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Spatial Distribution of Soil Moisture Content and Tree Volume Estimation in International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Forest, Ibadan, Nigeria

The role of soil moisture in the survival and growth of trees cannot be overemphasized and it contributes to the net productivity of the forest. However, information on the spatial distribution of the soil moisture content regarding the tree volume in forest ecosystems especially in Nigeria is limit...

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Published: 2022
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LEADER 00000njm a2000000a 4500
001 oai:repository.ui.edu.ng:123456789/13589
042 |a dc 
720 |a Alo A. A.  |e author 
720 |a Agbor, C. F.  |e author 
720 |a Jebiwott, A.  |e author 
720 |a Temiloluwa, O.  |e author 
260 |c 2022 
520 |a The role of soil moisture in the survival and growth of trees cannot be overemphasized and it contributes to the net productivity of the forest. However, information on the spatial distribution of the soil moisture content regarding the tree volume in forest ecosystems especially in Nigeria is limited. Therefore, this study combined spatial and ground data to determine soil moisture distribution and tree volume in the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) forest, Ibadan. Satellite images of 1989, 1999, 2009 and 2019 were obtained and processed using topographic and vegetation-based models to examine the soil moisture status of the forest. Satellite-based soil moisture obtained was validated with ground soil moisture data collected in 2019. Tree growth variables were obtained for tree volume computation using Newton’s formular. Forest soil moisture models employed in this study include Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), Temperature Dryness Vegetation Index (TDVI) and Modified Normalized Difference Wetness Index (MNDWI). Relationships between index-based and ground base Soil Moisture Content (SMC), as well as the correlation between soil moisture and tree volume, were examined. The study revealed strong relationships between tree volume and TDVI, SMC, TWI with R2 values of 0.91, 0.85, and 0.75, respectively. The regression values of 0.89 between in-situ soil data and TWI and 0.83 with TDVI ascertain the reliability of satellite data in soil moisture mapping. The decision of which index to apply between TWI and TDVI, therefore, depends on available data since both proved to be reliable. The TWI surface is considered to be a more suitable soil moisture prediction index, while MNDWI exhibited a weak relationship (R2 = 0.03) with ground data. The strong relationships between soil moisture and tree volume suggest tree volume can be predicted based on available soil moisture content. Any slight undesirable change in soil moisture could lead to severe forest conditions. 
024 8 |a Online: 2327-4344, Print: 2327-4336 
024 8 |a ui_art_alo_spatial_2022 
024 8 |a Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 10, pp.364-384 
024 8 |a https://repository.ui.edu.ng/handle/123456789/13589 
653 |a Forest Soil Moisture 
653 |a Temperature Dryness Vegetation Index 
653 |a Spatial Data 
653 |a Vegetation Indices 
245 0 0 |a Spatial Distribution of Soil Moisture Content and Tree Volume Estimation in International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Forest, Ibadan, Nigeria