CollectHomepage AdvertisementContact usMessage

Arid Land Geography ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (2): 287-300.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.064

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Remote sensing inversion of soil salinization in the Weiku Oasis of Xinjiang using Sentinel data and a feature space model

Nigara TASHPOLAT1,2(), MA Yingxuan3, Abuduwaili REHEMAN1,2, YANG Lei1,2   

  1. 1. College of Geography and Remote Sensing Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, Xinjiang, China
    2. Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, Xinjiang, China
    3. Xinjiang Branch China Meteorological Adminstration Training Centre, Urumqi 830013, Xinjiang, China
  • Received:2025-02-13 Revised:2025-03-19 Online:2026-02-25 Published:2026-02-27

Abstract:

Xinjiang requires timely and accurate monitoring of soil salinization dynamics to support effective management and sustainable land use. This study examines the Weigan-Kuqa River Delta Oasis (Weiku Oasis) in Xinjiang. Based on Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar imagery and Sentinel-2 optical imagery from July 2022, characteristic parameters that were significantly correlated with measured soil salinity values were extracted and optimized. Six feature space models were constructed, including three polarization combination models from Sentinel-1 ([V2-H]-[H], [V2-H]-[(V2+H2)/V], and [V2-H]-[V-H]) and three spectral index models from Sentinel-2 (CRSI-COSRI, CRSI-NDWI, and CRSI-GARI). Using the optimal model, soil salinity in the study area was inversely estimated, revealing its spatial distribution patterns and enabling precise monitoring of typical salinized areas within the Weigan-Kuqa River Delta Oasis. The results indicate that (1) The Sentinel-2-based CRSI-COSRI model achieved the best inversion performance, with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.639 and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.670, significantly outperforming all other models. (2) The simulated spatial distribution of soil salinization indicated that the overall degree of soil salinization in the study area is relatively high, with an increasing trend from west to east. This study verifies the effectiveness of feature space models in the remote sensing-based inversion of soil salinization in arid regions, providing reliable data support and methodological references for regional salinized soil monitoring and management.

Key words: soil salinization, Sentinel-1 data, Sentinel-2 data, feature space model, Weigan-Kuqa River Delta Oasis