Date of Award

Spring 2026

Language

English

Embargo Period

4-27-2027

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

College/School/Department

Department of Geography, Planning, and Sustainability

Program

Biodiversity, Conservation & Policy

First Advisor

Andrei Lapenas

Committee Members

Andrei Lapenas, Igor Lednev, Kevin Ryan

Abstract

The information gained from soil analysis has a broad array of applications in fields such as ecosystem management, environmental policy, and conservation efforts. Traditional soil analysis methods are time-consuming, costly, and destroy the collected soil samples. These limitations show a need for a field-based technique to improve soil monitoring efficiency. This study evaluates if a handheld mid-infrared spectrometer with Fourier transform infrared technology can accurately measure soil properties when a protective fluorinated ethylene propylene film is placed over the lens of the instrument. Spectral scans of twenty-six soil samples were used to generate both direct and indirect data sets. These data sets were dimensionally reduced using principal component analysis, followed by developing linear regression models using the principal components to predict soil properties. The principal components explained 95-98% of the spectral variance, and the R2 = 0.60-0.98. These results were compared to traditional laboratory-based analytical testing, which showed strong correlations. This demonstrated that the fluorinated ethylene propylene film did not meaningfully interfere with the detection of spectral features related to critical soil properties. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that a simple film covering can be used to protect sensitive spectrometer lenses, supporting the method for broader use of field-based applications.

License

This work is licensed under the University at Albany Standard Author Agreement.

Download

Available for download on Tuesday, April 27, 2027

Share

COinS