Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/hessd-10-4237-2013
https://doi.org/10.5194/hessd-10-4237-2013
04 Apr 2013
 | 04 Apr 2013
Status: this preprint was under review for the journal HESS but the revision was not accepted.

Calibration approaches of cosmic-ray neutron sensing for soil moisture measurement in cropped fields

C. A. Rivera Villarreyes, G. Baroni, and S. E. Oswald

Abstract. Measurement of soil moisture at the plot or hill-slope scale is an important link between local vadose-zone hydrology and catchment hydrology. This study evaluates the applicability of the cosmic-ray neutron sensing for soil moisture in cropped fields.

Measurements of cosmic-ray neutrons (fast neutrons) were performed at a lowland farmland in Bornim (Brandenburg, Germany) cropped with sunflower and winter rye. Three field calibration approaches and four different ways of integration the soil moisture profile to an integral value for cosmic-ray neutron sensing were evaluated in this study. The cosmic-ray sensing (CRS) probe was calibrated against a network of classical point-scale soil moisture measurements. A large CRS parameter variability was observed by choosing calibration periods within the different growing stages of sunflower and winter rye. Therefore, it was not possible to identify a single set of parameters perfectly estimating soil moisture for both sunflower and winter rye periods. On the other hand, CRS signal and its parameter variability could be understood by some crop characteristics and by predicting the attenuated neutrons by crop presence.

This study proves the potentiality of the cosmic-ray neutron sensing at the field scale; however, its calibration needs to be adapted for seasonal vegetation in cropped fields.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this paper. While Copernicus Publications makes every effort to include appropriate place names, the final responsibility lies with the authors. Views expressed in the text are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
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C. A. Rivera Villarreyes, G. Baroni, and S. E. Oswald
 
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Status: closed
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AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
Printer-friendly Version - Printer-friendly version Supplement - Supplement
C. A. Rivera Villarreyes, G. Baroni, and S. E. Oswald
C. A. Rivera Villarreyes, G. Baroni, and S. E. Oswald

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