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Use of remote sensing to detect saturated zones and assess evapotranspiration in the lower Medjerda Valley (Tunisia) Volume 10, issue 2, Juin 1999

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  • Page(s) : 117
  • Published in: 1999

One major problem in the lower Medjerda valley (Tunisia) is the increasing soil salinization caused by the capillary rise of salt water (5 g/l) and salt accumulation on the surface. The soil-water evaporation rate is an important element to determine for monitoring the water table and for designing drainage systems. Research in this water resources field has greatly benefitted from marked advances in developing new tools to obtain geographical information on hydrographic basins (remote sensing, GPS, etc.), along with new analysis tools (GIS, models, expert systems, etc.). The present study focuses on the simulation of evapotranspiration transfers, and detection of saturated zones using satellite data (Landsat TM, HRV, NOAA-AVHRR) and GIS. This information is essential for monitoring soil degradation due to salinization.