<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Knowledge on soil moisture is indispensable for a range of hydrological models, since it exerts a considerable influence on runoff conditions. Proper tools are nowadays applied in order to gain in-sight into soil moisture status, especially of uppermost soil layers, which are prone to weather changes and land use practices. In order to establish relationships between meteorological conditions and topsoil moisture, a simple model would be required, characterized by low computational effort, simple structure and low number of identified and calibrated parameters. We demonstrated, that existing model for shallow soils, considering mass exchange between two layers (the upper and the lower), as well as with the atmosphere and subsoil, worked well for sandy loam with deep ground water table in Warsaw conurbation. GLUE (Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation) linked with GSA (Global Sensitivity Analysis) provided for final determination of parameter values and model confidence ranges. Including the uncertainty in a model structure, caused that the median soil moisture solution of the GLUE was shifted from the one optimal in deterministic sense. From the point of view of practical model application, the main shortcoming were the underestimated water exchange rates between the lower soil layer (ranging from the depth of 0.1 to 0.2 m below ground level) and subsoil. General model quality was found to be satisfactory and promising for its utilization for establishing measures to regain retention in urbanized conditions.</p></abstract>

Knowledge on soil moisture is indispensable for a range of hydrological models, since it exerts a considerable influence on runoff conditions. Proper tools are nowadays applied in order to gain in-sight into soil moisture status, especially of uppermost soil layers, which are prone to weather changes and land use practices. In order to establish relationships between meteorological conditions and topsoil moisture, a simple model would be required, characterized by low computational effort, simple structure and low number of identified and calibrated parameters. We demonstrated, that existing model for shallow soils, considering mass exchange between two layers (the upper and the lower), as well as with the atmosphere and subsoil, worked well for sandy loam with deep ground water table in Warsaw conurbation. GLUE (Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation) linked with GSA (Global Sensitivity Analysis) provided for final determination of parameter values and model confidence ranges. Including the uncertainty in a model structure, caused that the median soil moisture solution of the GLUE was shifted from the one optimal in deterministic sense. From the point of view of practical model application, the main shortcoming were the underestimated water exchange rates between the lower soil layer (ranging from the depth of 0.1 to 0.2 m below ground level) and subsoil. General model quality was found to be satisfactory and promising for its utilization for establishing measures to regain retention in urbanized conditions.

Uncertainty of Deardorff’s soil moisture model based on continuous TDR measurements for sandy loam soil

Water Center Laboratory, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences WULS-SGGW, 166 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warszawa, Poland.

Department of Hydraulics, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 166 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warszawa, Poland.

Department of Meteorology and Climatology, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 166 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warszawa, Poland.

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Knowledge on soil moisture is indispensable for a range of hydrological models, since it exerts a considerable influence on runoff conditions. Proper tools are...

Uncertainty of Deardorff’s soil moisture model based on continuous TDR measurements for sandy loam soil

Published Online: Jan 26, 2016

Page range: 23 - 29

Received: Nov 08, 2014

Accepted: Nov 05, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/johh-2016-0007

Keywords
Soil moisture, Modelling, Parameters uncertainty, GSA-GLUE analysis

© 2016 Andrzej Brandyk et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Uncertainty of Deardorff’s soil moisture model based on continuous TDR measurements for sandy loam soil

Published Online: Jan 26, 2016

Page range: 23 - 29

Received: Nov 08, 2014

Accepted: Nov 05, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/johh-2016-0007

KeywordsSoil moisture, Modelling, Parameters uncertainty, GSA-GLUE analysis

© 2016 Andrzej Brandyk et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Soil moisture, Modelling, Parameters uncertainty, GSA-GLUE analysis