Application of the Versatile Soil Moisture Budget Model to Estimate Evaporation from Prairie Grassland

2010 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaki Hayashi ◽  
John F. Jackson ◽  
Ligang Xu
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Budget ◽  
Budget Model ◽  
Soil Moisture Budget

Improved characterization of frozen soil processes in the Versatile Soil Moisture Budget model

2013 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 511-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Getachew A. Mohammed ◽  
Masaki Hayashi ◽  
Christopher R. Farrow ◽  
Yasuhide Takano
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Frozen Soil ◽  
Soil Freezing ◽  
Soil Processes ◽  
Moisture Budget ◽  
Freezing And Thawing ◽  
Budget Model ◽  
Soil Freezing And Thawing ◽  
Soil Moisture Budget

Mohammed, G. A., Hayashi, M., Farrow, C. R. and Takano, Y. 2013. Improved characterization of frozen soil processes in the Versatile Soil Moisture Budget model. Can. J. Soil Sci. 93: 511–531. Soil freezing and thawing influence the infiltration of rain and snow melt water and subsequent redistribution, runoff generation, and a host of other processes. Accurate characterization of frozen soil processes in hydrological models is important for their use in managing agricultural activities and water resources. The Versatile Soil Moisture Budget (VSMB) is a relatively simple soil water balance model, which has been widely used in Canada for several decades, but its application has primarily been for crop-growing seasons. We have modified the VSMB to include new algorithms for snow accumulation and melt, soil freezing and thawing, and snowmelt infiltration and runoff; and evaluated its performance using field data from a grassland site in Alberta. The new VSMB model simulates snow processes with reasonable accuracy and predicts the day of thawing within several days of observation. It also estimates the amount of runoff and its inter-annual variability reasonably well, although the model still has limitations in accurately predicting the vertical distribution of water content. Despite these limitations, the model will be useful for estimating the amount of snowmelt runoff that provides the critical water inputs to wetlands and dugouts, and for understanding the effects of landuse variability on these processes.

A MOISTURE STRESS INDEX FOR WHEAT BY MEANS OF A MODULATED SOIL MOISTURE BUDGET

1968 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 535-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Mack ◽  
W. S. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Stress Function ◽  
Potential Evapotranspiration ◽  
Moisture Stress ◽  
Moisture Distribution ◽  
Stress Index ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Moisture Budget ◽  
Dough Stage ◽  
Soil Moisture Budget

Actual evapotranspiration (AE), soil moisture distribution, and moisture stress for a wheat crop (PE-AE) were estimated by the modulated soil moisture budget of Holmes and Robertson. The estimated soil moisture was reasonably well correlated with soil moisture measured weekly by means of gypsum blocks. Wheat yields from experimental plots in the corresponding area were related more closely to the moisture stress function (PE-AE: r = − 0.83), than to the seasonal precipitation (r = 0.62), the potential evapotranspiration (PE) or the evapotranspiration ratio (AE/PE). Regression analyses showed that the grain yields were reduced by an average of 156 (±sb = 40) kg/ha per cm of moisture stress from emergence to harvest, or by 311 and 69 kg/ha per cm of stress, from the fifth-leaf to the soft-dough stage and from the soft-dough stage to maturity, respectively. The moisture stress function may be used to characterize the soil–plant–atmosphere environment for the growing season of a crop. Precipitation and evapotranspiration data are presented annually for three standardized growing periods at Brandon from 1921 to 1963.

Estimation of snowmelt runoff in the Peace River region using a soil moisture budget

1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. N. Hayhoe ◽  
R. G. Pelletier ◽  
L. J. P. van Vliet
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Snow Depth ◽  
Frozen Soil ◽  
Moisture Budget ◽  
Snowmelt Runoff ◽  
Peace River ◽  
Erosion Prediction ◽  
Spring Runoff ◽  
River Region ◽  
Soil Moisture Budget

Rainfall and snowmelt runoff on soil frozen below the surface are recognized as important factors contributing to soil loss in Canada. The risk of rain on frozen soil has been quantified, and the amount of snowmelt on frozen soil has been estimated. This study extends such research to derive a climate-based model to estimate winter and spring runoff. This could result in a more accurate erosion prediction for areas where snowmelt is a major source for runoff. Selected components of the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model and the versatile soil moisture budget (VB) were tested on observed data for two study sites in the Peace River region. The version of the WEPP model available to us estimated snow depth, soil frost depth and frequency of freeze–thaw cycles. However, the results did not adequately match observed data. The VB was modified in this study to improve the estimate of potential winter and spring runoff, and it was shown that incorporating observations of snow depth improved the estimate of the time and amount of snowmelt runoff. The modified runoff model was validated with data collected in the Peace River area of northern Alberta and British Columbia and with published data from the Prairies. Key words: Snowmelt, runoff, soil moisture budget

ESTIMATED SOIL WATER RESERVES APPLICABLE TO A WHEAT-FALLOW ROTATION FOR GENERALIZED SOIL AREAS MAPPED IN SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN

1984 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. DE JONG ◽  
J. A. SHIELDS ◽  
W. K. SLY
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Holding Capacity ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Moisture Budget ◽  
Model Soil ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Soil Zone ◽  
Water Holding ◽  
Soil Moisture Budget

Long-term mean soil water reserves for a spring wheat-fallow rotation in the southern half of Saskatchewan were calculated using the Versatile Soil Moisture Budget. Four different available water-holding capacity classes and climatic data from 53 stations were used as input to the model. Soil water reserve data for the following times, seeding on 1 May in the crop year, at heading on 30 June, and on 1 May in the fallow year, were mapped. These were then combined with an available water-holding capacity map to portray in a single map the combined droughtiness due to climatic and soil attributes. Estimated soil water reserves compared well with measured data from one location in the Brown soil zone. The temporal and spatial changes in water reserves are discussed and related to summerfallowing. The maps provide information for use in making potential grain yield estimates. Key words: Soil water, wheat-fallow rotation, generalized soil areas, Saskatchewan, Versatile soil moisture budget

A MODULATED SOIL MOISTURE BUDGET

1959 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 101-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. HOLMES ◽  
G. W. ROBERTSON
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Budget ◽  
Soil Moisture Budget

Generalization and Testing of a Soil Moisture Budget for Different Drainage Conditions

1982 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1417-1426 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Dale ◽  
W. M. L. Nelson ◽  
K. L. Scheeringa ◽  
R. G. Stuff ◽  
H. F. Reetz
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Budget ◽  
Soil Moisture Budget

EFFECTS OF SOIL WATER MOVEMENT ON ACTUAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION ESTIMATED FROM THE SOIL MOISTURE BUDGET

1970 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
WAYNE R. ROUSE
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Movement ◽  
Potential Evapotranspiration ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Spatial Variations ◽  
Actual Evapotranspiration ◽  
Moisture Budget ◽  
Loam Soil ◽  
Soil Moisture Budget

Actual evapotranspiration was estimated from the soil moisture budget for a grass-covered sandy loam soil at Simcoe, Ontario. Soil moisture was measured at 25 sites distributed over a 6-meter-square grid. The coefficient of variation for actual evapotranspiration estimated at all sites averaged 13% and rose as high as 19%. Average actual evapotranspiration exceeded both the Penman and Thornthwaite estimates of potential evapotranspiration for three of the six measuring intervals, due to deep seepage losses. The application of corrections for the vertical water movement, determined from experimentally derived matric suction and hydraulic conductivity data, gave a substantial deep seepage loss for some periods and a capillary uptake of soil water for others. Vertical losses and gains created errors of up to + 28 and − 29%, respectively, in the standard estimates of actual evapotranspiration. The large spatial variations in evapotranspiration estimates resulted from variations in volumetric soil moisture between sample points, apparently creating differences in the magnitude and direction of vertical water movement across the terminal depth. The horizontal flux of water between measuring points was relatively unimportant in accounting for the spatial variations.

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