Use of AVHRR/NOAA-14 multi-temporal data to evaluate soil degradation

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology for the use of AVHRR/NOAA-14 (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) sensor data in USLE (universal soil loss equation) for the identification of soil degradation and the mapping of erosion risks at regional level. To apply USLE equation, remote sensing and GIS (Geographic Information System) techniques were used to define sugarcane plantation areas. NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) data acquired from seven different AVHRR images were transformed from gray scale levels to percent of reflectance, because reflectance data are more adequate to get NDVI values. A linear correlation analysis was performed between soil losses ratio and the age of sugarcane to derive the factor C (land use and management) which indicates the soil protection provided by the vegetative cover and it changes gradually as the amount of biomass increases. NDVI data derived from AVHRR/NOAA-14 images were adequate to characterize biomass increase in sugarcane plantations in a 16-month period covering two harvests