Integrated approach to soil salinity assessment using SEM in Sirdarya province, Uzbekistan

The majority of irrigated land in the Sirdarya area in Uzbekistan is susceptible to salinization. Yet, due to the benefits of its geographical and temporal data, satellite imaging has the ability to efficiently monitor territorial resources. The objectives of this paper are (1) to find how strong surface water mineralization used for irrigation correlated with soil salinity, and (2) to introduce a simplified approach for the soil salinity assessment using SEM based on satellite imagery analysis. The main focus of this research is to explore the potential of using SEM methodology for soil salinity assessment in the study area by streamlining spatial image analysis processes. Throughout data collection of 261 surface water samples and 206 soil samples in Sirdaria irrigation district, while satellite images and other official datasets were our secondary material. We used the Inverse Distance Weighting interpolation method to map soil salinity in ArcGIS, achieving an interpolation accuracy of 72% and a Kappa value of 81%. Statistical packages in R software served as analyst tools to validate our findings. Our findings imply that while MODIS satellite imagery has a lesser connection with EC values, however, the EC values in terms of soil salinization in Sirdarya Province can be predicted using several Landsat bands without using remote sensing indices with correlation coefficients of R ≥ 0.8. We proved that the wavelength ranges of 0.64–0.67 μm and 2.11–2.29 μm are acceptable for mapping soil salinity. Nevertheless, continuous research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind this relationship and the potential applications of these findings in other drylands, land management, and environmental monitoring.