Use of Satellite Imagery to Delineate Soil Associations in the Sand Hills Region of Nebraska

Published soil association maps of counties within the Sand Hills region of Nebraska were used to establish relationships between satellite imagery and soil associations mapped by conventional methods. Soils formed in the eolian sand of this region range from somewhat excessively drained soils formed on major dunes to poorly drained soils of subirrigated valleys. These soils represent a hydrosequence; soil patterns are closely associated with differences in topography, near-surface hydrology, and rangeland vegetation. In view of these relationships, multispectral satellite imagery acquired during the growing season was useful in stratifying soil associations including subirrigated soils, whereas imagery obtained during periods of continuous snow cover and relatively low solar elevation angles was useful in stratifying soil associations characterized by differences in topography. Relationships established between published soil associations and satellite imagery were used to stratify soil associations at the mesosociation level of cartographic generalization in an adjacent area within the Sand Hills region.