The use of remote sensing to map gypsiferous soils in the Ismailia Province (Egypt)

This work explores the possibilities of distinguishing saline from gypsiferous soils, using remote sensing data, especially the Landsat TM sensor, with it's seven spectral bands which was practically useful. Using supervised image classification, makes it feasible to differentiate gypsiferous from saline soils and from other soils as well. This study demonstrates that the best way to differentiate between gypsiferous and saline soils is to use the thermal band of the Landsat TM sensor. It was shown by using the TM thermal band that mapping of the soils containing gypsum can be done in a relatively fast and accurate way. The final output can easily be stored in a GIS for further practical applications. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.