Potential of soil moisture observations in flood modelling: Estimating initial conditions and correcting rainfall

Rainfall runoff (RR) models are fundamental tools for reducing flood hazards. Although several studies have highlighted the potential of soil moisture (SM) observations to improve flood modelling, much research has still to be done for fully exploiting the evident connection between SM and runoff. As a way of example, improving the quality of forcing data, i.e. rainfall observations, may have a great benefit in flood simulation. Such data are the main hydrological forcing of classical RR models but may suffer from poor quality and record interruption issues. This study explores the potential of using SM observations to improve rainfall observations and set a reliable initial wetness condition of the catchment for improving the capability in flood modelling. In particular, a RR model, which incorporates SM for its initialization, and an algorithm for rainfall estimation from SM observations are coupled using a simple integration method. The study carried out at the Valescure experimental catchment (France) demonstrates the high information content retained by SM for RR transformation, thus giving new possibilities for improving hydrological applications. Results show that an appropriate configuration of the two models allows obtaining improvement in flood simulation up to 15% in mean and 34% in median Nash Sutcliffe performances as well as a reduction of the median error in volume and on peak discharge of about 30% and 15%, respectively.     

The significance of rainstorm variations to shallow translational hillslope failure

Landsliding in eastern Scotland results from high-magnitude rainstorms generated under either cyclonic or anticyclonic conditions, particularly during the summer. Data from Aviemore indicated that cyclonic storms produce higher rainfall totals than anticyclonic storms, as well as being of longer duration and lower intensity. The distribution of rain during individual storms also varies with the synoptic conditions under which the storms are produced. These different rainfall characteristics produce different geomorphic responses, which can be investigated in detail using physical based modelling. In this paper, a physically based coupled hydrology–stability model is used to assess the significance of these rainfall characteristics to soil moisture response and slope instability for mature podsols. The results provide evidence that rainstorms of different synoptic origin produce varying hydrological response, involving both the extent and the timing of moisture content change. This affects the depth and timing of slope failure, with anticyclonic storms promoting a large, rapid response in the factor of safety at shallow depths within the soil. Cyclonic storms produce a more gradual response, with the region of probable failure being deeper. Futhermore, each of these storm types is associated with different rainfall distributions, and this is also shown to have a significant effect on the timing and depth of slope instability.     

Geotechnical evaluation of slope and ground failures during the 8 October 2005 Muzaffarabad earthquake, Pakistan

A large devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 struck in Kashmir on Oct. 8, 2005. The largest city influenced by the earthquake was Muzaffarabad. Balakot town was the nearest settlement to the epicenter, and it was the most heavily damaged. The earthquake caused extensive damage to housing and structures founded on loose deposits or weathered/sheared rock masses. Furthermore, extensive slope failures occurred along Neelum and Jhelum valleys, which obstructed both river flow and roadways. In this article, failures of natural and cut slopes as well as other ground failures induced by the earthquake and their geotechnical evaluation are presented, and their implications on civil infrastructures and site selection for reconstruction and rehabilitation are discussed. It is suggested that if housing and constructions on soil slopes containing boulders as observed in Balakot and Muzaffarabad are allowed, there should be a safety zone between the slope crest and allowable construction boundary.     

The influence of slope angle on soil entrainment by sheetwash and rainsplash

Although a number of studies of the variation of soil transport with increase in slope angle have appeared, few include an information on the interaction of sheetwash and rainsplash on high slope angles, which is necessary to test Horton's proposed polynomial relationship. Virtually no studies are available which compare the influence of changes in soil type or antecedent moisture on established relationships. This paper reports the testing of eight soils from Alberta, Canada, under simulated rainfall on ten slopes from 3° to 30°. Material eroded was separated into that transported by rainsplash and that by sheetwash. In general, it was found that the influence of changes in slope angle on soil transport is best described by polynomial relationships, but these are shown to vary considerably between rainspash and sheetwash, between different soil types and for different antecedent moisture conditions. Despite careful control of all factors other than slope angle very high variability of results was experienced. Causes of variability are examined and the need for evaluation of the effect of test plot size on variability of results is suggested.     

A stochastic differential equation approach to soil moisture

The dynamics of water within the unsaturated root zone of the soil are represented by a pair of stochastic differential equations (SDE's), one representing the so-called surplus state of the moisture and the other the deficit condition. The inputs to the model are the climatically controlled random infiltration events and evapotranspiration which are modeled as a compound Poisson process and a Wiener (Brownian motion) process, respectively.The solutions to these SDE's are not in close-form but sample functions are obtained by numerical integration. The moment properties of the soil moisture evolution process have also been derived analytically including the mean, variance, covariance and autocorrelation functions.To illustrate the model, climatic parameters representing the surplus and deficit cases and properties of clay loam soil have been used to numerically derived the corresponding sample functions. With proper selection of all the parameters, physically realistic sample trajectories can be obtained for the model.     

Towards the estimation root-zone soil moisture via the simultaneous assimilation of thermal and microwave soil moisture retrievals

The upcoming deployment of satellite-based microwave sensors designed specifically to retrieve surface soil moisture represents an important milestone in efforts to develop hydrologic applications for remote sensing observations. However, typical measurement depths of microwave-based soil moisture retrievals are generally considered too shallow (top 2–5 cm of the soil column) for many important water cycle and agricultural applications. Recent work has demonstrated that thermal remote sensing estimates of surface radiometric temperature provide a complementary source of land surface information that can be used to define a robust proxy for root-zone (top 1 m of the soil column) soil moisture availability. In this analysis, we examine the potential benefits of simultaneously assimilating both microwave-based surface soil moisture retrievals and thermal infrared-based root-zone soil moisture estimates into a soil water balance model using a series of synthetic twin data assimilation experiments conducted at the USDA Optimizing Production Inputs for Economic and Environmental Enhancements (OPE³) site. Results from these experiments illustrate that, relative to a baseline case of assimilating only surface soil moisture retrievals, the assimilation of both root- and surface-zone soil moisture estimates reduces the root-mean-square difference between estimated and true root-zone soil moisture by 50% to 35% (assuming instantaneous root-zone soil moisture retrievals are obtained at an accuracy of between 0.020 and 0.030 m³ m⁻³). Most significantly, improvements in root-zone soil moisture accuracy are seen even for cases in which root-zone soil moisture retrievals are assumed to be relatively inaccurate (i.e. retrievals errors of up to 0.070 m³ m⁻³) or limited to only very sparse sampling (i.e. one instantaneous measurement every eight days). Preliminary real data results demonstrate a clear increase in the R² correlation coefficient with ground-based root-zone observations (from 0.51 to 0.73) upon assimilation of actual surface soil moisture and tower-based thermal infrared temperature observations made at the OPE³ study site.     

Structure in fluctuations of large-scale soil moisture climate due to external random forcing and internal feedbacks

Large-scale fields of soil moisture are forced by atmospheric precipitation and radiative forcing. When these forcing factors are themselves influenced by surface and soil moisture processes, the result is a nonlinear land-atmosphere system with inherent feedback mechanisms that may strongly modulate variability in climate. Given such feedbacks, simple randomness in the forcing factors may be manifested as a complex statistical signature in the surface hydrology. In this paper, we investigate the impacts of non-Gaussian and colored-noise on the probability distribution of soil moisture resulting from the statistical-dynamical land-atmosphere interaction model of Rodriguez-Iturbe et al. (1991). Persistence of hydroclimatologic anomalies as characterized by the correlation time scale of soil moisture is discussed.     

Spatial variation in solutional denudation and soil moisture over a hillslope hollow

A spatial pattern of relative solutional denudation is described for a hillslope hollow and adjacent spurs at Bicknoller Combe, Somerset. The pattern was obtained from a network of micro-weight loss rock tablets emplaced in the soil. The results show that the hollow is the main locus of solutional denudation. The soil moisture distribution over the hollow indicates that it is a transmission zone for acid soil water percolating from the adjacent spurs to the saturated wedge at the base of the hollow. The wetter acid soils in the hollow are responsible for the relatively higher solutional denudation taking place in the hollow.     

Structure in fluctuations of large-scale soil moisture climate due to external random forcing and internal feedbacks

Large-scale fields of soil moisture are forced by atmospheric precipitation and radiative forcing. When these forcing factors are themselves influenced by surface and soil moisture processes, the result is a nonlinear land-atmosphere system with inherent feedback mechanisms that may strongly modulate variability in climate. Given such feedbacks, simple randomness in the forcing factors may be manifested as a complex statistical signature in the surface hydrology. In this paper, we investigate the impacts of non-Gaussian and colored-noise on the probability distribution of soil moisture resulting from the statistical-dynamical land-atmosphere interaction model of Rodriguez-Iturbe et al. (1991). Persistence of hydroclimatologic anomalies as characterized by the correlation time scale of soil moisture is discussed.     

Simulating sensitivity of soil moisture and evapotranspiration under heterogeneous soils and land uses

Soil moisture (SM) plays an important role in land surface and atmospheric interactions. It modifies energy balance at the surface and the rate of water cycling between the land and atmosphere. In this paper we provide a sensitivity assessment of SM and ET for heterogeneous soil physical properties and for three land uses including irrigated maize, rainfed maize, and grass at a climatological time-scale by using a water balance model. Not surprisingly, the study finds increased soil water content in the root zone throughout the year under irrigated farming. Soil water depletes to its lowest level under rainfed maize cultivation. We find a ‘land use’ effect as high as 36 percent of annual total evapotranspiration, under irrigated maize compared to rainfed maize and grass, respectively. Sensitivity analyses consisting of comparative simulations using the model show that soil characteristics, like water holding capacity, influence SM in the root zone and affect seasonal total ET estimates at the climatological time-scale. This ‘soils’ effect is smaller than the ‘land use’ effect associated with irrigation but, it is a source of consistent bias for both SM and ET estimates. The ‘climate’ effect basically masks the ‘soils’ effect under wet conditions. These results lead us to conclude that appropriate representation of land use, soils, and climate are necessary to accurately represent the water and energy balance in real landscapes.     

洞庭湖洲滩土壤种子库对土壤水分变化的响应

由于三峡大坝及上游水库群的运行,长江中下游水域水文节律随之发生了改变,导致洞庭湖枯水期提前,进而影响洞庭湖洲滩植被及其土壤种子库的分布格局.本研究在洞庭湖4个自然保护区内选取共11个典型洲滩湿地,沿由水到陆方向根据植被类型将洲滩分为泥沙洲滩、泥沙—湖草洲滩过渡带、湖草洲滩、湖草—南荻洲滩过渡带、南荻洲滩5种洲滩类型.通过样带—样方法调查和采样,并结合湿润和水淹两种条件下的土壤种子库萌发实验,分析了土壤水分变化对洲滩种子库萌发特征的影响及土壤种子库与地表植被的关系.结果显示:①土壤含水量沿水到陆方向由泥沙洲滩向南荻洲滩递减;②不同类型洲滩土壤种子库密度没有显著差异;③温室萌发实验中,水淹条件下土壤种子库物种丰富度和种子库密度显著降低,东洞庭湖自然保护区土壤种子库物种丰富度和种子库密度较高;④地表植被物种丰富度高于土壤种子库,泥沙洲滩土壤种子库与地表植被物种组成的Jaccard相似性指数最低.此外,虉草(Phalaris arundinacea)、芦苇(Phragmites communis)、南荻(Miscanthus sacchariflorus)等只在地表植被中存在,而陌上菜(Lin...     

Effects of rainfall intensity and slope gradient on the application of vetiver grass mulch in soil and water conservation

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of rainfall intensity and slope gradient on the performance ofvetiver grass mulch (VGM) in soil and water conservation.The study involved field ...     

Assimilation of streamflow and in situ soil moisture data into operational distributed hydrologic models: Effects of uncertainties in the data and initial model soil moisture states

We assess the potential of updating soil moisture states of a distributed hydrologic model by assimilating streamflow and in situ soil moisture data for high-resolution analysis and prediction of streamflow and soil moisture. The model used is the gridded Sacramento (SAC) and kinematic-wave routing models of the National Weather Service (NWS) Hydrology Laboratory’s Research Distributed Hydrologic Model (HL-RDHM) operating at an hourly time step. The data assimilation (DA) technique used is variational assimilation (VAR). Assimilating streamflow and soil moisture data into distributed hydrologic models is new and particularly challenging due to the large degrees of freedom associated with the inverse problem. This paper reports findings from the first phase of the research in which we assume, among others, perfectly known hydrometeorological forcing. The motivation for the simplification is to reduce the complexity of the problem in favour of improved understanding and easier interpretation even if it may compromise the goodness of the results. To assess the potential, two types of experiments, synthetic and real-world, were carried out for Eldon (ELDO2), a 795-km² headwater catchment located near the Oklahoma (OK) and Arkansas (AR) border in the U.S. The synthetic experiment assesses the upper bound of the performance of the assimilation procedure under the idealized conditions of no structural or parametric errors in the models, a full dynamic range and no microscale variability in the in situ observations of soil moisture, and perfectly known univariate statistics of the observational errors. The results show that assimilating in situ soil moisture data in addition to streamflow data significantly improves analysis and prediction of soil moisture and streamflow, and that assimilating streamflow observations at interior locations in addition to those at the outlet improves analysis and prediction of soil moisture within the drainage areas of the interior stream gauges and of streamflow at downstream cells along the channel network. To assess performance under more realistic conditions, but still under the assumption of perfectly known hydrometeorological forcing to allow comparisons with the synthetic experiment, an exploratory real-world experiment was carried out in which all other assumptions were lifted. The results show that, expectedly, assimilating interior flows in addition to outlet flow improves analysis as well as prediction of streamflow at stream gauge locations, but that assimilating in situ soil moisture data in addition to streamflow data provides little improvement in streamflow analysis and prediction though it reduces systematic biases in soil moisture simulation.     

Real-time forecasting of water table depth and soil moisture profiles

We present a method for real-time forecasting of water table depth and soil moisture profiles. The method combines a simple form of data-assimilation with a moving window calibration of a deterministic model describing flow in the unsaturated zone and local as well as regional drainage. The local drainage level is calibrated on-line using a moving window calibration. Assigning more weight to the last available measurements then yields a form of model adaptation that is in between on-line calibration and data-assimilation (i.e. a simplified form of Newtonian nudging). Five-day hydrological forecasts are performed based on 5-day weather forecasts, while on-line observations of phreatic level and soil moisture content are assimilated on a daily basis. Advantages of the proposed method are that it improves the real-time forecasts compared to off-line calibration and ordinary moving window calibration and that it yields physically consistent soil moisture profiles.     

Spatial and temporal dynamics of soil moisture after rainfall events along a slope in Regosols of southwest China

High frequency seasonal drought in purple soils (Regosols in FAO taxonomy) of the hilly upland areas of Sichuan basin, China, is one of the key restrictive factors for crop production. In order to manage irrigation and fertilizer application in these soils effectively, the soil water content in a sloped plot with 60 cm soil depth was measured by neutron probe devices to investigate the soil moisture regime during the 1998 rainy season after various amounts of rainfall events. The results showed that variation of soil moisture along the slope positions was highest in the top soil layer during the period of sporadic rainfall that did not induce any runoff. The coefficients of variation of soil moisture at various slope positions (upper, middle, and lower) are 17·36%, 8·95%, 10·25%, 8·58%, 8·05% and 9·21% at the 10 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm, 40 cm, 50 cm and 60 cm soil depths respectively. When surface runoff occurred, the soil moisture dynamics at various positions on the plot were then very different. Soil water content decreased more rapidly on the upper slope than on the middle and lower slope positions. When both surface runoff and throughflow occurred, the soil moisture dynamics in the various layers showed a stable period (soil water content is near constant as time elapses) that lasted about 1 week. Also, the pattern of moisture dynamics is ‘decreasing–stabilization–decreasing’. Thus, irrigation and fertilization management according to the spatial and temporal features of soil moisture dynamics on sloped land can increase the water and fertilizer utilization efficacy by reducing their losses during the stable period. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sensing with boots and trousers — qualitative field observations of shallow soil moisture patterns

While soil moisture patterns can be interesting traits to investigate spatio‐temporal heterogeneity of catchments relevant for various physical processes of soil–atmosphere interaction and soil water redistribution, many of the existing methods to capture spatial patterns are time consuming, expensive or need site‐specific calibration. In this study we present a quick and inexpensive supplementary field method for classifying soil wetness in wet environments. The seven wetness classes are based on qualitative indicators, which one can touch, hear or see on the soil surface. To counter critics that such qualitative methods are considerably affected by subjectivity, we performed systematic testing of the method by taking qualitative measurements in the field with 20 non‐expert raters. We then analyzed these in terms of degree of agreement and assessed the results against gravimetric sampling and time domain reflectometry measurements. In 70% of all classifications raters agreed on the wetness class assigned to the marked sampling locations and in 95% they were not off by more than one wetness class. The seven quantitative wetness classes agreed with gravimetric and time domain reflectometry measurements, although intermediate to wet classes showed an overlap of their range whereas the driest classes showed considerable spread. Despite some potential to optimize the method, it has been shown to be a reliable supplement to existing quantitative techniques for assessing soil moisture patterns in wet environments. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial patterns from EOF analysis of soil moisture at a large scale and their dependence on soil,land-use,and topographic properties

We hypothesize that the spatial and temporal variation in large-scale soil moisture patterns can be described by a small number of spatial structures that are related to soil texture, land use, and topography. To test this hypothesis, an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis is conducted using data from the 1997 Southern Great Plains field campaign. When considering the spatial soil moisture anomalies, one spatial structure (EOF) is identified that explains 61% of the variance, and three such structures explain 87% of the variance. The primary EOF is most highly correlated with the percent sand in the soil among the regional characteristics considered, but the correlation with percent clay is largest if only dry days are analyzed. When considering the temporal anomalies, one EOF explains 50% of the variance. This EOF is still most closely related to the percent sand, but the percent clay is unimportant. Characteristics related to land use and topography are less correlated with the spatial and temporal variation of soil moisture in the range of scales considered.     

On the interrelations between topography,soil depth,soil moisture,transpiration rates and species distribution at the hillslope scale

Relations between the spatial patterns of soil moisture, soil depth, and transpiration and their influence on the hillslope water balance are not well understood. When determining a water balance for a hillslope, small scale variations in soil depth are often ignored. In this study we found that these variations in soil depth can lead to distinct patterns in transpiration rates across a hillslope. We measured soil moisture content at 0.05 and 0.10 m depth intervals between the soil surface and the soil–bedrock boundary on 64 locations across the trenched hillslope in the Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Georgia, USA. We related these soil moisture data to transpiration rates measured in 14 trees across the hillslope using 28 constant heat sapflow sensors. Results showed a lack of spatial structure in soil moisture across the hillslope and with depth when the hillslope was in either the wet or the dry state. However, during the short transition period between the wet and dry state, soil moisture did become spatially organized with depth and across the hillslope. Variations in soil depth and thus total soil water stored in the soil profile at the end of the wet season caused differences in soil moisture content and transpiration rates between upslope and midslope sections at the end of the summer. In the upslope section, which has shallower soils, transpiration became limited by soil moisture while in the midslope section with deeper soils, transpiration was not limited by soil moisture. These spatial differences in soil depth, total water available at the end of the wet season and soil moisture content during the summer appear responsible for the observed spatial differences in basal area and species distribution between the upslope and midslope sections of the hillslope.     

Stability of banded vegetation patterns under seasonal rainfall and limited soil moisture storage capacity

The delicate equilibrium of soil moisture and biomass may become unstable under water scarcity conditions causing banded vegetation patterns to form on hillsides of semi-arid catchments. Soil related processes that induce instability (namely: soil moisture advection and diffusion), have been evaluated numerically for different rainfall regimes. This study addresses the combined influence of some relevant soil characteristics, and the effect of seasonal precipitation on vegetation patterns, advancing the comprehension of those mechanisms that cause shifts toward banded vegetation patterns or bare states.     

Improved SAL method and its application to verifying regional soil moisture forecasting

The regional verification of soil moisture is a vital step in evaluating and improving numerical model performance and utilizing forecast results. Currently, even with improved spatial and temporal resolutions of numerical model, verification methods for soil moisture data still rely on the traditional intensity verification parameters, such as mean error (ME) and root-mean-squared error (RMSE). Those methods provide only incomplete and sometimes inaccurate messages and thus hinder a proper evaluation of a forecast model. The SAL method is an object-based regional verification method with respect to precipitation forecasts. Based on the SAL method, a novel object-based method (SAL-DN) is proposed here, which can be used to test regional soil moisture. Both the ideal experiment and real experiment show that the SAL-DN method can reveal the differences between the observed and forecast soil moisture in three aspects: structure, amplitude, and location, and the results can reflect the actual situation. Furthermore, compared with the SAL method, the SAL-DN method is also capable of verifying physical quantities with high-value and low-value centers like temperature. Therefore, the SAL-DN method enhances verification accuracy and can be applied widely.