Root system estimation based on satellite remote sensing: An applied study in Eastern Uganda

The density of roots is an important factor influencing the rate and magnitude of landslides. Due to the increased variability in climate, mainly rainfall, Eastern Uganda is severely struck by an increasing number of these mass movements, often with human casualties as one of the negative impacts. The aim of this study is to explore the possibility to estimate the depth and density of the root system influencing the resistance to landslides, from satellite remote sensing data. 104 samples were collected in field, where the root system was classified into 5 different classes, from non-existing to dense and deep (forest). The study was carried out in the Mount Elgon area located at the Ugandan-Kenyan border. The field data were then compared with 30 m Landsat TM data, in order to investigate possible links between reflectance (single bands as well as indices) and ground truth data. The results indicate that, following this methodology, it is not possible to estimate the root system density based on the remotely sensed data, since the maximum Cohen’s kappa value of 0.081 is judged deficient.