Estimation of the soil composition by IR observation of the Earth by satellites

Abstract

A number of missions are in progress for Earth resources satellites to perform soil diagnosis by observing the bare soil thermal response to the heat input from the surrounding atmosphere. Heat capacity missions (and similar missions) are accomplished by measuring the soil temperature at the times of the satellite passes over the soil site. The models which are usually adopted assume that, for atmospheric conditions periodically changing during the day, the surface temperature time dependence is a function of the soil thermal inertia alone (for a dry soil). The present author has shown elsewhere that a more appropriate, two dimensional finite element modelling of the thermal behaviour of the soil, exhibits a dependence of the surface temperature time evolution on both the thermal conductivity ( k) and on the volume heat capacity ( ϱc) (for no evaporation at the interface). At least two independent temperature measurements are necessary in order to get information about k and ϱc. It is shown that, within the range of values of k and ϱc of the usual soils, temperature measurements taken at two successive satellite passes may yield the necessary information on the soil thermophysical properties. Charts can be constructed which will provide information on k and ϱc when two soil temperatures are measured at proper times.