Abstract
Optimization of field techniques is crucial to ensure high quality soil moisture data. The aim of the work is to present a sampling method for undisturbed soil and soil water content to calibrated soil moisture probes, in a context of the SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) mission MIRAS Level 2 soil moisture product validation in Pampean Region of Argentina. The method avoids soil alteration and is recommended to calibrated probes based on soil type under a freely drying process at ambient temperature. A detailed explanation of field and laboratory procedures to obtain reference soil moisture is shown. The calibration results reflected accurate operation for the Delta-T thetaProbe ML2x probes in most of analyzed cases (RMSE and bias≤0.05m3/m3). Post-calibration results indicated that the accuracy improves significantly applying the adjustments of the calibration based on soil types (RMSE≤0.022m3/m3, bias≤−0.010m3/m3).•A sampling method that provides high quality data of soil water content for calibration of probes is described.•Importance of calibration based on soil types.•A calibration process for similar soil types could be suitable in practical terms, depending on the required accuracy level.
Highlights
Method ArticleA method for soil moisture probes calibration and validation of satellite estimates Mauro Holzmana,*, Raúl Rivasb, Facundo Carmonac, Raquel Niclòsd a Instituto de Hidrología de Llanuras “Dr Eduardo J
The method is highly recommended to calibrated soil moisture probes based on soil type under a freely drying process at ambient temperature
The validation results reflected accurate operation for the four ML2x probes in most cases, with Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values lower than 0.046 m3/m3, which is in accordance with the manufacturer specifications using the supplied soil calibration (0.05 m3/m3) (Table 2) [9]
Summary
A method for soil moisture probes calibration and validation of satellite estimates Mauro Holzmana,*, Raúl Rivasb, Facundo Carmonac, Raquel Niclòsd a Instituto de Hidrología de Llanuras “Dr Eduardo J. Usunoff” (UNCPBA-CIC-MA), CONICET, UNCPBA-IHLLA, Azul B7300, Argentina b Instituto de Hidrología de Llanuras “Dr Eduardo J. Usunoff” (UNCPBA-CIC-MA), Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Tandil B7000, Argentina c Instituto de Hidrología de Llanuras “Dr Eduardo J. The aim of the work is to present a sampling method for undisturbed soil and soil water content to calibrated soil moisture probes, in a context of the SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) mission MIRAS Level 2 soil moisture product validation in Pampean Region of Argentina. A sampling method that provides high quality data of soil water content for calibration of probes is described. ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Soil water content, Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS), Land surface processes, Remote sensing Article history: Received 5 May 2017; Accepted 6 July 2017; Available online 18 July 2017
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