scholarly journals A Comparison of Continuous Soil Moisture Simulations Using Different Soil Hydraulic Parameterizations for a Site in Germany

2007 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1275-1289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerd Schädler
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Lower Boundary ◽  
Water Balance Components ◽  
Least Squares Fit ◽  
Soil Hydraulic ◽  
Meteorological Observations ◽  
A Site

Abstract Continuous time series of soil water content over a period of more than 9 months for a midlatitude sandy loam soil covered by grass are calculated with the Campbell and the van Genuchten soil hydraulic functions and the Clapp–Hornberger, Cosby et al., and Rawls–Brakensiek parameter sets. The results are compared with soil water content observed at several soil depths, and the water balance components are evaluated. The Campbell soil hydraulic functions are often used by meteorologists, whereas the van Genuchten functions are widespread among hydrologists. The simulations are performed with the “VEG3D” soil–vegetation model in stand-alone mode forced by on-site meteorological observations. The soil water content and meteorological observations were obtained within the Regional Climate Project (REKLIP) at a site in the Rhine valley in southern Germany with 10-min temporal resolution. Apart from the different soil hydraulic functions and parameter sets, the effects of different lower boundary conditions and initializations on the simulations are compared in terms of statistical quantities like mean error, bias, correlation coefficient, and least squares fit. Large differences between the various combinations are found. For the situation considered in this paper, the van Genuchten–Clapp–Hornberger, the Campbell–Cosby et al., and the van Genuchten–Rawls–Brakensiek combinations give the best overall agreement with the observations.

Root effects on soil water and hydraulic properties

Biologia ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Horst Gerke ◽  
Rolf Kuchenbuch
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Hydraulic Properties ◽  
Soil Hydraulic Properties ◽  
Soil Hydraulic ◽  
Root Effects

AbstractPlants can affect soil moisture and the soil hydraulic properties both directly by root water uptake and indirectly by modifying the soil structure. Furthermore, water in plant roots is mostly neglected when studying soil hydraulic properties. In this contribution, we analyze effects of the moisture content inside roots as compared to bulk soil moisture contents and speculate on implications of non-capillary-bound root water for determination of soil moisture and calibration of soil hydraulic properties.In a field crop of maize (Zea mays) of 75 cm row spacing, we sampled the total soil volumes of 0.7 m × 0.4 m and 0.3 m deep plots at the time of tasseling. For each of the 84 soil cubes of 10 cm edge length, root mass and length as well as moisture content and soil bulk density were determined. Roots were separated in 3 size classes for which a mean root porosity of 0.82 was obtained from the relation between root dry mass density and root bulk density using pycnometers. The spatially distributed fractions of root water contents were compared with those of the water in capillary pores of the soil matrix.Water inside roots was mostly below 2–5% of total soil water content; however, locally near the plant rows it was up to 20%. The results suggest that soil moisture in roots should be separately considered. Upon drying, the relation between the soil and root water may change towards water remaining in roots. Relations depend especially on soil water retention properties, growth stages, and root distributions. Gravimetric soil water content measurement could be misleading and TDR probes providing an integrated signal are difficult to interpret. Root effects should be more intensively studied for improved field soil water balance calculations.

HYDRUS (2d/3d) simulation of water flow through sandy loam soil under potato cultivation in Southern Manitoba

2017 ◽  
pp. 1.9-1.19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afua Mante ◽  
Ramanathan Sri Ranjan
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Water Flow ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Crop Evapotranspiration ◽  
Reference Crop Evapotranspiration ◽  
Loam Soil ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Reference Crop

The HYDRUS (2D/3D) modeling tool was used to simulate water flow through subsurface-drained sandy loam soil under potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivation in Southern Manitoba. The model was used to simulate water flow through a 2-D model domain of dimensions, 15 m width × 2.5 m depth. The model was calibrated and validated with field data measured during the growing season of year 2011 at the Hespler Farms, Winkler, Manitoba. Field measurements, including soil water content and watertable depth, for two test plots under subsurface free drainage were used for the calibration and validation. Weather data were also obtained to estimate reference crop evapotranspiration, which was used as input data in the model. Based on the reference crop evapotranspiration, and crop coefficient of the potato crop, the actual crop evapotranspiration was estimated and compared to the simulated actual crop evapotranspiration results. The results showed that the model was able to account for 50% to 78% of the variation in the estimated actual crop evapotranspiration. With respect to water flow through the soil, the observed soil water content and the simulated soil water content were compared using graphical and quantitative analysis. Based on the coefficient of determination (R2), the model accounted for 68% to 89% variation in the observed data. The intercept of the regression line varied from 0.01 to 0.08, and the slope, 0.75 to 0.99. The Nash–Sutcliffe modeling efficiency coefficient (NSE) varied from 0.62-0.89, the Percent bias (PBIAS) values varied from -1.99% to 1.16%. The root mean square error-observations standard deviation ratio (RSR) values varied from 0.33 to 0.61. The values for the evaluation parameters show that the model was able to simulate the water flow through the soil profile reasonably well.

scholarly journals Glasshouse study of a sprayable, degradable polymer to reduce water use in cotton establishment

Soil Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 379
Author(s):  
Priscilla Johnston ◽  
Michael Braunack ◽  
Philip S. Casey ◽  
Keith L. Bristow ◽  
Raju Adhikari
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Water Evaporation ◽  
Degradable Polymer ◽  
Extensive Degradation

This glasshouse pot experiment demonstrated that a new sprayable and degradable polymer reduced soil water evaporation and promoted cotton seedling emergence and establishment. The polymer was tested on two contrasting soils (sandy loam and clay), representative of those used to grow cotton in Australia. Changes in soil water content in non-treated and polymer-treated pots were monitored over 80 days, after surface or subsurface watering. Plant biomass, soil water content and soil chemical properties were determined at harvest. The polymer reduced soil water evaporation by up to 35% in sandy loam and up to 20% in clay, did not compromise seedling emergence and improved plant growth per unit water applied by up to 26.2%. The polymer underwent extensive degradation after 80 days to produce low molecular-weight polymers or oligomers and water-extractable silicon species that may have implications for plant nutrition.

scholarly journals Application of a Dielectric Measurement Technique for Calculating Water Loss from Two Texture-contrasting Soils Grown with Upland Rice

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-14
Author(s):  
Bandi Hermawan ◽  
Pajrina Pajrina ◽  
Sumardi Sumardi ◽  
Indra Agustian
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Loss ◽  
Electrical Impedance ◽  
Upland Rice ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Dielectric Measurement ◽  
Loamy Sand

Most of the water loss from the soil profile occurred through the evapotranspiration process especially when the plant covers were under maximum growth periods.  This study aimed to apply a technique of measuring a dielectric variable for calculating soil water content and crop water use in the coarse and medium textured soils grown with upland rice.  A couple of wires were inserted into the soil repacked in a 10-kg polybag grown with upland rice, the electrical impedance representing the dielectric value was measured using an instrument called the impedance meter.  The impedance values were converted into the soil water content using a nonlinear regression model of ? = a.ebZ where a and b were constants.  Results showed that the proposed technique of measuring the electrical impedance has successfully been applied to calculate the soil water content and the water use by upland rice grown in loamy sand and sandy loam soils.  Cumulative water loss from loamy sand was about 4 L plant-1 higher for the coarse loamy sand in the first 30 days of a measurement period, but about 10 L plant-1 higher for finer sandy loam on the 90th day of the rice growth period.  Higher biomass of upland rice in the sandy loam soil could increase the evapotranspiration rates and be the main reason for higher water use in this soil.

On the identifiability of soil hydraulic parameters in lysimeter experiments: a Bayesian perspective 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen Schübl ◽  
Giuseppe Brunetti ◽  
Christine Stumpp
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Pressure Head ◽  
Soil Pressure ◽  
Modeling Uncertainties ◽  
Inverse Estimation ◽  
Soil Hydraulic

<p>Groundwater recharge through the vadose zone is an important yet hard to quantify variable. It is estimated from lysimeter experiments or mathematical modelling. For the simulation of groundwater recharge rates with a physically based model soil hydraulic properties (SHPs) have to be inversely estimated because SHPs from laboratory experiments can only be poorly transferred to field conditions. Still, also the inverse estimation of SHPs, is associated with experimental and modeling uncertainties that propagate into the recharge prediction. New methods are thus required improving the inverse estimation of SHPs and reducing the uncertainty in groundwater recharge prediction. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how the assimilation of different types of soil water measurements for the inverse estimation of SHPs with the HYDRUS-1D software affects the estimated uncertainty. For this purpose, observations from a monolithic lysimeter experiment (i.e. lysimeter outflow, soil pressure head and volumetric soil water content at two different depths) have been combined in the different modeling scenarios and coupled with a Bayesian analysis to inversely estimate SHPs and assess their uncertainty. Posterior predictive checks showed that the simultaneous assimilation of outflow and soil pressure head led to the smallest uncertainty in groundwater recharge prediction. This represented a reduction in uncertainty compared to assimilating lysimeter outflow alone. Additional information provided by measurements of soil water content resulted in a reduced parameter uncertainty for residual and saturated water content, however, it did not further reduce the uncertainty in recharge prediction. Overall, this study shows the applicability of a Bayesian analysis for determining uncertainties in the inverse estimation of SHPs with lysimeter data and for the quantification of the associated uncertainty in groundwater recharge prediction. Based on our results for the investigated site, we recommend simultaneous assimilation of lysimeter outflow and soil pressure head measurements to minimize uncertainty in groundwater recharge prediction. However, a more comprehensive analysis is required to make a generally valid recommendation for other soils or climates.</p><p> </p>

scholarly journals The Effect of Soil Iron on the Estimation of Soil Water Content Using Dielectric Sensors

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 598
Author(s):  
George Kargas ◽  
Paraskevi Londra ◽  
Marianthi Anastasatou ◽  
Nick Moustakas
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Iron Content ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
High Iron Content ◽  
Volumetric Soil Water Content ◽  
High Iron ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Dielectric Sensors

Nowadays, the estimation of volumetric soil water content (θ) through apparent dielectric permittivity (εa) is the most widely used method. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the high iron content of two sandy loam soils on estimating their water content using two dielectric sensors. These sensors are the WET sensor operating at 20 MHz and the ML2 sensor operating at 100 MHz. Experiments on specific soil columns, in the laboratory, by mixing different amounts of water in the soils to obtain a range of θ values under constant temperature conditions were conducted. Analysis of the results showed that both sensors, based on manufacturer calibration, led to overestimation of θ. This overestimation is due to the high measured values of εa by both sensors used. The WET sensor, operating at a lower frequency and being strongly affected by soil characteristics, showed the greatest overestimation. The difference of εa values between the two sensors ranged from 14 to 19 units at the maximum actual soil water content (θm). Compared to the Topp equation, the WET sensor measures 2.3 to 2.8 fold higher value of εa. From the results, it was shown that the relationship θm-εa0.5 remained linear even in the case of these soils with high iron content and the multi-point calibration (CALALL) is a good option where individual calibration is needed.

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