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- Title
Repeated electromagnetic induction measurements for mapping soil moisture at the field scale: validation with data from a wireless soil moisture monitoring network.
- Authors
Martini, Edoardo; Werban, Ulrike; Zacharias, Steffen; Pohle, Marco; Dietrich, Peter; Wollschläger, Ute
- Abstract
Electromagnetic induction (EMI) measurements are widely used for soil mapping, as they allow fast and relatively low-cost surveys of soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa). Although the use of non-invasive EMI for imaging spatial soil properties is very attractive, the dependence of ECa on several factors challenges any interpretation with respect to individual soil properties or states such as soil moisture (θ). The major aim of this study was to further investigate the potential of repeated EMI measurements to map θ, with particular focus on the temporal variability of the spatial patterns of ECa and θ. To this end, we compared repeated EMI measurements with high-resolution θ data from a wireless soil moisture and soil temperature monitoring network for an extensively managed hillslope area for which soil properties and θ dynamics are known. For the investigated site, i) ECa showed small temporal variations whereas θ varied from very dry to almost saturation; ii) temporal changes of the spatial pattern of ECa differed from those of the spatial pattern of θ; and iii) the ECa-θ relationship varied with time. Results suggest that i) stable soil properties are the major control on ECa measured with EMI, and ii) for soils with low clay content, the electrical conductivity of the soil solution rather than θ is likely to be the dynamic factor controlling temporal variations of ECa. Further, our study provides the opportunity to discuss the complex interplay between factors controlling ECa and θ, and the use of EMI-based ECa data with respect to hydrological applications.
- Subjects
ELECTROMAGNETIC induction; SOIL moisture; SOIL mapping; ELECTRIC conductivity; SOIL temperature; HYDROLOGIC models
- Publication
Hydrology & Earth System Sciences Discussions, 2016, Vol 13, Issue 3, p1
- ISSN
1812-2108
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.5194/hess-2016-93