Imaging spectroscopic approach for land degradation studies: a case study from the arid land of India

Abstract Arid regions are composite of complex structures. Desertification and land degradation of these arid regions need appropriate measures in accordance with time. Hyperspectral remote sensing data sets have high potential capabilities in estimating land degradation phenomenon. Imaging spectroscopy appears to be an emerging technology for the assessment of soil properties which directly influences land degradation. In this study, soil properties were studied from the arid region in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India using low bandwidth data like Hyperion along visible, near-infrared and shortwave infrared (350–2500？μm) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectral reflectance-based algorithms have been applied for the assessment of soil resources of arid regions. The results showed that sand, clay and organic matter content can be adequately estimated from linear models such as principal components and partial least square regression-based model over band reflectance derived from the ground observation and satellite imagery. This study might help in rapid assessment of soil properties in arid regions which might help us in periodic assessment of degradation over any region