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@INPROCEEDINGS{Brogi:1021002,
author = {Brogi, Cosimo and Nieberding, Felix and Köhli, Markus and
Pisinaras, Vassilios and Dombrowski, Olga and Huisman, Johan
Alexander and Panagopoulos, Andreas and Hendricks-Franssen,
Harrie-Jan and Bogena, Heye},
title = {{F}ostering the understanding of sub-footprint
heterogeneity in {C}osmic-{R}ay {N}eutron {S}ensing –
challenges of irrigation monitoring},
reportid = {FZJ-2024-00462},
year = {2023},
abstract = {Cosmic-ray neutron sensors (CRNS) can measure soil moisture
(SM) at the field scale due to their large sensing volume of
tens of ha. Recently, lower instrument costs and improved
data processing make CRNS increasingly attractive for
agricultural applications. However, soil moisture in complex
environments, such as small fields that are irrigated or
cultivated differently or large fields with heterogeneous
soils, is still challenging to monitor with CRNS. In this
work, we show results from two studies that investigate the
effects of sub-footprint heterogeneity in Greece and
Germany.In Greece, we selected two ~1.2 ha apple orchards in
the Pinios Hydrologic Observatory that are irrigated with
micro sprinklers. In 2020, each orchard was equipped with an
Atmos41 all-in-one climate station, four water meters, and
12 wireless nodes (SoilNet) that monitored SM at 5, 20 and
50 cm depth. A CRNS with a 25 mm HDPE (high density
polyethylene) moderator and a gadolinium-based thermal
shielding was installed at the centre of each field. In
Germany, we selected a 14 ha potato field near Kogenbroich.
Based on an electromagnetic induction (EMI) soil mapping
campaign, in 2023, one CRNS with two detector tubes was
installed in the middle of the field and two CRNS with a
single tube were installed in the SW and NE areas, covering
different soil types and soil depths. These CRNS had a 25 mm
HDPE moderator. The potato field in Germany receives strip
irrigation, which is conducted from SW to NE. One irrigation
cycle lasts three to four days, resulting in a strong SM
heterogeneity. At each CRNS location, two soil moisture
profile probes were installed, measuring soil moisture and
soil temperature at six different depths. Additionally, an
Atmos41 all-in-one climate station, as well as a novel
evapotranspiration sensor based on the Eddy Covariance (EC)
method were installed at the central site. As the EC sensing
volume is of similar size as the CRNS footprint, the ability
of both methods to estimate irrigation deficits in a
heterogeneous landscape may be investigated.Results from the
Greek experiment show that CNRS could offer reliable SM
estimations only during non-irrigated periods (RMSE < 0.020
cm3 cm-3) while soil moisture content was underestimated in
both fields during the irrigation season (RMSE of 0.058 cm3
cm-3) due to the small field dimensions. We developed and
tested a novel correction approach based on neutron
transport simulations and an additional single SM sensor
located outside the irrigated area. We found that soil
moisture estimates can be greatly improved (RMSE of 0.031
cm3 cm-3) through this approach. In addition, we will
present first results from the experiment in Germany, which
provide important insights on sub-footprint heterogeneity
and ways to improve the use of CRNS in complex agricultural
environments.},
month = {Sep},
date = {2023-09-25},
organization = {2nd TERENO-OZCAR Conference 2023, Bonn
(Germany), 25 Sep 2023 - 28 Sep 2023},
subtyp = {Other},
cin = {IBG-3},
cid = {I:(DE-Juel1)IBG-3-20101118},
pnm = {2173 - Agro-biogeosystems: controls, feedbacks and impact
(POF4-217) / DFG project 357874777 - FOR 2694: Large-Scale
and High-Resolution Mapping of Soil Moisture on Field and
Catchment Scales - Boosted by Cosmic-Ray Neutrons
(357874777)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-2173 / G:(GEPRIS)357874777},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)24},
url = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1021002},
}