Use of Multi-Seasonal Satellite Images to Predict SOC from Cultivated Lands in a Montane Ecosystem

Title
Use of Multi-Seasonal Satellite Images to Predict SOC from Cultivated Lands in a Montane Ecosystem
Publication Date
2021
Author(s)
Lamichhane, Sushil
Adhikari, Kabindra
Kumar, Lalit
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9205-756X
Email: lkumar@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:lkumar
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
MDPI AG
Place of publication
Switzerland
DOI
10.3390/rs13234772
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/63294
Abstract

Although algorithms are well developed to predict soil organic carbon (SOC), selecting appropriate covariates to improve prediction accuracy is an ongoing challenge. Terrain attributes and remote sensing data are the most common covariates for SOC prediction. This study tested the predictive performance of nine different combinations of topographic variables and multi-season remotely sensed data to improve the prediction of SOC in the cultivated lands of a middle mountain catchment of Nepal. The random forest method was used to predict SOC contents, and the quantile regression forest for quantifying the prediction uncertainty. Prediction of SOC contents was improved when remote sensing data of multiple seasons were used together with the terrain variables. Remote sensing data of multiple seasons capture the dynamic conditions of surface soils more effectively than using an image of a single season. It is concluded that the use of remote sensing images of multiple seasons instead of a snapshot of a single period may be more effective for improving the prediction of SOC in a digital soil mapping framework. However, an image with the right timing of cropping season can provide comparable results if a parsimonious model is preferred.

Link
Citation
Remote Sensing, 13(23), p. 1-16
ISSN
2072-4292
Start page
1
End page
16
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International

Files:

NameSizeformatDescriptionLink
openpublished/UseLamichhaneKumar2021JournalArticle.pdf 6458.854 KB application/pdf Published version View document