Combining Satellite and Ground-Based Data Improves Irrigation Management in South Mediterranean Region, Finds New Study
Combining satellite and ground-based data
can significantly improve irrigation management practices in the South
Mediterranean region, according to a study published in the journal “Remote
Sensing” (Ouaadi et al., 2021).
The study proposes a method for improving
the estimation of irrigation amounts and timing by assimilating satellite-derived
surface soil moisture data into the FAO-56 approach. The researchers found that
the assimilation of soil moisture data can increase the accuracy of irrigation
estimation by up to 88%, depending on the irrigation system and crop type. Moreover,
the proposed method can provide reliable estimates of irrigation amounts and
timing even in the absence of ground-based data, which is particularly
important in water-scarce regions where obtaining such data can be challenging.
Furthermore, the study highlights the
potential of using satellite-derived soil moisture data and data assimilation
techniques for improving irrigation management practices in the South
Mediterranean region, where water scarcity is a significant challenge for
agricultural development. Here, the authors suggest that incorporating soil
moisture data into irrigation management practices can lead to more precise
irrigation scheduling and better water use efficiency, resulting in higher
agricultural productivity and sustainable development.
Overall, the study demonstrates the
importance of using innovative technologies and data integration approaches for
addressing water scarcity challenges in the agriculture sector and promoting
sustainable development in water-scarce regions.
Within MAGDA, an irrigation advisory is also provided combining different sources of soil moisture data: satellite and ground sensors. This leads to a powerful combination that aims to provide an accurate irrigation service for the three pilot regions of the project in Romania, France and Italy.
Author: Amelia Fernández Rodríguez
Ouaadi, N.; Jarlan, L.; Khabba, S.;
Ezzahar, J.; Le Page, M.; Merlin, O. Irrigation Amounts and Timing Retrieval
through Data Assimilation of Surface Soil Moisture into the FAO-56 Approach in
the South Mediterranean Region. Remote Sens. 2021, 13, 2667. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13142667
Keywords
irrigation timing and amounts; surface soil
moisture; data assimilation; particle filters; FAO-56; Sentinel-1; semi-arid
Mediterranean region; winter wheat
