Title: Extraction of the soil moisture index and land surface temperature for Newport County in Wales, UK through analysing Landsat 8-OLI using GIS

Authors: Hayder H. Kareem

Addresses: Faculty of Engineering, Structures and Water Resources Engineering Department, University of Kufa, 54001, Al-Najaf, Iraq

Abstract: Soil moisture has high potential impact on climate change and drought. The soil moisture index (SMI) is calculated using remote sensing, a process called the satellite sensor method. Land surface temperature (LST) was found in three ways using multispectral data including red, near-infrared (NIR) and thermal infrared bands (TIRS1 and TIRS2). Soil moisture maps for Newport County, Wales, UK are produced using geographical information systems (GIS). The distribution range of LST was 4.446 - 11.571°C. The scale of drought severity has categories of 'no drought', 'moderate drought', and 'extreme drought' to indicate the level of drought by a numerical value. The study reveals SMI range from -0.147 to 0.309. A value less than 0 indicates the surface to cultivate dry soil and hot, while a value of 0.25 or higher means very moist soil. The results have great significance for the monitoring of agricultural drought and flood disaster assessment.

Keywords: SMI; soil moisture index; LST; land surface temperature; GIS; geographical information systems; Newport County, Wales, United Kingdom.

DOI: 10.1504/IJW.2026.153207

International Journal of Water, 2026 Vol.17 No.3, pp.230 - 244

Received: 01 Aug 2024
Accepted: 30 Nov 2024
Published online: 29 Apr 2026 *

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