Munsell soil color and soil reflectance in the visible spectral bands of landsat MSS and TM data

Abstract

Color is widely used for soil characterization in the field and for soil classification. Standardized soil color notation is usually achieved by comparison with Munsell color charts. These raw color data are generally not easily related to soil spectral properties. The spectral reflectance curves of 84 soil samples were measured with a spectrophotometer in the laboratory. For each sample, chromaticity coordinates were computed according to CIE standard methods and expressed in RGB (Red, Green, Blue) notation using colorimetric equations. RGB values appear to be strongly correlated with the soil reflectance measured in the corresponding spectral bands of Landsat sensors. RGB coordinates were also estimated from Munsell data using convertion tables. Despite their low precision, the estimated color coordinates are significantly correlated with the reflectance values in the Thematic Mapper visible bands. These results allow the interpretation of published data and further development of soil color remote sensing.