Soil Profile Water Content Determination: Spatiotemporal Variability of Electromagnetic and Neutron Probe Sensors in Access Tubes

ABSTRACT TDR-probes are widely used to monitor water content changes in a soil profile (ΔW). Frequently, probes are placed at just three depths. This raises the question how well such a setup can trace the true ΔW. To answer it we used a 2 m deep high precision weighing lysimeter in which TDR-probes are installed horizontally at 20, 60 and 120 cm depth (one per depth). ΔW-data collected by weighing the lysimeter vessel were taken as the true values to which ΔW-data determined with the TDR-probes were compared. We obtained the following results: There is a time delay in the response of the TDR-probes to precipitation, evaporation, transpiration or drainage, because a wetting or drying front must first reach them. Also, the TDR-data are more or less point measurements which are then extrapolated to a larger soil volume. This frequently leads to errors. For these reasons TDR-probes at just three depths cannot provide reliable data on short term (e.g. daily) changes in soil water content due to the above processes. For longer periods (e.g. a week) the data are better, but still not accurate enough for serious scientific studies.

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INFLUÊNCIA DA TEXTURA E PROFUNDIDADE DO SOLO NA CALIBRAÇÃO DA SONDA DE NÊUTRONS

Irriga ◽

10.15809/irriga.1998v3n1p6-12 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 6-12

Author(s):

Reginaldo Ferreira Santos ◽

Reimar Carlesso

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Soil Water ◽

Soil Water Content ◽

Soil Texture ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Regression Equations ◽

Transparent Plastic ◽

Neutron Probe ◽

Calibration Curves ◽

Santa Maria

INFLUÊNCIA DA TEXTURA E PROFUNDIDADE DO SOLO NA CALIBRAÇÃO DA SONDA DE NÊUTRONS Reginaldo Ferreira SantosDepartamento de Engenharia Rural - UNESP, CP: 237 - CEP:18603 970, Botucatu, SP Reimar CarlessoDepartamento de. Engenharia da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, - UFSM, Campus Universitário, CEP: 97119 900, Santa Maria - RS 1 RESUMO A sonda de nêutrons é um equipamento usado na determinação do conteúdo de água do solo baseado no espalhamento e atenuação de nêutrons rápidos. Para tanto, há necessidade de calibração no campo e, conseqüentemente, verificar a influência da textura e da profundidade do solo e determinar as curvas de calibração em relação ao conteúdo de umidade. O trabalho foi desenvolvido na Universidade Federal de Santa Maria em um conjunto de lisímetros, protegidos das precipitações pluviométricas com plástico transparente. Foram usados três solos de diferentes texturas e quatro repetições e em três profundidades (10, 30 e 50 cm) a partir da superfície do solo. Foram determinadas as equações de regressão lineares entre as contagens propiciadas pela sonda e o conteúdo de umidade do solo respectivos pelo método gravimétrico. Os resultados demonstraram que houve interferência da textura e da profundidade do solo, analisados conjuntamente, nas curvas de calibração, sendo que os valores observados e os estimados variaram entre 0,02 e 0,06 cm3/ cm3 do conteúdo de água do solo e os coeficientes de correlação foram 0,86, 0,95 e 0,89 para os solos de textura argilosa, franco-argilo-siltoso e franco-arenoso, respectivamente. Já para os fatores textura e profundidade dos solos, analisados separadamente, as diferenças entre os valores observados no campo e os estimados, variaram entre 0,0 e 0,02 cm31cm3 do conteúdo de água do solo e apresentaram coeficientes de correlação entre 0,97 e 1,0. UNITERMOS: sonda de nêutrons. umidade do solo. textura e profundidade do solo SANTOS, R.F., CARLESSO, R. Soil texture and depth influence on the neutron probe calibration 2 SUMMARY The neutron probe is an equipment used on determination of the soil water content, based on the fast neutron attenuation. Therefore, there is a calibration need in the field and, consequently, to verify the soil texture and depth influence for to determining the calibration curves in relation to the water content. The study was developed at Santa Maria's Federal University in a lisímeter group, protected from the rains with transparent plastic. Three different soil textures, three depths (10, 30 and 50 cm from the soil surface) and four replicates were used. Linear regression equations between neutron counts and soil water contents were made. The results showed that there was interference of the texture and depth of the soil, analyzed jointly, on the calibration curves, and the observed and estimated values varied from 0,02 to 0,06 cm3 / cm3 of the soil water content and the correlation coefficients were 0,86, 0,95 and 0,89 for clayay, franc-silt-clayay and franc-sandy, respectively. For soil texture and depth, analyzed separately, the differences among the values observed in the field and the estimated ones, varied from 0,0 to 0,02 cm3/cm3 soil water content and presented correlation coefficients between 0,97 and 1,0. KEYWORDS: neutron probe, soil water content, soil texture and depth.

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