Articles | Volume 20, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-1373-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-1373-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
07 Apr 2016
Research article |
| 07 Apr 2016
Estimating field-scale root zone soil moisture using the cosmic-ray neutron probe
Amber M. Peterson
Department of Civil and Geological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Warren D. Helgason
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Civil and Geological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Andrew M. Ireson
Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Cited
49 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Applicability of cosmic-ray neutron sensor for measuring soil moisture at the agricultural-pastoral ecotone in northwest China X. Tan et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-020-9650-2
- Advancing Precision Agriculture: Machine Learning-Enhanced GPR Analysis for Root-Zone Soil Moisture Assessment in Mega Farms H. Namdari et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFE.2024.3455238
- A profile shape correction to reduce the vertical sensitivity of cosmic‐ray neutron sensing of soil moisture L. Scheiffele et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.20083
- Using Additional Moderator to Control the Footprint of a COSMOS Rover for Soil Moisture Measurement A. Badiee et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR028478
- How Spatial Patterns of Soil Moisture Dynamics Can Explain Field‐Scale Soil Moisture Variability: Observations From a Sodic Landscape A. Peterson et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR023329
- Effects of Biomass and Soil Water Content Distribution on Cosmic Ray Neutron Probe Measurement Q. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15152766
- Measuring moisture content in building insulation materials by a hot film K. Tang & T. Zhang https://doi.org/10.1080/23744731.2021.2007026
- Field evaluation of data assimilation of LAI and model-based optimization of irrigation scheduling of processing tomatoes I. Kisekka et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-025-01021-0
- Field scale soil water prediction based on areal soil moisture measurements using cosmic-ray neutron sensing in a karst landscape X. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.127395
- Using repeat electrical resistivity surveys to assess heterogeneity in soil moisture dynamics under contrasting vegetation types J. Dick et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.02.062
- Application of temporal stability analysis in depth-scaling estimated soil water content by cosmic-ray neutron probe on the northern Tibetan Plateau X. Zhu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.01.019
- Assessment of the Temperature Effects in SMAP Satellite Soil Moisture Products in Oklahoma K. Hoang & M. Lu https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13204104
- A watershed approach to managing rainfed agriculture in the semiarid region of southern Mali: integrated research on water and land use B. Birhanu et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-018-0144-9
- Advancements in dielectric soil moisture sensor Calibration: A comprehensive review of methods and techniques S. Mane et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2024.108686
- Evaluation of Satellite-Derived Surface Soil Moisture Products over Agricultural Regions of Canada Y. Oozeer et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12091455
- Extension of cosmic-ray neutron probe measurement depth for improving field scale root-zone soil moisture estimation by coupling with representative in-situ sensors H. Nguyen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.02.018
- Practical Data Products From Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensing for Hydrological Applications T. Franz et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2020.00009
- Sensing Methodologies in Agriculture for Soil Moisture and Nutrient Monitoring B. Kashyap & R. Kumar https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3052478
- Investigating the Potential of Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensing for Estimating Soil Water Content in Farmland and Mountainous Areas Y. Jiang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15081500
- Opportunities and challenges in using catchment-scale storage estimates from cosmic ray neutron sensors for rainfall-runoff modelling K. Dimitrova-Petrova et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.124878
- Estimation of root zone soil moisture at point scale based on soil water measurements from cosmic-ray neutron sensing in a karst catchment X. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108511
- Estimating deep soil water depletion and availability under planted forest on the Loess Plateau, China P. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172228
- Combining static and portable Cosmic ray neutron sensor data to assess catchment scale heterogeneity in soil water storage and their integrated role in catchment runoff response K. Dimitrova-Petrova et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126659
- Making sense of cosmic-ray soil moisture measurements and eddy covariance data with regard to crop water use and field water balance E. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2018.04.017
- Status and Perspectives on the Cosmic‐Ray Neutron Method for Soil Moisture Estimation and Other Environmental Science Applications M. Andreasen et al. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2017.04.0086
- Footprint radius of a cosmic-ray neutron probe for measuring soil-water content and its spatiotemporal variability in an alpine meadow ecosystem X. Zhu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.01.022
- Testing of observation operators designed to estimate profile soil moisture from surface measurements X. Gao et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13344
- Predicting rootzone soil moisture from surface observations in cropland using an exponential filter P. Rossini & A. Patrignani https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20319
- Grassland soil moisture fluctuation and its relationship with evapotranspiration Y. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108196
- Remote sensing of root zone soil moisture: A review of methods and products A. Kasim et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133002
- Characteristics of water infiltration in the loess vadose zone: Evidence from electrical resistivity tomography H. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133782
- Comprehensive quality assessment of satellite- and model-based soil moisture products against the COSMOS network in Germany T. Schmidt et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2023.113930
- Inversion of Root Zone Soil Hydraulic Parameters with Limited Calibration Data C. Xu et al. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2016.09.0308
- Calibration and crop-induced footprint dynamics of cosmic-ray neutron sensing in maize cropland J. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110854
- Integrating Invasive and Non-invasive Monitoring Sensors to Detect Field-Scale Soil Hydrological Behavior P. Nasta et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2020.00026
- Field-scale water balance closure in seasonally frozen conditions X. Pan et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5401-2017
- Assessment of Root Zone Soil Moisture Estimations from SMAP, SMOS and MODIS Observations M. Pablos et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10070981
- Cosmic‐ray Neutron Rover Surveys of Field Soil Moisture and the Influence of Roads M. Schrön et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017WR021719
- Depth extrapolation of field-scale soil moisture time series derived with cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) using the soil moisture analytical relationship (SMAR) model D. Rasche et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-655-2024
- Improvement of rootzone soil moisture estimation over the Tibetan Plateau based on the exponential filter model and Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) surface observations Y. Song et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133882
- Using observed soil moisture to constrain the uncertainty of simulated hydrological fluxes A. Ireson et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14465
- Multi-decadal analysis of root-zone soil moisture applying the exponential filter across CONUS K. Tobin et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4403-2017
- Predicting High-Resolution Root-Zone Soil Moisture Using an Analytical Relationship Between Satellite-Derived Soil Water Content and Soil Properties for Drought Monitoring A. Kasim et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2026.3698964
- Soil water content monitoring for irrigation management: A geostatistical analysis J. Barker et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2017.03.024
- Assessment of SMOS Root Zone Soil Moisture: A Comparative Study Using SMAP, ERA5, and GLDAS N. Ojha et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3404123
- Comment on ‘Examining the variation of soil moisture from cosmic-ray neutron probes footprint: experimental results from a COSMOS-UK site’ by Howells, O.D., Petropoulos, G.P., et al., Environ Earth Sci 82, 41 (2023) L. Scheiffele et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-023-11186-6
- Performance evaluation of soil moisture profile estimation through entropy-based and exponential filter models V. Mishra et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2020.1730846
- Soil Moisture Mapping of Golf Greens Using a Vehicle-Mounted L-Band Polarimeter M. Wolleben https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18193422
- Focus on the nonlinear infiltration process in deep vadose zone Y. He et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104719
49 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Applicability of cosmic-ray neutron sensor for measuring soil moisture at the agricultural-pastoral ecotone in northwest China X. Tan et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-020-9650-2
- Advancing Precision Agriculture: Machine Learning-Enhanced GPR Analysis for Root-Zone Soil Moisture Assessment in Mega Farms H. Namdari et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFE.2024.3455238
- A profile shape correction to reduce the vertical sensitivity of cosmic‐ray neutron sensing of soil moisture L. Scheiffele et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.20083
- Using Additional Moderator to Control the Footprint of a COSMOS Rover for Soil Moisture Measurement A. Badiee et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR028478
- How Spatial Patterns of Soil Moisture Dynamics Can Explain Field‐Scale Soil Moisture Variability: Observations From a Sodic Landscape A. Peterson et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR023329
- Effects of Biomass and Soil Water Content Distribution on Cosmic Ray Neutron Probe Measurement Q. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15152766
- Measuring moisture content in building insulation materials by a hot film K. Tang & T. Zhang https://doi.org/10.1080/23744731.2021.2007026
- Field evaluation of data assimilation of LAI and model-based optimization of irrigation scheduling of processing tomatoes I. Kisekka et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-025-01021-0
- Field scale soil water prediction based on areal soil moisture measurements using cosmic-ray neutron sensing in a karst landscape X. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.127395
- Using repeat electrical resistivity surveys to assess heterogeneity in soil moisture dynamics under contrasting vegetation types J. Dick et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.02.062
- Application of temporal stability analysis in depth-scaling estimated soil water content by cosmic-ray neutron probe on the northern Tibetan Plateau X. Zhu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.01.019
- Assessment of the Temperature Effects in SMAP Satellite Soil Moisture Products in Oklahoma K. Hoang & M. Lu https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13204104
- A watershed approach to managing rainfed agriculture in the semiarid region of southern Mali: integrated research on water and land use B. Birhanu et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-018-0144-9
- Advancements in dielectric soil moisture sensor Calibration: A comprehensive review of methods and techniques S. Mane et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2024.108686
- Evaluation of Satellite-Derived Surface Soil Moisture Products over Agricultural Regions of Canada Y. Oozeer et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12091455
- Extension of cosmic-ray neutron probe measurement depth for improving field scale root-zone soil moisture estimation by coupling with representative in-situ sensors H. Nguyen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.02.018
- Practical Data Products From Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensing for Hydrological Applications T. Franz et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2020.00009
- Sensing Methodologies in Agriculture for Soil Moisture and Nutrient Monitoring B. Kashyap & R. Kumar https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3052478
- Investigating the Potential of Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensing for Estimating Soil Water Content in Farmland and Mountainous Areas Y. Jiang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15081500
- Opportunities and challenges in using catchment-scale storage estimates from cosmic ray neutron sensors for rainfall-runoff modelling K. Dimitrova-Petrova et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.124878
- Estimation of root zone soil moisture at point scale based on soil water measurements from cosmic-ray neutron sensing in a karst catchment X. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108511
- Estimating deep soil water depletion and availability under planted forest on the Loess Plateau, China P. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172228
- Combining static and portable Cosmic ray neutron sensor data to assess catchment scale heterogeneity in soil water storage and their integrated role in catchment runoff response K. Dimitrova-Petrova et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126659
- Making sense of cosmic-ray soil moisture measurements and eddy covariance data with regard to crop water use and field water balance E. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2018.04.017
- Status and Perspectives on the Cosmic‐Ray Neutron Method for Soil Moisture Estimation and Other Environmental Science Applications M. Andreasen et al. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2017.04.0086
- Footprint radius of a cosmic-ray neutron probe for measuring soil-water content and its spatiotemporal variability in an alpine meadow ecosystem X. Zhu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.01.022
- Testing of observation operators designed to estimate profile soil moisture from surface measurements X. Gao et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13344
- Predicting rootzone soil moisture from surface observations in cropland using an exponential filter P. Rossini & A. Patrignani https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20319
- Grassland soil moisture fluctuation and its relationship with evapotranspiration Y. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108196
- Remote sensing of root zone soil moisture: A review of methods and products A. Kasim et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133002
- Characteristics of water infiltration in the loess vadose zone: Evidence from electrical resistivity tomography H. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133782
- Comprehensive quality assessment of satellite- and model-based soil moisture products against the COSMOS network in Germany T. Schmidt et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2023.113930
- Inversion of Root Zone Soil Hydraulic Parameters with Limited Calibration Data C. Xu et al. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2016.09.0308
- Calibration and crop-induced footprint dynamics of cosmic-ray neutron sensing in maize cropland J. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110854
- Integrating Invasive and Non-invasive Monitoring Sensors to Detect Field-Scale Soil Hydrological Behavior P. Nasta et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2020.00026
- Field-scale water balance closure in seasonally frozen conditions X. Pan et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5401-2017
- Assessment of Root Zone Soil Moisture Estimations from SMAP, SMOS and MODIS Observations M. Pablos et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10070981
- Cosmic‐ray Neutron Rover Surveys of Field Soil Moisture and the Influence of Roads M. Schrön et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017WR021719
- Depth extrapolation of field-scale soil moisture time series derived with cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) using the soil moisture analytical relationship (SMAR) model D. Rasche et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-655-2024
- Improvement of rootzone soil moisture estimation over the Tibetan Plateau based on the exponential filter model and Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) surface observations Y. Song et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133882
- Using observed soil moisture to constrain the uncertainty of simulated hydrological fluxes A. Ireson et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14465
- Multi-decadal analysis of root-zone soil moisture applying the exponential filter across CONUS K. Tobin et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-4403-2017
- Predicting High-Resolution Root-Zone Soil Moisture Using an Analytical Relationship Between Satellite-Derived Soil Water Content and Soil Properties for Drought Monitoring A. Kasim et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2026.3698964
- Soil water content monitoring for irrigation management: A geostatistical analysis J. Barker et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2017.03.024
- Assessment of SMOS Root Zone Soil Moisture: A Comparative Study Using SMAP, ERA5, and GLDAS N. Ojha et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3404123
- Comment on ‘Examining the variation of soil moisture from cosmic-ray neutron probes footprint: experimental results from a COSMOS-UK site’ by Howells, O.D., Petropoulos, G.P., et al., Environ Earth Sci 82, 41 (2023) L. Scheiffele et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-023-11186-6
- Performance evaluation of soil moisture profile estimation through entropy-based and exponential filter models V. Mishra et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2020.1730846
- Soil Moisture Mapping of Golf Greens Using a Vehicle-Mounted L-Band Polarimeter M. Wolleben https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18193422
- Focus on the nonlinear infiltration process in deep vadose zone Y. He et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104719
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 11 Nov 2026
Short summary
Remote sensing techniques can provide useful large-scale estimates of soil moisture. However, these methods often only sense near-surface soil moisture, whereas many applications require estimates of the entire root zone. In this study we propose and test methods to "depth-scale" the shallow soil moisture measurements obtained using the cosmic-ray neutron probe to represent the entire root zone, thereby improving the applicability of this measurement approach.
Remote sensing techniques can provide useful large-scale estimates of soil moisture. However,...
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