10.2
Soil moisture measurements and their applications at the Savannah River Site
Robert L. Buckley, Savannah River Technology Center and U.S. Forest Service, Aiken, SC; and M. J. Parker and D. Shea
A soil moisture monitoring station has been established at the Savannah River Site. Monitoring equipment consists of two soil moisture probes and co-located rain gauges; one set beneath a forest canopy within predominantly sandy soil and one set in a nearby open, grass-covered area with soil consisting of sand, clay and loam. The soil moisture-measuring device utilizes time-domain reflectometry (TDR) to assess the volumetric liquid water content of the soil. Readings from the soil moisture probes and rain gauges are processed and stored in a permanent relational database. The soil-moisture data are stored in 15-minute averages along with total rainfall over the same period. Preliminary results indicate that the soil moisture measurements for the two areas differ significantly. For instance, during periods of heavy rainfall, the two locations often show similar values. However, since the sand content of the forested soil is relatively high, water tends to drain more quickly at this location.
The monitoring network and several applications of these data at the SRS will be discussed. This includes the use of soil moisture as a decision-making tool in performing prescribed fires of the local forest vegetation. Soil moisture measurements are also very important in the proper determination of surface fluxes in atmospheric models. Therefore, a comparison of the point measurements of soil moisture with the National Center for Environmental Predictions (NCEP) model simulations, over an extended period of time will be examined. In addition, simple expressions describing the temporal variation of soil moisture with precipitation events at the SRS for the two locations will be discussed.
Session 10, Satellite Measurements of Earth's Surface
Thursday, 18 January 2001, 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
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