time series in the Syrian Coast Using Remote Sensing ‎Data

Nada Wafik Mohammad*(1) Waseem Al Mesber(2) and Eyad Ahmad Al_Khaled(3)

(1). Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Damascus, Syria.
(2).Department of Soil, Faculty of Agriculture, Damascus University, Syria.
(3). General Organization of Remote Sensing, Damascus, Syria.
(*Corresponding author: Eng. Nada Wafik Mohammad. E-Mail: nada.muhammad1988@gmail.com

Received: 20/12/2020                               Accepted: 09/02/2020

Abstract

This study was carried out in the Syrian coast region with the aim of studying the relationship between the amount of rain precipitation and the surface soil moisture at a depth of 10 cm for a time series starting from 2005 to 2010 and for this purpose data derived from satellite imagery of rain precipitation of type Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission TRMM was used for each month of the study period from the beginning of January 2005 to December 2010 to get a total of 72 images, in addition to the use of satellite images of surface soil moisture at a depth of 10 cm simultaneously with the space data of rain precipitation. Erdas Imagine and ArcGis software were used to process the images of rain precipitation and soil moisture and their outputs. The correlation between rain precipitation and soil surface moisture was also studied. The produced maps showed that the years 2008 and 2010 were the least recorded years of rain (579 and 544 mm), respectively, while the year 2009 was the highest recording of the precipitation of 1039 mm. This was in line with the maps produced for surface moisture, as the years that retain the highest surface moisture at a depth of 10 cm during this time series were 2009, 2006, 2007, 2005 and the lowest years recording the surface moisture during the studied time series were 2008 and 2010. The results also showed when studying the relationship between ground and surface moisture at the level of the study points and months of the year that rainfalls are concentrated in the months of January and February to decrease in March and April, to clearly decrease from May to almost no in August and July to start to rise from September to ascending until December was somewhat in line with the surface moisture maps. The study of the total correlation of the total time series showed a highly significant positive correlation between the amount of rain and surface moisture of 0.739**. This relationship was at the level of months of the year of high positive correlation for months 1, 2, 4, 10, 11 and 12 and negative for months 6, 7, 8 and 9.

Key words: Remote sensing, Soil surface moisture, Rainfall, Syrian coast.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF

Evaluation of Land Suitability for the Cultivation in A Chosen Area in Al-Hasaka Using GIS and LAMIS Program

Rukea El-Hassan*(1) Othman Hamal(2) and Younes Idris(3)          

(1). Natural Resources Research Administration, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Damascus, Syria.        
(2). Department of Soil and Land Reclamation, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Euphrates, Der Ezzor, Syria.       

(3). General organization of Remote Sensing, Damascus. Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Eng. Rukea El-Hassan. E-Mail: rukeaalhasn@gmail.com).

Received: 02/05/2019                                Accepted: 01/10/2019

Abstract

This research was conducted at a selective area in Al Hasaka Governorate (Wadi Khribet Al Maliha) to evaluate the profitability of its lands to be grown and determine the optimum land use of it. A geo-pedological soil survey was initiated, and 10 soil profiles representing the physiographic units in the study area were collected for some chemical and physical properties analysis. Land evaluation was achieved using LAMIS (Land Management Information System) program under ArcView 3x platform. Evaluation was done by applying map-algebra on both crops’ requirements with parametric conditions of lands and climate characteristics. The results of the evaluation showed that 23.28 % of studied area had good suitability S1, 73.02% had moderate suitability S2, because of simple limitations (CaSo4, and active depth), and 3.62% had limited suitability because of moderate limitations (CaSo4, and frost).

Key words: Land suitability evaluation, LAMIS program, Geographic Information System, AL- Hasaka.

Full Paper in Arabic: Word

Applying Spectral Wheat Yield Prediction Program in Al-Raqqa Governorate Under Crisis Conditions

Nasser Ibrahem*(1) Hayan Abo-Karam(1) and Ali Ismail(1)

(1). General Organization of Remote Sensing GORS, Damascus, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Dr. Nasser Ibrahem. E-Mail: nibrahem345@gmail.com).

Received: 12/11/2018                                Accepted: 19/01/2019

Abstract

This study aims to applying Spectral Wheat Yield Prediction (SWYP) program (designed under Syrian agricultural conditions) on multispectral/multistage images data for estimation the area and production of wheat in Al-Raqqa governorate (as affected zone) during the crisis (2014 season) to determine the damages on the agricultural sector depending on the spatial distribution of severity effects on yield and area of wheat during the crisis in Al-Raqqa governorate. This technique evaluated the cultivated wheat area of /90774 ha/ and yield production of /210060 tons/ in that season. The accuracy of the results was tested according to two methods: the first, using the rainfall-agricultural analysis models at the overall level of the governorate; and the second method depended upon field-specific data, and the accuracy of the two methods reached 95%. Area and yield of wheat that estimated by satellite images during that season were about 55% and 42% of the recorded cultivated area and yield, the reduction went down 45% and 58%, respectively. Spatial distribution map of the affected area and wheat yield were created according to three degrees of influence: small, medium and large. The absence of planting (large effect) in some areas was found in the east and south of the governorate, while some areas were not affected in that season as before the crisis (small affect) in the north of the governorate. Thus, it was decided that the agricultural sector, according to satellite-agricultural data, was more than 58% in that governorate and in that season, where the severity of the damage varied between areas from large damage (100%, non-cultivated) then medium to small (less 10%), but no significant differences were recorded in area and yield of wheat in Al-Raqqa governorate before and during the crisis (2014) depending on agricultural statics data, where, area of wheat increased 13% and yield decreased 25% simultaneously in spite of decreasing rainfall amount of 42%. The study recommends the application of this technology effectively and continuously, especially during the crisis and disaster times, which ensures the accuracy of planning and management of the main and strategic crops to achieve food security on the country level.

 Keywords: Spectral wheat yield prediction, Crisis, Satellite images, Al-Raqqa governorate, Syria.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF