Soil moisture variability on a steep slope near a ridge in a forested mountain range, Shikoku, Japan: a model study

Biologia ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Makito Mori ◽  
Hirotaka Nagai ◽  
Tsuneo Ogata ◽  
Daisuke Yasutake ◽  
Masaharu Kitano
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Steep Slope ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Forest Environment ◽  
Key Indicator ◽  
Model Study ◽  
Big Leaf Model ◽  
Leaf Model ◽  
Soil Moisture Variability

AbstractVariability in soil moisture on a steep slope near a ridge in a forested mountain range, Shikoku, Japan, was studied observationally and numerically. Vertically integrated soil moisture, from a depth of −60 cm to the surface, W, was introduced as a key indicator, and its seasonal variation was analysed on a daily basis from August 2011 to August 2012. The “bucket with a bottom hole” (BBH) model of Teshima et al. (2006) was improved to consider the forest environment in simulating the variation in W. A “big-leaf” model was incorporated into the modified BBH model to estimate transpiration and interception by trees. The simulated soil moisture agreed reasonably with observed values on a daily to inter-seasonal timescale.

scholarly journals A geospatial method for estimating soil moisture variability in prehistoric agricultural landscapes

PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. e0220457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Gillreath-Brown ◽  
Lisa Nagaoka ◽  
Steve Wolverton
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Soil Moisture Variability ◽  
Moisture Variability

scholarly journals Field-Scale Soil Moisture Retrieval Using PALSAR-2 Polarimetric Decomposition and Machine Learning

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Xiaodong Huang ◽  
Beth Ziniti ◽  
Michael H. Cosh ◽  
Michele Reba ◽  
Jinfei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
The United States ◽  
Optical Data ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Key Indicator ◽  
Ground Measurement ◽  
L Band

Soil moisture is a key indicator to assess cropland drought and irrigation status as well as forecast production. Compared with the optical data which are obscured by the crop canopy cover, the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an efficient tool to detect the surface soil moisture under the vegetation cover due to its strong penetration capability. This paper studies the soil moisture retrieval using the L-band polarimetric Phased Array-type L-band SAR 2 (PALSAR-2) data acquired over the study region in Arkansas in the United States. Both two-component model-based decomposition (SAR data alone) and machine learning (SAR + optical indices) methods are tested and compared in this paper. Validation using independent ground measurement shows that the both methods achieved a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of less than 10 (vol.%), while the machine learning methods outperform the model-based decomposition, achieving an RMSE of 7.70 (vol.%) and R2 of 0.60.

Environmental benefits of traditional irrigation ditches in the Sierra Nevada (Spain) ecosystem by analysing the spatial-temporal evolution of NDVI on different time scales

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Aparicio ◽  
Rafael Pimentel ◽  
María José Polo
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Mountain Area ◽  
Traditional Irrigation ◽  
Landsat Satellite

<p>In Mediterranean mountain regions, traditional irrigation systems still persist in areas where the  modernization approaches do not succeed in being operational. It is common that these systems alter the soil uses, vegetation distribution and hydrological natural regime. </p><p>This is the case of the extensive network of irrigation ditches in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in southeastern Spain (an UNESCO  Reserve of the Biosphere, with areas as Natural and National Park), which originated in Muslim times, and is still operational in some areas. These ditches have contributed to maintaining local agricultural systems and populations in basins dominated by snow conditions, and they constitute a traditional regulation of water resources in the area. The network is made up of two types of irrigation ditches: “careo” and irrigation ditches. The first, the "careo", collects the meltwater and infiltrates it along its course, maintaining a high level of soil moisture and favouring deep percolation volumes that can be later consumed by the population through springs and natural fountains. The second, the irrigation ones, are used to transport water from the natural sources to the agricultural plots downstream the mountain area. In 2014, several irrigation ditches were restored in the Natural Park. This is a chance to further explore and quantify the role of this network in the hydrological budget on a local basis.  </p><p>The aim of this work is to evaluate to what extent the existence of these intermittent water networks affects the evolution of the surrounding vegetation. For this, one of the restored systems,  the Barjas Ditch in the village of Cañar, with a successful water circulation along its way, was selected from the increase of the soil water content in the ditch influence area and, indirectly a differential development of vegetation. Two analyses are performed using remote sensing information. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI, which is a spectral index used to estimate the quantity, quality and development of vegetation that can therefore be used indirectly as an indicator of the state of soil moisture, was used as the indicator of evolution. For this purpose, a historical set of LandSat satellite images  (TM, ETM+ and OLI) has been used. On the one hand, a global analysis on the whole mountainous range was carried out, comparing NDVI patterns in areas affected and non-affected by the ditches. On the other hand, the restored  Barjas ditch is used to assess vegetation changes before and after the restoration.</p>

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