Extracting Soil Moisture Using Remote Sensing Techniques in Three Severe Locust Areas in Huanghua County,Heibei Province, Across Two Periods

Locust plagues are one of the most severe plague problems in human history. Among the many factors influencing locust plagues, soil moisture content plays an important role. Three locations in Huanghua county of Hebei province were used as the study area, a region that has been severely affected by locust plague. Soil moisture content was extracted using MODIS remote sensing images from the time that fall locusts are at oviposition (September-October) to the time that summer locust is at hatching (March-April). The study was conducted in 2002, when the region had been severely suffered by locust plague, and from the same time in 2004, when locust plague was less severe. The study shows that soil moisture content in 2002, a year of locust plague, was lower than that in 2004. The effect was greater in September to October, when fall locusts are at ovipositon and in March to April. when summer locusts are hatching.