Understanding Soil and Plant Interaction by Combining Ground‐Based Quantitative Electromagnetic Induction and Airborne Hyperspectral Data

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Abstract
For the first time, we combine depth‐specific soil information obtained from the quantitative inversion of ground‐based multicoil electromagnetic induction data with the airborne hyperspectral vegetation mapping of 1 × 1‐m pixels including Sun‐induced fluorescence (F) to understand how subsurface structures drive above‐surface plant performance. Hyperspectral data were processed to quantitative F and selected biophysical canopy maps, which are proxies for actual photosynthetic rates. These maps showed within‐field spatial patterns, which were attributed to paleo‐river channels buried at around 1‐m depth. The soil structures at specific depths were identified by quantitative electromagnetic induction data inversions and confirmed by soil samples. Whereas the upper plowing layer showed minor correlation to the plant data, the deeper subsoil carrying vital plant resources correlated substantially. Linking depth‐specific soil information with plant performance data may greatly improve our understanding and the modeling of soil‐vegetation‐atmosphere exchange processes.
Funding Information
  • European Space Agency (4000107143/12/NL/FF/If CCN3, 4000107143/12/NL/FF/If-CCN3)
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB/TR32)

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