Modeling and mapping of soil salinity in Tafilalet plain (Morocco)

The Tafilalet plain in Morocco is a very rich ecosystem. It presents enormous ecological and natural values, such as groundwater and agricultural soil; however, it is undergoing rapid changes due to natural and anthropogenic factors, where soil salinity constitutes one of the major problems. In this context, remote sensing data/techniques used to map and to model soil salinity is a valuable tool in management activities and in decision-making. This paper focuses on modeling and mapping soil salinity in Tafilalet plain, Morocco, based on Landsat 8 OLI satellite data in combination with ground field data. Our results indicated that the coefficient of determination (R-2) varies from 0.53 to 0.75 and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) ranges between 0.62 and 0.80dS/m. Based on the results, we can conclude that this approach is an effective and valid methodology for modeling and spatial mapping soil salinity in this area and this method could also be applied for other regions with similar characteristics.