Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 116713 |
| Journal | GEODERMA |
| Volume | 440 |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2023 |
Abstract
Assessing root sources of three uncertainties – parameterization of soil hydraulic characteristics, boundary conditions, and estimation of source/sink terms – is a significant challenge in soil water transport modeling. This study aims to evaluate the uncertainty of three each widely-used parameter estimation methods affecting plot-scale water dynamics. The study employs HYDRUS, a process-based hydrologic model, to incorporate these uncertainties and compare model predictions to measured values in a semiarid Inner Mongolia steppe, China. Soil hydraulic parameters are determined using two direct methods (laboratory-derived approach and evaporation method) and one indirect method (neural network). While each hydraulic parameter method generally simulates soil moisture dynamics, the evaporation method performed better, especially under dry conditions. This suggests that measuring the intensity properties, such as unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, with the evaporation method is crucial for reasonable soil moisture simulation. The study also demonstrates the impact of different applied boundary conditions on simulated soil moisture, specifically the partitioning of reference FAO evapotranspiration via one direct method (soil fraction cover) and two indirect methods (leaf area index and crop height). The partitioning via soil fraction cover reflected a better simulation. Additionally, the study compares the uncertainties of root water uptake function with root growth parameters and constant root depth referenced to grass and pasture, and finds no significant difference among them. Comparing three sources of uncertainty in predicting soil moisture, the study concludes that the input soil hydraulic parameter is more sensitive than evapotranspiration partitioning or representation of root water uptake function. Our study highlights that measuring soil intensity properties can better reflect the effects of land use change, such as compaction, on field water transports.
Keywords
- Evapotranspiration, Root water uptake, Soil moisture simulation, Uncertainty analysis, Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Soil Science
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: GEODERMA, Vol. 440, 116713, 12.2023.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Characterizing uncertainty in process-based hydraulic modeling, exemplified in a semiarid Inner Mongolia steppe
AU - Zhao, Ying
AU - Wang, Haixia
AU - Song, Bing
AU - Xue, Pengfei
AU - Zhang, Wangchen
AU - Peth, Stephan
AU - Lee Hill, Robert
AU - Horn, Rainer
N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (41977009), the Taishan Scholars Program, China (201812096), the Cooperation Project of Key Laboratory of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the German Research Council (DFG) in the framework of the Interdisciplinary Research Project MAGIM (Matter fluxes in grasslands of Inner Mongolia as influenced by stocking rate), and the Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42320104006).
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Assessing root sources of three uncertainties – parameterization of soil hydraulic characteristics, boundary conditions, and estimation of source/sink terms – is a significant challenge in soil water transport modeling. This study aims to evaluate the uncertainty of three each widely-used parameter estimation methods affecting plot-scale water dynamics. The study employs HYDRUS, a process-based hydrologic model, to incorporate these uncertainties and compare model predictions to measured values in a semiarid Inner Mongolia steppe, China. Soil hydraulic parameters are determined using two direct methods (laboratory-derived approach and evaporation method) and one indirect method (neural network). While each hydraulic parameter method generally simulates soil moisture dynamics, the evaporation method performed better, especially under dry conditions. This suggests that measuring the intensity properties, such as unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, with the evaporation method is crucial for reasonable soil moisture simulation. The study also demonstrates the impact of different applied boundary conditions on simulated soil moisture, specifically the partitioning of reference FAO evapotranspiration via one direct method (soil fraction cover) and two indirect methods (leaf area index and crop height). The partitioning via soil fraction cover reflected a better simulation. Additionally, the study compares the uncertainties of root water uptake function with root growth parameters and constant root depth referenced to grass and pasture, and finds no significant difference among them. Comparing three sources of uncertainty in predicting soil moisture, the study concludes that the input soil hydraulic parameter is more sensitive than evapotranspiration partitioning or representation of root water uptake function. Our study highlights that measuring soil intensity properties can better reflect the effects of land use change, such as compaction, on field water transports.
AB - Assessing root sources of three uncertainties – parameterization of soil hydraulic characteristics, boundary conditions, and estimation of source/sink terms – is a significant challenge in soil water transport modeling. This study aims to evaluate the uncertainty of three each widely-used parameter estimation methods affecting plot-scale water dynamics. The study employs HYDRUS, a process-based hydrologic model, to incorporate these uncertainties and compare model predictions to measured values in a semiarid Inner Mongolia steppe, China. Soil hydraulic parameters are determined using two direct methods (laboratory-derived approach and evaporation method) and one indirect method (neural network). While each hydraulic parameter method generally simulates soil moisture dynamics, the evaporation method performed better, especially under dry conditions. This suggests that measuring the intensity properties, such as unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, with the evaporation method is crucial for reasonable soil moisture simulation. The study also demonstrates the impact of different applied boundary conditions on simulated soil moisture, specifically the partitioning of reference FAO evapotranspiration via one direct method (soil fraction cover) and two indirect methods (leaf area index and crop height). The partitioning via soil fraction cover reflected a better simulation. Additionally, the study compares the uncertainties of root water uptake function with root growth parameters and constant root depth referenced to grass and pasture, and finds no significant difference among them. Comparing three sources of uncertainty in predicting soil moisture, the study concludes that the input soil hydraulic parameter is more sensitive than evapotranspiration partitioning or representation of root water uptake function. Our study highlights that measuring soil intensity properties can better reflect the effects of land use change, such as compaction, on field water transports.
KW - Evapotranspiration
KW - Root water uptake
KW - Soil moisture simulation
KW - Uncertainty analysis
KW - Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85177741806&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116713
DO - 10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116713
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85177741806
VL - 440
JO - GEODERMA
JF - GEODERMA
SN - 0016-7061
M1 - 116713
ER -