Simulation of soil moisture and other components of the hydrological cycle using a water budget approach

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. O. Akinremi ◽  
S. M. McGinn ◽  
A. G. Barr
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Drought Monitoring ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Snowmelt Runoff ◽  
Modified Model

Accurate simulation of soil moisture content at any time of the year is important to agriculture in dry regions due to the vital role soil moisture plays in crop production. In certain applications such as drought monitoring, other components of the hydrologic cycle such as runoff, snowmelt runoff, deep drainage and evaporative loss must also be accurately estimated. The goal of this study was to develop a model which accurately accounts for the major components of the hydrological cycle in order to simulate soil moisture content for drought monitoring and crop yield prediction. The versatile soil moisture budget (VSMB) was evaluated and modified to improve the prediction of soil moisture content runoff from rainfall and snowmelt, drainage of moisture out of the root zone and soil surface temperature. The modified components of the model were independently tested and validated using field and published data. The soil moisture output from our modified model correlated well with observed changes in soil moisture during the growing season under wheat, fallow and over the winter. The moisture content of the surface layer was simulated with greater accuracy than that of deeper layers. The soil moisture simulated by the modified model compares better with measured values than that simulated using the original version of the VSMB. The simulation of snow dynamics at Lethbridge, a chinook-dominated region, gave credibility to the snowmelt runoff predicted by the model. Key words: Soil moisture, modelling, runoff, evapotranspiration, snowmelt, Canadian prairies

scholarly journals Laboratory Measurements of Subsurface Spatial Moisture Content by Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) Diffraction and Reflection Imaging of Agricultural Soils

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omer Shamir ◽  
Naftaly Goldshleger ◽  
Uri Basson ◽  
Moshe Reshef
Keyword(s):  
Dielectric Constant ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Effective Dielectric Constant ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Ground Penetrating

Soil moisture content (SMC) down to the root zone is a major factor for the efficient cultivation of agricultural crops, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Precise SMC can maximize crop yields (both quality and quantity), prevent crop damage, and decrease irrigation expenses and water waste, among other benefits. This study focuses on the subsurface spatial electromagnetic mapping of physical properties, mainly moisture content, using a ground-penetrating radar (GPR). In the laboratory, GPR measurements were carried out using an 800 MHz central-frequency antenna and conducted in soil boxes with loess soil type (calcic haploxeralf) from the northern Negev, hamra soil type (typic rhodoxeralf) from the Sharon coastal plain, and grumusol soil type (typic chromoxerets) from the Jezreel valley, Israel. These measurements enabled highly accurate, close-to-real-time evaluations of physical soil qualities (i.e., wave velocity and dielectric constant) connected to SMC. A mixture model based mainly on soil texture, porosity, and effective dielectric constant (permittivity) was developed to measure the subsurface spatial volumetric soil moisture content (VSMC) for a wide range of moisture contents. The analysis of the travel times for GPR reflection and diffraction waves enabled calculating electromagnetic velocities, effective dielectric constants, and spatial SMC under laboratory conditions, where the required penetration depth is low (root zone). The average VSMC was determined with an average accuracy of ±1.5% and was correlated to a standard oven-drying method, making this spatial method useful for agricultural practice and for the design of irrigation plans for different interfaces.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Normalized Difference Water Index as a Tool for Monitoring Pasture Seasonal and Inter-Annual Variability in a Mediterranean Agro-Silvo-Pastoral System

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 62 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Serrano ◽  
Shakib Shahidian ◽  
José Marques da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Vegetation Development ◽  
Pastoral System ◽  
Water Index ◽  
Annual Variability ◽  
Normalized Difference Water Index

Extensive animal production in Iberian Peninsula is based on pastures, integrated within the important agro-silvo-pastoral system, named “montado” in Portugal and “dehesa” in Spain. Temperature and precipitation are the main driving climatic factors affecting agricultural productivity and, in dryland pastures, the hydrological cycle of soil, identified by soil moisture content (SMC), is the main engine of the vegetation development. The objective of this work was to evaluate the normalized difference water index (NDWI) based on Sentinel-2 imagery as a tool for monitoring pasture seasonal dynamics and inter-annual variability in a Mediterranean agro-silvo-pastoral system. Forty-one valid NDWI records were used between January and June 2016 and between January 2017 and June 2018. The 2.3 ha experimental field is located within the “Mitra” farm, in the South of Portugal. Soil moisture content, pasture moisture content (PMC), pasture surface temperature (Tir), pasture biomass productivity and pasture quality degradation index (PQDI) were evaluated in 12 satellite pixels (10 m × 10 m). The results show significant correlations (p < 0.01) between NDWI and: (i) SMC (R2 = 0.7548); (ii) PMC (R2 = 0.8938); (iii) Tir (R2 = 0.5428); (iv) biomass (R2 = 0.7556); and (v) PQDI (R2 = 0.7333). These findings suggest that satellite-derived NDWI can be used in site-specific management of “montado” ecosystem to support farmers’ decision making.

Soil water relations and relative turgidity on leaves in the wheat crop

1966 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 269 ◽  
Author(s):  
RA Fischer ◽  
GD Kohn
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Moisture Stress ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Plant Moisture

Trials were conducted in 1961 and 1962 at Wagga in southern New South Wales to investigate the yield physiology of the wheat crop. Various cultural treatments were applied to a single variety (Heron). The increases in evapotranspiration and associated reductions in total soil moisture content caused by early sowing, by heavier fertilizer applications, and to a lesser extent by a heavier rate of sowing were reflected in an increased plant moisture stress (reduced leaf relative turgidity) at a given time in the spring. At a given stage of development, however, relative turgidity was not much affected by time of sowing, and in fact post-flowering plant moisture stress increased with later sowing. There were only small treatment effects on the estimated depth and density of rooting. Relatively little water was extracted by crops from below 40 in.; dense crops reduced the soil moisture content throughout the root zone to less than the –15 bar value. Leaf relative turgidity at sunrise showed a consistent inverse relationship to soil moisture content in the root zone. Leaf turgidity (sunrise) was maintained at 100% until root zone moisture levels approached the –15 bar value.

scholarly journals Plant residue mulch increases measured and modelled soil moisture content in the effective root zone of maize in semi-arid Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 209 ◽  
pp. 104945
Author(s):  
J. Tuure ◽  
M. Räsänen ◽  
M. Hautala ◽  
P. Pellikka ◽  
P.S.A. Mäkelä ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Plant Residue ◽  
Semi Arid

scholarly journals Aspect and soil textural controls on snowmelt runoff on forested Boreal Plain hillslopes

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 250-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd Redding ◽  
Kevin Devito
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Sandy Soils ◽  
Slope Aspect ◽  
Snowmelt Runoff ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Spring Snowmelt

Plot studies were conducted on a jack pine forest with sandy soil and aspen forests with sandy and loam soils to examine the controls of slope aspect, soil texture and fall soil moisture content on near-surface snowmelt runoff and infiltration. It was hypothesized that near-surface runoff would be greater from north-facing slopes on loam soils with increased fall soil moisture content. Fall soil moisture had no measurable effect on spring snowmelt runoff. Infiltration of snowmelt dominated (drainage coefficients 53–100%, median 87%) over near-surface runoff (runoff coefficients 1–65%, median 7%) for most plots. Runoff was related to concrete frost at the mineral soil surface. In contrast to the processes hypothesized, south-facing hillslopes with sandy soils generated greater runoff than north-facing slopes or sites with finer-textured soils. These results were due to greater concrete frost development resulting from periodic spring snowmelt and re-freezing in the upper soil. South-facing hillslopes with sandy soils featured lower canopy cover, allowing greater solar radiation to reach the snow surface which led to the formation of concrete frost and faster melt rates resulting in near-surface runoff. Where hillslopes are connected to receiving surface waters by continuous concrete frost, snowmelt runoff at the watershed scale may be enhanced.

scholarly journals Estimating spatial mean root-zone soil moisture from point-scale observations

2006 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 755-767 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Teuling ◽  
R. Uijlenhoet ◽  
F. Hupet ◽  
E. E. van Loon ◽  
P. A. Troch
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Moisture Field

Abstract. Root zone soil moisture is a key variable in many land surface hydrology models. Often, however, there is a mismatch in the spatial scales at which models simulate soil moisture and at which soil moisture is observed. This complicates model validation. The increased availability of detailed datasets on space-time variability of root-zone soil moisture allows for a posteriori analysis of the uncertainties in the relation between point-scale observations and the spatial mean. In this paper we analyze three comprehensive datasets from three different regions. We identify different strategies to select observation sites. For instance, sites can be located randomly or according to the rank stability concept. For each strategy, we present methods to quantify the uncertainty that is associated with this strategy. In general there is a large correspondence between the different datasets with respect to the relative uncertainties for the different strategies. For all datasets, the uncertainty can be strongly reduced if some information is available that relates soil moisture content at that site to the spatial mean. However this works best if the space-time dynamics of the soil moisture field are known. Selection of the site closest to the spatial mean on a single random date only leads to minor reduction of the uncertainty with respect to the spatial mean over seasonal timescales. Since soil moisture variability is the result of a complex interaction between soil, vegetation, and landscape characteristics, the soil moisture field will be correlated with some of these characteristics. Using available information, we show that the correlation with leaf area index or a wetness coefficient alone is insufficient to predict if a site is representative for the spatial mean soil moisture content.

scholarly journals Potential Rainwater Harvesting Improvement Using Advanced Remote Sensing Applications

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Elhag ◽  
Jarbou A. Bahrawi
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Sensing Applications ◽  
Average Distribution ◽  
Remote Sensing Applications

The amount of water on earth is the same and only the distribution and the reallocation of water forms are altered in both time and space. To improve the rainwater harvesting a better understanding of the hydrological cycle is mandatory. Clouds are major component of the hydrological cycle; therefore, clouds distribution is the keystone of better rainwater harvesting. Remote sensing technology has shown robust capabilities in resolving challenges of water resource management in arid environments. Soil moisture content and cloud average distribution are essential remote sensing applications in extracting information of geophysical, geomorphological, and meteorological interest from satellite images. Current research study aimed to map the soil moisture content using recent Landsat 8 images and to map cloud average distribution of the corresponding area using 59 MERIS satellite imageries collected from January 2006 to October 2011. Cloud average distribution map shows specific location in the study area where it is always cloudy all the year and the site corresponding soil moisture content map came in agreement with cloud distribution. The overlay of the two previously mentioned maps over the geological map of the study area shows potential locations for better rainwater harvesting.

scholarly journals Comparing the Normalized Difference Infrared Index (NDII) with root zone storage in a lumped conceptual model

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 3361-3377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nutchanart Sriwongsitanon ◽  
Hongkai Gao ◽  
Hubert H. G. Savenije ◽  
Ekkarin Maekan ◽  
Sirikanya Saengsawang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Moisture Stress ◽  
Hydrological Models ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Moisture Deficit

Abstract. With remote sensing we can readily observe the Earth's surface, but direct observation of the sub-surface remains a challenge. In hydrology, but also in related disciplines such as agricultural and atmospheric sciences, knowledge of the dynamics of soil moisture in the root zone of vegetation is essential, as this part of the vadose zone is the core component controlling the partitioning of water into evaporative fluxes, drainage, recharge, and runoff. In this paper, we compared the catchment-scale soil moisture content in the root zone of vegetation, computed by a lumped conceptual model, with the remotely sensed Normalized Difference Infrared Index (NDII) in the Upper Ping River basin (UPRB) in northern Thailand. The NDII is widely used to monitor the equivalent water thickness (EWT) of leaves and canopy. Satellite data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) were used to determine the NDII over an 8-day period, covering the study area from 2001 to 2013. The results show that NDII values decrease sharply at the end of the wet season in October and reach lowest values near the end of the dry season in March. The values then increase abruptly after rains have started, but vary in an insignificant manner from the middle to the late rainy season. This paper investigates if the NDII can be used as a proxy for moisture deficit and hence for the amount of moisture stored in the root zone of vegetation, which is a crucial component of hydrological models. During periods of moisture stress, the 8-day average NDII values were found to correlate well with the 8-day average soil moisture content (Su) simulated by the lumped conceptual hydrological rainfall–runoff model FLEX for eight sub-catchments in the Upper Ping basin. Even the deseasonalized Su and NDII (after subtracting the dominant seasonal signal) showed good correlation during periods of moisture stress. The results illustrate the potential of the NDII as a proxy for catchment-scale root zone moisture deficit and as a potentially valuable constraint for the internal dynamics of hydrological models. In dry periods, when plants are exposed to water stress, the EWT (reflecting leaf water deficit) decreases steadily, as moisture stress in the leaves is connected to moisture deficits in the root zone. Subsequently, when the soil moisture is replenished as a result of rainfall, the EWT increases without delay. Once leaf water is close to saturation – mostly during the heart of the wet season – leaf characteristics and NDII values are not well correlated. However, for both hydrological modelling and water management, the stress periods are most important, which is why this product has the potential of becoming a highly efficient model constraint, particularly in ungauged basins.

scholarly journals Evaluation of DualEM-II sensor for soil moisture content estimation in the potato fields of Atlantic Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 290-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aitazaz Farooque ◽  
Mahnaz Zare ◽  
Qamar Zaman ◽  
Farhat Abbas ◽  
Melanie Bos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Time Domain Reflectometry ◽  
Atlantic Canada ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Non Destructive

The conventional gravimetric methods of estimating soil moisture content (θ) are laborious, time-consuming, and destructive to agricultural fields. We evaluated the performance of DualEM-II sensor in non-destructive way of θ prediction and for predicting θ variations within potato fields in Atlantic Canada. Values of θ were measured from four potato fields in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island using a pre-calibrated (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.98) time domain reflectometry (TDR) from root zone of potato tubers under grid sampling arrangements. Horizontal co-planar (HCP) and perpendicular co-planar (PRP) readings were taken using DualEM-II sensor from the same locations of θ measurements. There was a better correlation between PRP and θ (r: 0.64–0.83) was calculated than between HCP and θ<br /> (r: 0.41–0.79). There was no significant difference (R<sup>2</sup>: 0.60–0.69; RMSE (root mean square error): 2.32–4.02) between the θ values measured with TDR (θ<sub>M</sub>) and those predicted with DualEM-II (θ<sub>P</sub>) confirming that the use of electromagnetic induction technique, evaluated during this study, is labor saving, quick, non-destructive, and accurate and can be considered a precision agriculture tool for efficiently managing soil water in potato fields.

scholarly journals Keynote Speech: Significance of Soil Moisture Content and its Measurement Techniques

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susha Lekshmi S.U. ◽  
D.N. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Soil Mass ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Earthen Dam ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Small Change

Soil moisture is an inevitable part of the soil and has a significant influence on the engineering, agronomic, geological, ecological, biological, and hydrological behavior of the soil mass. A small change in the soil moisture content alters the behavior or mechanical properties of the soil mass, viz., consistency, compatibility, cracking, swelling, shrinkage, and density. The soil moisture content can be considered as a multi-disciplinary parameter as it has been used as a critical parameter in civil, agricultural, and environmental engineering disciplines. In geotechnical engineering, construction of embankments, pavements, earthen dam, retaining walls, foundations, evaluation of contaminant transport within the unsaturated zone, and slope stability determination, spatial and temporal soil moisture content variation has vital importance. Furthermore, it has a significant role to play as far as plant growth, organization of the natural ecosystems, and biodiversity are concerned. In the agriculture sector, adequate and timely moisture for irrigation, depending upon the soil-moisture-plant environment, is essential for crop production.

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