Daily soil moisture measurement network of the Northern Great Plains: sensors, their calibration and Applications

Availability of soil moisture is an essential determinant of healthy growth of crops and yield. Thus, daily measurement of soil moisture allows farmers to prepare for various water related stress mitigating activities including irrigation scheduling. Furthermore, daily measurement of soil moisture provides opportunities for various hydrological and boundary layer meteorological studies including energy flux estimation, model validation, and flood forecasting.

This paper presents various aspects of an ongoing project of soil moisture measurement network establishment over the Northern Great Plains. This project is sponsored by the High Plains Regional Climate Center (HPCC) and part of an Automated Weather Data Network (AWDN) which is a collaborative effort between the state climate offices and HPCC. This study discusses instrumentation of the soil moisture network and the accuracy/limitations of the measured data. Examples from 1999 summer/fall dry spell and measured soil moisture record and their usefulness is also discussed. Moreover, a soil water balance model is calibrated and applied for a number soil moisture measurement sites to determine its accuracy and potential use.