Evaluating depth to shallow groundwater using Heat Capacity Mapping Mission (HCMM) data

Abstract

Four dates of Heat Capacity Mapping Mission (HCMM) data were analyzed to evaluate the utility of HCMM thermal data for evaluating depth to shallow groundwater. During the summer, shallow water tables can create lower soil temperatures throughout the diurnal temperature cycle. Because of large spatial and temporal ground cover variations, HCMM daytime radiometric temperatures alone did not correlate with water table depth. The radiometric temperatures consisted of radiance contributions from different crop canopies and their respective soil backgrounds. However, when surface soil temperatures were empirically estimated from HCMM temperatures and percent cover of each pixel, significant correlations were obtained between estimated soil temperatures and water table depth. Correlations increased as the season progressed and temperature gradients within the soil profile increased. However, estimated soil temperatures were also correlated with near-surface soil moisture since during the daytime, increasing soil moisture reduced surface soil temperature. Complementary effects of shallow water tables and soil moisture on daytime temperatures cannot be separated.