scholarly journals The Soil Moisture during Dry Spells Model and Its Verification

Resources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Biniak-Pieróg ◽  
Mieczysław Chalfen ◽  
Andrzej Żyromski ◽  
Andrzej Doroszewski ◽  
Tomasz Jóźwicki
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Least Squares Method ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Atmospheric Precipitation ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Model Verification ◽  
Individual Measurement ◽  
Dry Spells ◽  
Dry Spell

The objective of this study was the development and verification of a model of soil moisture decrease during dry spells—SMDS. The analyses were based on diurnal information of the occurrence of atmospheric precipitation and diurnal values of soil moisture under a bare soil surface, covering the period of 2003–2019, from May until October. A decreasing exponential trend was used for the description of the rate of moisture decrease in six layers of the soil profile during dry spells. The least squares method was used to determine, for each dry spell and soil depth, the value of exponent α , which described the rate of soil moisture decrease. Data from the years 2003–2015 were used for the identification of parameter α of the model for each of the layers separately, while data from 2016–2019 were used for model verification. The mean relative error between moisture values measured in 2016–2019 and the calculated values was 3.8%, and accepted as sufficiently accurate. It was found that the error of model fitting decreased with soil layer depth, from 8.1% for the surface layer to 1.0% for the deepest layer, while increasing with the duration of the dry spell at the rate of 0.5%/day. The universality of the model was also confirmed by verification made with the use of the results of soil moisture measurements conducted in the years 2009–2019 at two other independent locations. However, it should be emphasized that in the case of the surface horizon of soil, for which the process of soil drying is a function of factors occurring in the atmosphere, the developed model may have limited application and the obtained results may be affected by greater errors. The adoption of calculated values of coefficient α as characteristic for the individual measurement depths allowed calculation of the predicted values of moisture as a function of the duration of a dry spell, relative to the initial moisture level adopted as 100%. The exponential form of the trend of soil moisture changes in time adopted for the analysis also allowed calculation of the duration of a hypothetical dry spell t, after which soil moisture at a given depth drops from the known initial moisture θ0 to the predicted moisture θ. This is an important finding from the perspective of land use.

A regionally explicit, global SWI calibration based on ISMN observations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manolis G. Grillakis
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Water Index ◽  
Soil Moisture Data

<p>Remote sensing has proven to be an irreplaceable tool for monitoring soil moisture. The European Space Agency (ESA), through the Climate Change Initiative (CCI), has provided one of the most substantial contributions in the soil water monitoring, with almost 4 decades of global satellite derived and homogenized soil moisture data for the uppermost soil layer. Yet, due to the inherent limitations of many of the remote sensors, only a limited soil depth can be monitored. To enable the assessment of the deeper soil layer moisture from surface remotely sensed products, the Soil Water Index (SWI) has been established as a convolutive transformation of the surface soil moisture estimation, under the assumption of uniform hydraulic conductivity and the absence of transpiration. The SWI uses a single calibration parameter, the T-value, to modify its response over time.</p><p>Here the Soil Water Index (SWI) is calibrated using ESA CCI soil moisture against in situ observations from the International Soil Moisture Network and then use Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to find the best physical soil, climate, and vegetation descriptors at a global scale to regionalize the calibration of the T-value. The calibration is then used to assess a root zone related soil moisture for the period 2001 – 2018.</p><p>The results are compared against the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, ERA5 Land reanalysis soil moisture dataset, showing a good agreement, mainly over mid-latitudes. The results indicate that there is added value to the results of the machine learning calibration, comparing to the uniform T-value. This work contributes to the exploitation of ESA CCI soil moisture data, while the produced data can support large scale soil moisture related studies.</p>

scholarly journals An Evaluation of Modeled Evaporation Regimes in Europe Using Observed Dry Spell Land Surface Temperature

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1453-1470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil P. Harris ◽  
Sonja S. Folwell ◽  
Belen Gallego-Elvira ◽  
José Rodríguez ◽  
Sean Milton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Land Surface Temperature ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Dry Spells ◽  
Dry Spell

Abstract Soil moisture availability exerts control over the land surface energy partition in parts of Europe. However, determining the strength and variability of this control is impeded by the lack of reliable evaporation observations at the continental scale. This makes it difficult to refine the broad range of soil moisture–evaporation behaviors across global climate models (GCMs). Previous studies show that satellite observations of land surface temperature (LST) during rain-free dry spells can be used to diagnose evaporation regimes at the GCM gridbox scale. This relative warming rate (RWR) diagnostic quantifies the increase in dry spell LST relative to air temperature and is used here to evaluate a land surface model (JULES) both offline and coupled to a GCM (HadGEM3-A). It is shown that RWR can be calculated using outputs from an atmospheric GCM provided the satellite clear-sky sampling bias is incorporated. Both offline JULES and HadGEM3-A reproduce the observed seasonal and regional RWR variations, but with weak springtime RWRs in central Europe. This coincides with sustained bare soil evaporation (Ebs) during dry spells, reflecting previous site-level JULES studies in Europe. To assess whether RWR can discriminate between surface descriptions, the bare soil surface conductance and the vegetation root profile are revised to limit Ebs. This increases RWR by increasing the occurrence of soil moisture–limited dry spells, yielding more realistic springtime RWRs as a function of antecedent precipitation but poorer relationships in summer. This study demonstrates the potential for using satellite LST to assess evaporation regimes in climate models.

scholarly journals Stem–root flow effect on soil–atmosphere interactions and uncertainty assessments

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1509-1522
Author(s):  
Tzu-Hsien Kuo ◽  
Jen-Ping Chen ◽  
Yongkang Xue
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Diffusion Processes ◽  
Sensible Heat Flux ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Soil Evaporation ◽  
Soil Layers ◽  
Flow Effect ◽  
Top Soil

Abstract. Rainfall that reaches the soil surface can rapidly move into deeper layers in the form of bulk flow through the stem–root flow mechanism. This study developed the stem–root flow parameterization scheme and coupled this scheme with the Simplified Simple Biosphere model (SSiB) to analyze its effects on land–atmospheric interactions. The SSiB model was tested in a single-column mode using the Lien Hua Chih (LHC) measurements conducted in Taiwan and HAPEX–Mobilhy (HAPEX) measurements in France. The results show that stem–root flow generally caused a decrease in soil moisture in the top soil layer and moistened the deeper soil layers. Such soil moisture redistribution results in substantial changes in heat flux exchange between land and atmosphere. In the humid environment at LHC, the stem–root flow effect on transpiration was minimal, and the main influence on energy flux was through reduced soil evaporation that led to higher soil temperature and greater sensible heat flux. In the Mediterranean environment of HAPEX, the stem–root flow substantially affected plant transpiration and soil evaporation, as well as associated changes in canopy and soil temperatures. However, the effect on transpiration could be either positive or negative depending on the relative changes in the soil moisture of the top soil vs. deeper soil layers due to stem–root flow and soil moisture diffusion processes.

scholarly journals Experimental Study of the Effect of Controlled Drainage on Soil Water and Nitrogen Balance

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2241
Author(s):  
Niannian Yuan ◽  
Yujiang Xiong ◽  
Yalong Li ◽  
Baokun Xu ◽  
Fengli Liu
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Nitrogen Balance ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Ammonia Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Control Water

Field experiments and micro test pit experiments are conducted at the Four Lake Watershed with a shallow groundwater table in the Hubei province of China in order to study the effect of controlled pipe drainage on soil moisture and nitrogen under different experiment scales. Soil moisture and nitrogen contents are continuously observed at the effective soil depth; water and nitrogen balance are calculated after several heavy rainfalls. The results showed that controlled pipe drainage significantly reduced the fluctuation of soil water content in the entire growth stage. There is a positive correlation between the soil moisture and the control water level in the test pits but no obvious correlation between them in the field experiments, which is related to the vertical and lateral recharge of groundwater in the field. After rainfall, soil organic matter mineralization was enhanced, and the control pipe drainage measures increased the relative content of soil mineralized ammonia nitrogen, which enhanced the stability of soil nitrogen and helped to reduce the loss of nitrogen. The calculation of soil water and nitrogen balance in the field and micro-area after rainfall showed that the soil water storage increased in the effective soil layer under the control water level of 30 cm and 50 cm after rainfall, and the amount of nitrogen mineralization was larger than that under the free drainage treatment.

Herbicide Effectiveness, Soil Residues, and Phytotoxicity to Peach Trees

Weed Science ◽  
1971 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. A. Skroch ◽  
T. J. Sheets ◽  
J. W. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Prunus Persica ◽  
Cynodon Dactylon ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
The Third ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Peach Trees ◽  
Annual Application

Dichlobenil (2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile), 3-tert-butyl-5-chloro-6-methyluracil (terbacil), and 3-tert-butyl-5-bromo-6-methyluracil (hereinafter referred to as DP-733) were applied annually for 3 years as soil surface or incorporated treatments for weed control in young peach (Prunus persica(L.) Batsch., var. Redhaven) trees. Average monthly ratings showed significant increases in bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon(L.) Pers.) control with incorporation of all three herbicides. Treetrunk diameters in incorporated dichlobenil plots were greater than those in surface-applied dichlobenil plots. Incorporation in the soil reduced loss of dichlobenil, terbacil, and DP-733. The herbicides did not accumulate in the 0 to 15-cm soil layer. Low concentrations were detected in the 30 to 60-cm soil depth 1 year after the third annual application of 6.72 kg/ha of dichlobenil and 4.48 kg/ha of DP-733. Terbacil was not present in detectable amounts at 30 to 60 cm but was present in the 15 to 30-cm layer of 4.48 kg/ha plots.

scholarly journals Effects of Tuber Depth and Soil Moisture on Infection of Potato Tubers in Soil by Phytophthora infestans

Plant Disease ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. D. Porter ◽  
N. Dasgupta ◽  
D. A. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Phytophthora Infestans ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Fine Sand ◽  
Silt Loam ◽  
Potato Plants ◽  
Tuber Infection ◽  
Zoospore Formation

The effects of tuber depth, soil type, and soil moisture on potato tuber infection due to Phytophthora infestans were assessed under greenhouse conditions in soil contained in large pots. Healthy tubers were used to assess infection and were either hand buried in soil at specific depths or naturally formed from potato plants growing in the soil. A spore suspension of P. infestans was chilled to induce zoospore formation and a suspension of resulting zoospores and sporangia were applied to the soil. Soil depth at which tubers became infected was used to determine the extent of spore movement in the soils. Tuber infection significantly decreased with increasing soil depth. Most infected tubers were found at the surface of soil; infection was rare on tubers at 5 cm or deeper in the soil. Amount of tuber infection varied among soil types. Significantly less tuber infection occurred in a Shano silt loam than in medium and fine sands. Only tubers on the soil surface were infected in the Shano silt loam. Depth in soil at which tubers became infected did not differ significantly among Quincy fine sand, Quincy loamy fine sand, and Quincy medium sand. Increased soil moisture did not significantly increase the soil depth at which tuber infection occurred, regardless of the soil type.

Seed burial by tillage promotes field recruitment of false cleavers (Galium spurium) and catchweed bedstraw (Galium aparine)

Weed Science ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 578-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle J. Reid ◽  
Rene C. Van Acker
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Galium Aparine ◽  
Tillage Operation ◽  
Galium Spurium

False cleavers and catchweed bedstraw are problematic weeds of field crops in high-latitude regions of the northern Great Plains of North America. The abundance of these species has been increasing in areas of greater tillage intensity and frequency. Field experiments were established over 4 site-yr in Manitoba, Canada, and results indicated that the recruitment of false cleavers and catchweed bedstraw was strongly promoted by a single shallow tillage operation with a sweep cultivator in the spring. Percent recruitment levels in 2001 (pooled over sites) were 17 and 46% for the untilled and tilled treatments, respectively. In 2002, the percent recruitment levels for the untilled and tilled treatments, respectively, were 28 and 38% for the Komarno site and 13 and 28% for the Petersfield site. Only a few and minor differences in microsite conditions (soil temperature, soil moisture, and bulk density) resulted from the single spring tillage pass. The single tillage pass caused a significant relocation of simulated seeds (plastic beads) to below the soil surface and deeper into the soil profile (2–4 cm). Mean bulk density and volumetric soil moisture increased significantly with soil depth. The results of this study suggest that the positive effect of tillage on cleavers recruitment was not due to the effect of tillage on microsite conditions per se. Rather, the vertical redistribution of seed by tillage moved these seeds to a place in which the microsite conditions differed from those on the surface and were more favorable for recruitment. False cleavers and catchweed bedstraw recruitment is clearly promoted by tillage (even minor tillage) under field conditions, and farmers might be able to limit recruitment by limiting spring tillage.

scholarly journals Sloping land use affects the complexity of soil moisture and temperature changes in the loess hilly region of China

PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0262445
Author(s):  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Min Tang ◽  
Xiaodong Gao ◽  
Qiang Ling ◽  
Pute Wu
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Hilly Region ◽  
Sloping Land

Various land use types have been implemented by the government in the loess hilly region of China to facilitate sustainable land use. Understanding the variability in soil moisture and temperature under various sloping land use types can aid the ecological restoration and sustainable utilization of sloping land resources. The objective of this study was to use approximate entropy (ApEn) to reveal the variations in soil moisture and temperature under different land use types, because ApEn only requires a short data series to obtain robust estimates, with a strong anti-interference ability. An experiment was conducted with four typical land use scenarios (i.e., soybean sloping field, maize terraced field, jujube orchard, and grassland) over two consecutive plant growing seasons (2014 and 2015), and the time series of soil moisture and temperature within different soil depth layers of each land use type were measured in both seasons. The results showed that the changing amplitude, degree of variation, and active layer of soil moisture in the 0–160 cm soil depth layer, as well as the changing amplitude and degree of variation of soil temperature in the 0–100 cm soil layer increased in the jujube orchard over the two growing seasons. The changing amplitude, degree of variation, and active layer of soil moisture all decreased in the maize terraced field, as did the changing amplitude and degree of variation of soil temperature. The ApEn of the soil moisture series was the lowest in the 0–160 cm soil layer in the maize terraced field, and the ApEn of the soil temperature series was the highest in the 0–100 cm layer in the jujube orchard in the two growing seasons. Finally, the jujube orchard soil moisture and temperature change process were more variable, whereas the changes in the maize terraced field were more stable, with a stable soil moisture and temperature. This work highlights the usefulness of ApEn for revealing soil moisture and temperature changes and to guide the management and development of sloping fields.

scholarly journals Will the conversion of evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forests to Chinese fir plantations affect the transportation of soil water?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
qi Chen ◽  
Yuanqiu Liu ◽  
Jiahui Huang ◽  
Yunhong Xie ◽  
Tianjun Bai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Movement ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Chinese Fir ◽  
Jiangxi Province ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Mixed Forests

The conversion of natural forests to planted forests has become a global trend, and the practice has wide-ranging effects on soil. This study aimed to explore the differences in soil water movement after the conversion of evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forests (natural forest, NF) to Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolate (Lamb.) Hook.) plantations (CFP, 20–21 years old). Soil samples from five layers (0–5, 5–10, 10–20, 20–30, and 30–50 cm) were collected from NF and CFP before and after rainfall event in the Peng Chongjian watershed, Jiangxi Province. The physical properties of the soils, including the mean and coefficient of variation (CV) of soil moisture content and the soil particle composition, were determined in both forest types. The δD of soil water and the litter water-holding capacity were also measured. The results showed that the variation ranges of moisture content in each soil layer after the rainfall was 21.13%–49.40% in CFP and 21.33%–43.87% in NF. There were no significant differences in soil bulk density or porosity; the clay and silt contents were significantly increased in topsoil, while the sand was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). After the rainfall, soil water in CFP responded more promptly than NF. In the process of infiltration, the contribution of rainfall to soil moisture gradually decreased with increasing soil depth. Topsoil (0–5 cm) in NF responded promptly to rainfall, but the response showed a lag effect with the increase of soil depth. With the extension of infiltration time, the contribution of precipitation to deep soil gradually increased. The results showed that the soil did not degrade after the conversion of NF to CFP, a significant guiding result for plantation cultivation.

Simulating the effects of saline and sodic subsoils on wheat crops growing on Vertosols

2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zvi Hochman ◽  
Yash P. Dang ◽  
Graeme D. Schwenke ◽  
Neal P. Dalgliesh ◽  
Richard Routley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Grain Yield ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Nutrient Loss ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Subsurface Layers ◽  
Best Estimates

Soils with high levels of chloride and/or sodium in their subsurface layers are often referred to as having subsoil constraints (SSCs). There is growing evidence that SSCs affect wheat yields by increasing the lower limit of a crop’s available soil water (CLL) and thus reducing the soil’s plant-available water capacity (PAWC). This proposal was tested by simulation of 33 farmers’ paddocks in south-western Queensland and north-western New South Wales. The simulated results accounted for 79% of observed variation in grain yield, with a root mean squared deviation (RMSD) of 0.50 t/ha. This result was as close as any achieved from sites without SSCs, thus providing strong support for the proposed mechanism that SSCs affect wheat yields by increasing the CLL and thus reducing the soil’s PAWC. In order to reduce the need to measure CLL of every paddock or management zone, two additional approaches to simulating the effects of SSCs were tested. In the first approach the CLL of soils was predicted from the 0.3–0.5 m soil layer, which was taken as the reference CLL of a soil regardless of its level of SSCs, while the CLL values of soil layers below 0.5 m depth were calculated as a function of these soils’ 0.3–0.5 m CLL values as well as of soil depth plus one of the SSC indices EC, Cl, ESP, or Na. The best estimates of subsoil CLL values were obtained when the effects of SSCs were described by an ESP-dependent function. In the second approach, depth-dependent CLL values were also derived from the CLL values of the 0.3–0.5 m soil layer. However, instead of using SSC indices to further modify CLL, the default values of the water-extraction coefficient (kl) of each depth layer were modified as a function of the SSC indices. The strength of this approach was evaluated on the basis of correlation of observed and simulated grain yields. In this approach the best estimates were obtained when the default kl values were multiplied by a Cl-determined function. The kl approach was also evaluated with respect to simulated soil moisture at anthesis and at grain maturity. Results using this approach were highly correlated with soil moisture results obtained from simulations based on the measured CLL values. This research provides strong evidence that the effects of SSCs on wheat yields are accounted for by the effects of these constraints on wheat CLL values. The study also produced two satisfactory methods for simulating the effects of SSCs on CLL and on grain yield. While Cl and ESP proved to be effective indices of SSCs, EC was not effective due to the confounding effect of the presence of gypsum in some of these soils. This study provides the tools necessary for investigating the effects of SSCs on wheat crop yields and natural resource management (NRM) issues such as runoff, recharge, and nutrient loss through simulation studies. It also facilitates investigation of suggested agronomic adaptations to SSCs.

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