Search results for "Content"

Research as Response

2010

In this article research is viewed as a response to a questioning from outside. Knowledge develops in steps, each step understood as a response to the questioning of the previous step. Today’s research is a conglomerate of responses to the questioning of yesterday’s research. Under the current conditions the questioning of knowledge and research is more directed towards the individual than before. The researcher is challenged to answer the questioning directed to his or her research. From this it is argued that the ability of the researcher to respond implies a responsibility. The content of this responsibility depends on the discourse in question. In business management the responsibility…

Surface soil water content estimation based on thermal inertia and Bayesian smoothing

2014

Soil water content plays a critical role in agro-hydrology since it regulates the rainfall partition between surface runoff and infiltration and, the energy partition between sensible and latent heat fluxes. Current thermal inertia models characterize the spatial and temporal variability of water content by assuming a sinusoidal behavior of the land surface temperature between subsequent acquisitions. Such behavior implicitly supposes clear sky during the whole interval between the thermal acquisitions; but, since this assumption is not necessarily verified even if sky is clear at the exact epoch of acquisition, , the accuracy of the model may be questioned due to spatial and temporal varia…

The Use of Analysis of Weather Types to Complete the Studies of Soil Erosion in Vineyards and Abandoned Areas

2019

This presentation aims to quantify water and soil losses due to rainfall and specific soil management practices in combination with an analysis of which kind of weather type and rainfall event is able to cause specific surface flows and soil loss rates. As study area, we used the specific case of the sloping vineyards of the Montes de Malaga (South Spain). Two different plots were used: one cultivated area and poorly managed abandoned one. The in situ measures were conducted using sediment collectors to estimate sediment yield (g m−1) and surface runoff (L m−1) and an analysis of the weather conditions during each rainfall event using different meteorological sources. The weather types that…

Integrating geophysical and geostatistical techniques to map the spatial variation of clay

2012

Abstract The development of subsoil models represents an important aspect of land resource evaluation, because they can provide an accurate description of the spatial variability in soil properties. Although direct soil sampling provides the best information in terms of soil properties, sample density is rarely adequate to accurately describe the horizontal and vertical variability of the physical properties of soil. Geophysical methods, such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors, provide rapid, non-invasive and exhaustive ways for subsoil characterization. Moreover, geophysical methods can be integrated with geostatistics to map soil properties. This…

SENTINEL-1 for wheat mapping and soil moisture retrieval

2015

The main objective of this study is to assess the use of Sentinel-1 (S-1) data for surface soil moisture (SSM) retrieval and wheat mapping (WM) at high spatial resolution (e.g. 100–500m), which constitute valuable information for improving crop yield forecast at large scale. A knowledge based classification method and a SSM retrieval algorithm, developed in view of the European Space Agency Sentinel-1 mission, have been applied to a time series of S-1A data collected from October 2014 to April 2015 over a well-documented agricultural site in southern Italy. In particular, observations of SSM content recorded by a network of ground stations deployed in an experimental farm have been used to …

Responses of methane oxidation to temperature and water content in cover soil of a boreal landfill

2007

Abstract Methane oxidation in a cover soil of a landfill located in a boreal climate was studied at temperatures ranging from 1–19 °C and with water content of 7–34% of dry weight (dw), corresponding to 17–81% of water-holding capacity (WHC) in order to better understand the factors regulating CH 4 oxidation at low temperatures. CH 4 consumption was detected at all the temperatures studied (1–19 °C) and an increase in CH 4 consumption rate in consecutive incubations was obtained even at 1 °C, indicating activation or increase in enzymes and/or microorganisms responsible for CH 4 oxidation. CH 4 consumption was reduced with low water content (17%WHC) at all temperatures. The response of CH 4…

Assessing Field and Laboratory Calibration Protocols for the Diviner 2000 Probe in a Range of Soils with Different Textures

2016

Frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) downhole sensors have been increasingly used for soil moisture field monitoring because they allow measurement, even continuously, along a soil profile. Moreover, they can also be installed with minimal soil disturbance around the access tube. The objectives of the paper were to assess the field and laboratory calibration protocols for a FDR capacitance probe (Diviner 2000) for a range of soils characterized by different particle size distributions and shrink/swell potential and to propose a practical and effective protocol on the basis of undisturbed soil samples, accounting for soil shrinkage/swelling processes characterizing swelling clay soils. The e…

2014

Abstract. Biogenic NOx emissions from natural and anthropogenically influenced soils are currently estimated to amount to 9 Tg a−1, hence a significant fraction of global NOx emissions (45 Tg a−1). During the last three decades, a large number of field measurements have been performed to quantify biogenic NO emissions. To study biogenic NO emissions as a function of soil moisture, soil temperature, and soil nutrients, several laboratory approaches have been developed to estimate local/regional NO emissions by suitable upscaling. This study presents an improved and automated laboratory dynamic chamber system (consisting of six individual soil chambers) for investigation and quantification of…

Spatial Distribution of Soil Hydrological Properties in the Kilombero Floodplain, Tanzania

2017

Analysis and interpretation of soil properties dynamics is a keystone in understanding the hydrologic responses and yield potential of floodplain wetlands. This study characterizes the distribution and spatial trends of selected soil physical properties in the Kilombero floodplain, Tanzania. A total of 76 composite soil samples were taken from 0 to 20 cm and 20 to 40 cm depth in a regular grid design across three hydrological zones, related to flooding intensity defined as fringe, middle, and riparian during the rainy season of 2015. The samples were analyzed for soil texture, bulk density, organic carbon, and saturated hydraulic conductivity. Seasonal soil moisture content was monitored at…

Effects of solarisation on soil thermal-physical properties under different soil treatments: A review

2020

Solarisation technology allows for improving soil quality as well as crop productivity. The influence of the properties and method of use of plastic materials used to cover soils, such as the number and thickness of layers, and colour of the material, significantly alters soil thermal-physical properties. These effects can be managed and modified to increase solarisation efficiency by achieving a decrease in vapour movement between the soil surface and the atmosphere. Also, soil solarisation establishes microclimates that increase the effectiveness of fertilisers, thus modifying the soil thermal-physical properties. However, there is a lack of complete and general overview of this widely us…