Soil Moisture Measurement Variability: A Duel of Instruments and Rainfall

Soil moisture is a major component impacting boundary layer interactions, urban and agricultural planning, and flood risks. Rainfall events in particular have tremendous immediate impacts on soil moisture, which can have cascading effects depending on the soil type and nearby surfaces and structures. Understanding how nearby surfaces, microclimates, and varying measurement methods influence soil moisture can be of benefit to urban, agricultural, and flood planning. To address this, dueling measurements will be taken at urban and rural sites in central Ohio. Two different instruments, soil moisture sensor CS616 and Hydrosence 2, will give simultaneous soil moisture readings at the given locations. Each reading will then be compared for accuracy to a gravimetric water content measurement, a common method of measuring soil moisture, at each site. The two primary instruments’ results will be contrasted according to each site, microclimate, and applicable rainfall event. These simultaneous comparisons of dueling instruments, urban versus rural locations, and the influence of any rainfall events will provide insight into the instrumental and surface influences on soil moisture.