A review of the methods available for estimating soil moisture and its implications for water resource management

2012 ◽  
Vol 458-459 ◽  
pp. 110-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pariva Dobriyal ◽  
Ashi Qureshi ◽  
Ruchi Badola ◽  
Syed Ainul Hussain
2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 2687-2710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Massari ◽  
Luca Brocca ◽  
Thierry Pellarin ◽  
Gab Abramowitz ◽  
Paolo Filippucci ◽  
...  

Abstract. Rain gauges are unevenly spaced around the world with extremely low gauge density over developing countries. For instance, in some regions in Africa the gauge density is often less than one station per 10 000 km2. The availability of rainfall data provided by gauges is also not always guaranteed in near real time or with a timeliness suited for agricultural and water resource management applications, as gauges are also subject to malfunctions and regulations imposed by national authorities. A potential alternative is satellite-based rainfall estimates, yet comparisons with in situ data suggest they are often not optimal. In this study, we developed a short-latency (i.e. 2–3 d) rainfall product derived from the combination of the Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement) Early Run (IMERG-ER) with multiple-satellite soil-moisture-based rainfall products derived from ASCAT (Advanced Scatterometer), SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) and SMAP (Soil Moisture Active and Passive) L3 (Level 3) satellite soil moisture (SM) retrievals. We tested the performance of this product over four regions characterized by high-quality ground-based rainfall datasets (India, the conterminous United States, Australia and Europe) and over data-scarce regions in Africa and South America by using triple-collocation (TC) analysis. We found that the integration of satellite SM observations with in situ rainfall observations is very beneficial with improvements of IMERG-ER up to 20 % and 40 % in terms of correlation and error, respectively, and a generalized enhancement in terms of categorical scores with the integrated product often outperforming reanalysis and ground-based long-latency datasets. We also found a relevant overestimation of the rainfall variability of GPM-based products (up to twice the reference value), which was significantly reduced after the integration with satellite soil-moisture-based rainfall estimates. Given the importance of a reliable and readily available rainfall product for water resource management and agricultural applications over data-scarce regions, the developed product can provide a valuable and unique source of rainfall information for these regions.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Massari ◽  
Luca Brocca ◽  
Thierry Pellarin ◽  
Gab Abramowitz ◽  
Paolo Filippucci ◽  
...  

Abstract. Rain gauges are unevenly spaced around the world with extremely low gauge density over developing countries. For instance, in some regions in Africa the gauge density is often less than one station per 10 000 km2. The availability of rainfall data provided by gauges is also not always guaranteed in near real time or with a timeliness suited for agricultural and water resource management applications as gauges are also subject to malfunctions and regulations imposed by national authorities. A potential alternative are satellite-based rainfall estimates, yet comparisons with in-situ data suggest they're often not optimal. In this study, we developed a short-latency (i.e., 2–3 days) rainfall product derived from the combination of the Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for GPM early run (IMERG-ER) with multiple satellite soil moisture-based rainfall products derived from ASCAT, SMOS and SMAP L3 satellite soil moisture (SM) retrievals. We tested the performance of this product over four regions characterized by high quality ground-based rainfall datasets (India, Conterminous United States, Australia and Europe) and over data scarce regions in Africa and South America by using Triple Collocation analysis (TC). We found the integration of satellite SM observations with in-situ rainfall observations is very beneficial with improvements of IMERG-ER up to 20 % and 40 % in terms of correlation and error, respectively, and a generalized enhancement in terms of categorical scores with the integrated product often outperforming reanalysis and ground-based long latency datasets. Given the importance of a reliable and readily available rainfall product for water resource management and agricultural applications over data scarce regions, the developed product can provide a valuable and unique source of rainfall information for these regions.


Waterlines ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-25
Author(s):  
Barry Lloyd ◽  
Teresa Thorpe

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 97-106
Author(s):  
J. J. Vasconcelos

Hater resource managers in semi-arid regions are faced with some unique problems. The wide variations in precipitation and stream flows in semi-arid regions increase man's dependence on the ground water resource for an ample and reliable supply of water. Proper management of the ground water resource is absolutely essential to the economic well being of semi-arid regions. Historians have discovered the remains of vanished advanced civilizations based on irrigated agriculture which were ignorant of the importance of proper ground water resource management. In the United States a great deal of effort is presently being expended in the study and control of toxic discharges to the ground water resource. What many public policy makers fail to understand is that the potential loss to society resulting from the mineralization of the ground water resource is potentially much greater than the loss caused by toxic wastes discharges, particularly in developing countries. Appropriations for ground water resource management studies in developed countries such as the United States are presently much less than those for toxic wastes management and should be increased. It is the reponsibility of the water resource professional to emphasize to public policy makers the importance of ground water resource management. Applications of ground water resource management models in the semi-arid Central Valley of California are presented. The results demonstrate the need for proper ground water resource management practices in semi-arid regions and the use of ground water management models as a valuable tool for the water resource manager.


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