Field comparison of selected methods for vertical soil water content profiling
Abstract
High-resolution information about vertical variations in soil water content is important for a multitude of questions in soil science. Commonly applied tools for the investigation of vertical soil water content distribution include gravimetric laboratory analyses of soil samples, neutron probe measurements, or yet less well established, direct push-based moisture sensor probes. However, as these tools differ in underlying measurement principles as well as different operation modes, each of the aforementioned methods is associated with certain advantages and limitations. Hence, a common field evaluation is needed to evaluate performance of the individual methods under different depositional and hydrogeological conditions. Direct push-profiling was performed at three different test sites under different hydrogeological settings and varying degree of sediment heterogeneity and compared with results obtained from gravimetric analysis of soil cores and neutron probe measurements. In direct comparison the applied direct push-based sensor probe proved to be a suitable alternative to neutron probe technology, and, in addition, proved to be advantageous over gravimetric analysis in terms vertical resolution and time efficiency. Results of this study identify application-specific limitations of the methods and thereby highlight the need for careful data evaluation, even though some of the methods described in this paper are well established.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AGUFM.H43L..03V
- Keywords:
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- 1835 HYDROLOGY Hydrogeophysics;
- 1829 HYDROLOGY Groundwater hydrology;
- 1866 HYDROLOGY Soil moisture