Salinity is one of the oldest and most important environmental problems. Salinization is defined as presence of excessive salts on the top layer of the soil, resulting in deterioration of its chemical and physical properties. This is a form of land degradation turning into a major cause of low agricultural productivity in the South Khorasan province, Iran. The criteria defining saltaffected areas are based on electrical conductivity (EC) values. Kaji Playa is an endorheic basin that located in a distance of 190 km from the south of Birjand city in the South Khorasan province, Iran. The salt affected soils of Kaji Playa drainage basin cover approximately 39% of the study area and the EC values change from 4.2 dS.m-1 to 245 dS.m-1 (decisiemens per meter). Salinity Mapping is an expensive process, and a multi-scale strategy is essential to achieve a rapid and effective assessment of its extent and severity. Advantages of using remote sensing technology include saving time, wide coverage are faster than ground methods and facilitate long term monitoring. In this paper, we offered a project, which monitors soil salinity conditions in the study area using fieldwork, soil sample analysis, and a multi-temporal analysis of Landsat ETM+ data. The fieldwork was done to measure the soil salinity and gather ground truth for image classification. The alternative methodology of this study is based on the interpretation and calculation of salinity index from satellite data. The paper main aim included mapping and monitoring of salinity conditions for environmental management at basin level. According to the results, the soil salinity map produced by satellite index of NDSI (Normalized Difference Salinity Index) had an overall accuracy of 84% and Kappa index of 67%, indicating an acceptable accuracy for this classification.
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