Articles | Volume 30, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-2523-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-2523-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Detecting the resilience of soil moisture dynamics to drought periods as a function of soil type and climatic region
Nedal Aqel
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Jannis Groh
Institute of Bio- and Geoscience IBG-3: Agrosphere, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
Biogeochemistry and Gas Fluxes, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural and Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
Lutz Weihermüller
Institute of Bio- and Geoscience IBG-3: Agrosphere, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
Ralf Gründling
Department of Soil System Science, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH – UFZ, Halle, Germany
Andrea Carminati
Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Peter Lehmann
Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Adrian Wicki, Per-Erik Jansson, Peter Lehmann, Christian Hauck, and Manfred Stähli
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Soil moisture information was shown to be valuable for landslide prediction. Soil moisture was simulated at 133 sites in Switzerland, and the temporal variability was compared to the regional occurrence of landslides. We found that simulated soil moisture is a good predictor for landslides, and that the forecast goodness is similar to using in situ measurements. This encourages the use of models for complementing existing soil moisture monitoring networks for regional landslide early warning.
Cosimo Brogi, Johan A. Huisman, Lutz Weihermüller, Michael Herbst, and Harry Vereecken
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There is a need in agriculture for detailed soil maps that carry quantitative information. Geophysics-based soil maps have the potential to deliver such products, but their added value has not been fully investigated yet. In this study, we compare the use of a geophysics-based soil map with the use of two commonly available maps as input for crop growth simulations. The geophysics-based product results in better simulations, with improvements that depend on precipitation, soil, and crop type.
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Short summary
This study investigates how soils respond to major climatic disturbances, such as the extreme drought in Germany in 2018. Using long-term lysimeter observations and an artificial intelligence model, we show that persistent shifts in soil water dynamics indicate changes in hydraulic properties that may affect soil health, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring under a changing climate.
This study investigates how soils respond to major climatic disturbances, such as the extreme...