Soil water content mapping and variability analysis in lowland valleys in West Africa, Benin

Details

Supervisors

Vanclooster, Marnik ; Apkonikpe, Pierre

Faculty

Faculté des bioingénieurs

Degree label

Master [120] : bioingénieur en sciences et technologies de l'environnement, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

In Benin, the lowlands have a great agricultural potential that is currently undervalued. And d in the context of climate change and food insecurity, the implementation of efficient agricultural practices with a focus on sustainability is crucial. To understand the water dynamics in these lowlands, mapping the soil water content and the analysis of its spatio-temporal variability is important. A methodology based on data collected with Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 combined with a DINEOF interpolation yields an overall root mean square error between estimated soil water content and on-site measurements of 7.05 %. Analysis of the spatial distribution of the soil water content shows that the land cover is the first driving force, with an increase in soil water content under tree cover, especially during the dry season. In terms of temporal variability, the air relative humidity is found to have the strongest correlation with the soil water content for both the dry and the wet seasons.