Using Sentinel-2 MSI for mapping iron oxide minerals on a continental
and global scale
Abstract
Iron is the fourth most common element found in the earth crust.
Although it may not be as important for soil fertility as, e.g.,
phosphorus, nitrogen and organic matter, its absence would be
detrimental to plant growth. At the same time, iron oxides are highly
correlated with phosphorus availability. Iron is thus an indicator for
soil fertility and the usability of an area for cultivation of crop. A
relatively high spectral resolution is needed for mapping iron oxide
contents with spectral reflectance data, and remote sensing is the only
suitable tool for surveying large areas at a high temporal and spatial
interval. Sentinel-2 MSI (MultiSpectral Instrument) is the Landsat-like
spatial resolution (10–60 m) super-spectral instrument of the European
Space Agency (ESA), aimed at additional data continuity for global land
surface monitoring with Landsat and Satellite Pour l’Observation de la
Terre (SPOT) missions. Several studies with simulated and real data have
been conducted in the last several years to show the potential of
Sentinel-2 MSI, including its use for geological remote sensing, mineral
mapping in particular. Sentinel-2 has several bands that cover the 0.9
μm iron absorption feature, while space-borne sensors traditionally used
for geologic remote sensing, like ASTER and Landsat, had only one band
in this feature. In this paper, we show a comparison of Sentinel-2 and
AVIRIS to demonstrate the usability of the VNIR bands for mapping the
near-infrared iron absorption feature. Next, we present spectral indices
for mapping iron minerals that are important in soil fertility and
mineral exploration.