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@INPROCEEDINGS{Bogena:1049555,
      author       = {Brogi, Cosimo and Nieberding, Felix and Daccache, Andre and
                      Scheiffele, Lena and Dogar, Sardar Salar Saeed},
      collaboration = {Bogena, Heye},
      title        = {{I}rrigation {M}anagement and {S}oil {M}oisture
                      {M}onitoring with {C}osmic-{R}ay {N}eutron {S}ensors:
                      {L}essons {L}earned and {F}uture {O}pportunities},
      reportid     = {FZJ-2025-05359},
      year         = {2025},
      abstract     = {Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing (CRNS) is attracting attention
                      in irrigation management. CRNS can non-invasively and
                      accurately measure soil moisture (SM) in the root zone at
                      the field scale, thus addressing scale and logistics issues
                      typical of point-scale sensor networks. CRNS are effectively
                      used to inform large pivot irrigation systems but most
                      agricultural landscapes in Europe and elsewhere consist of
                      highly diversified and small fields. These are challenging
                      for CRNS as the measured signal integrates an area of ~200m
                      radius where multiple fields, soil heterogeneities, or
                      variable amount of water applications can be found.In this
                      work, we present results from three case studies, and we
                      develop and test solutions to improve CRNS accuracy in
                      irrigated contexts. In 2023, a potato field in Leerodt
                      (Germany) where strip irrigation is practiced was equipped
                      with three CRNS (with moderators and thermal shielding),
                      three meteorological stations, and six profile SM probes
                      measuring at six different depths (up to 60 cm). In the same
                      year, in Davis (California, USA), two CRNS with a 15 mm
                      moderator, one of which also had a thermal shielding, were
                      installed in an alfalfa field where flood irrigation is
                      practiced. These were supported by meteorological
                      measurements and point-scale TDR sensors. Similarly, a CRNS
                      installed in a winter wheat field in Oehna (Germany) where
                      pivot irrigation is applied. As the origin and propagation
                      of neutrons detected by a CRNS cannot be inferred from the
                      measured signal, we used the URANOS model to analyze neutron
                      transport in the three case studies under varying soil
                      moisture scenarios. To account for soil heterogeneity in the
                      Leerodt study, we assessed the spatial distribution of soil
                      characteristics by integrating soil sampling and
                      Electromagnetic Induction (EMI) measurements in a
                      machine-learning framework.The Leerodt study showed that
                      CRNS outperformed point-scale sensors, which were strongly
                      affected by soil erosion in the top 10 cm. However, CRNS was
                      unexpectedly sensitive only to nearby irrigation. Here, key
                      insights on sub-footprint heterogeneity and soil roughness
                      were gained through the analysis of URANOS simulations. In
                      the Davis study, CRNS effectively monitored irrigation but
                      also showed unexpected sensitivities to the irrigation of
                      distant fields. Again, important insights were gained thanks
                      to URANOS simulations. In the Oehna study, large
                      quantitative differences between the CRNS and point-scale
                      sensors were observed. However, the CRNS provided clear
                      responses to irrigation that can outperform the information
                      provided by the point-scale devices. Overall, the
                      limitations of CRNS-based irrigation management in complex
                      agricultural environments can generally be overcome through
                      a synergetic use of measurements and modelling. Nonetheless,
                      more efforts are needed to improve the understanding of the
                      underlying processes and to standardize measurement
                      procedures, which ultimately requires the involvement not
                      only of researchers but also of manufacturers and
                      stakeholders.},
      month         = {Apr},
      date          = {2025-04-27},
      organization  = {EGU 2025, Vienna (Austria), 27 Apr
                       2025 - 2 May 2025},
      subtyp        = {Other},
      cin          = {IBG-3},
      cid          = {I:(DE-Juel1)IBG-3-20101118},
      pnm          = {2173 - Agro-biogeosystems: controls, feedbacks and impact
                      (POF4-217) / DFG project G:(GEPRIS)413955144 - Verbesserte
                      Quantifizierung von Bodenfeuchte und Biomasse durch
                      Kombination von bodengestützter Neutronen- und
                      LiDAR-Sensorik und Modellierung (413955144)},
      pid          = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-2173 / G:(GEPRIS)413955144},
      typ          = {PUB:(DE-HGF)24},
      doi          = {10.5194/egusphere-egu25-12351},
      url          = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1049555},
}