Monitoring soil organic carbon in croplands using imaging spectroscopy (MOCA project)

The detection of changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration is essential in both the assessment of SOC sequestration and soil quality. Within the EU soil thematic strategy the depletion of organic matter is mentioned as one of the major threats to the soil resource. As one of the first countries Luxemburg has taken the initiative to monitor the SOC concentration of individual fields to allow for eventual CO2 credits and as an indicator for good agro-ecological conditions (GAEC).
The aim of this project is to develop an efficient and operational methodology to detect SOC changes in croplands using Imaging Spectroscopy and to map the SOC contents of croplands with high resolution and minimal calibration.