The Utilization of Sentinel-1 Soil Moisture Satellite Imagery for Runoff Coefficient Analysis

Abstract

Soil moisture content can provide information about the relationship between runoff coefficient and water availability to increase agricultural productivity and measure potential erosion rates. Observation of soil moisture content sometimes cannot be directly measured. Therefore, the study was conducted to develop practical soil moisture monitoring techniques using Sentinel-1 satellite images. Moisture content measurements obtained from the Sentinel-1 satellite image are pre-processed through the Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP), which is then processed using Dubois model to get the soil permittivity value from the backscatter value (σ◦). The moisture content was obtained using Topp’s model. The gravimetric methods in situ soil tests were used to validate the soil moisture content estimation obtained from Sentinel-1 image processing. Based on this research, the Sentinel-1 satellite provides a solution for monitoring soil moisture. The relationship between moisture content and runoff coefficient shows a greater the soil moisture value, the higher the runoff coefficient will obtain. This study proves that the developed land and valley condition has a high runoff coefficient. A high runoff coefficient value has susceptibility to high erosion rates. Sites with similar characteristics need to consider the appropriate land cover to ensure the sustainability of land conservation while still benefiting from agricultural activities.