Soil moisture sensor calibration for organic soil surface layers

Calibration; Minerals; Moisture control; Moisture meters; Remote sensing; Self organizing maps; Soil moisture; Land surface modeling; Large specific surface areas; Large-scale applications; Precipitation events; Relative permittivity; Soil moisture sensors; Soil-moisture sensor calibrations; Volumetric water content; Soil surveys; Arctic

Abstract :

[en] This paper's objective is to present generic calibration functions for organic surface layers derived for the soil moisture sensors Decagon ECH2O 5TE and Delta-T ThetaProbe ML2x, using material from northern regions, mainly from the Finnish Meteorological Institute's Arctic Research Center in Sodankylä and the study area of the Danish Center for Hydrology (HOBE). For the Decagon 5TE sensor such a function is currently not reported in the literature. Data were compared with measurements from underlying mineral soils including laboratory and field measurements. Shrinkage and charring during drying were considered. For both sensors all field and lab data showed consistent trends. For mineral layers with low soil organic matter (SOM) content the validity of the manufacturer's calibrations was demonstrated. Deviating sensor outputs in organic and mineral horizons were identified. For the Decagon 5TE, apparent relative permittivities at a given moisture content decreased for increased SOM content, which was attributed to an increase of bound water in organic materials with large specific surface areas compared to the studied mineral soils. ThetaProbe measurements from organic horizons showed stronger nonlinearity in the sensor response and signal saturation in the high-level data. The derived calibration fit functions between sensor response and volumetric water content hold for samples spanning a wide range of humus types with differing SOM characteristics. This strengthens confidence in their validity under various conditions, rendering them highly suitable for large-scale applications in remote sensing and land surface modeling studies. Agreement between independent Decagon 5TE and ThetaProbe time series from an organic surface layer at the Sodankylä site was significantly improved when the here-proposed fit functions were used. Decagon 5TE data also well-reflected precipitation events. Thus, Decagon 5TE network data from organic surface layers at the Sodankylä and HOBE sites are based on the here-proposed natural log fit. The newly derived ThetaProbe fit functions should be used for hand-held applications only, but prove to be of value for the acquisition of instantaneous large-scale soil moisture estimates. © Author(s) 2016.

Disciplines :

Electrical & electronics engineering
Environmental sciences & ecology

Author, co-author :

Bircher, S.; Centre d'Etudes Spatiales de la Biosphère, Toulouse, France

Andreasen, M.; Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Vuollet, J.; Finnish Meteorological Institute, Arctic Research, Helsinki, Finland

Vehviläinen, J.; Finnish Meteorological Institute, Arctic Research, Helsinki, Finland

Rautiainen, K.; Finnish Meteorological Institute, Arctic Research, Helsinki, Finland

Jonard, François ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de géographie > Systèmes d'information géographiques

Weihermüller, L.; Agrosphere (IBG-3), Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany

Zakharova, E.; Laboratoire d'Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales, Toulouse, France

Wigneron, J. P.; Division Ecologie Fonctionelle et Physique de l'Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Bordeaux-Aquitaine, France

H Kerr, Y.; Centre d'Etudes Spatiales de la Biosphère, Toulouse, France

Language :

English

Title :

Soil moisture sensor calibration for organic soil surface layers

Publication date :

2016

Journal title :

Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems

ISSN :

2193-0856

eISSN :

2193-0864

Publisher :

Copernicus GmbH

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

109-125

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 21 September 2021

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