Data supporting the soil salinity evolution appraisals in the Flumen irrigation district, NE Spain

Area of Science:

• * Soil Science
• * Remote Sensing
• * Agricultural Engineering

Background:

• * A 1975 photogrammetric flight was commissioned for a soil salinity survey in the Flumen irrigation district, Spain.
• * Scanned aerial photographs from this flight, used for field soil characterization, are presented as raw data.
• * These historical records are crucial for understanding long-term soil property changes in irrigated agricultural areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To provide access to historical aerial photographs for locating 1975 soil sampling sites.
• * To facilitate the exploitation of legacy data for appraising soil salinity evolution.
• * To analyze the impact of irrigation and land management changes on soil properties.

Main Methods:

• * Photogrammetric aerial survey and scanning of paper contact prints.
• * Field soil sampling and characterization (soluble salts, soil descriptions, agronomical data).
• * Multivariate analysis and electromagnetic induction (EMI) for salinity trend analysis.

Main Results:

• * The presented dataset enables precise location of 1975 soil sampling sites.
• * Facilitates studies on soil salinity changes from 1975 to 1985 and 1999.
• * Supports analysis of irrigation method changes and plot merging impacts on soil salinity.

Conclusions:

• * The historical aerial photographs are a valuable resource for soil science research.
• * Understanding long-term soil salinity trends is critical for sustainable irrigation management.
• * Legacy data exploitation is key to evaluating the effects of agricultural practices on soil health.