Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

ANALYSIS OF FLOODING AND DRYING CONDITIONS THROUGH TREND ANALYSIS OF AMSR-E SATELLITE SOIL MOISTURE OVER THE HIMALAYAN GANDAK RIVER BASIN

Brijesh Kumar and Dipankar Roy

Abstract

This paper explores the credibility and utility of LPRM AMSR-E root zone soil moisture product to understand error, variance and trend over the Gandak basin in the span of nearly ten years (2002-2010). The basin average monthly estimates of LPRM AMSR-E root zone soil moisture were compared with basin average TRMM 3B43 monthly precipitation. The comparison complements the variation of soil moisture in accordance with precipitation. Thereafter, we presented spatial standard error (SE), spatial coefficient of variation (CV) and spatial simple linear trend for different monsoon months of the basin. These parameters were able to demonstrate the nature of error, variance and trend of basin soil moisture. The maximum spatial standard error (SE) has been found for the month of June (7.24) and minimum in the month of August (3.9). Whereas the same kind of result has been found in the spatial coefficient of variation (CV). It was the maximum for the month of June (90.12%) and minimum during the month of August (39.69%). The spatial simple linear trend reveals increasing soil moisture patterns in the plains whereas decreasing soil moisture trend in the Himalayan Mountains.