Abstract
Observing state variables, fluxes, and key properties in terrestrial ecosystems should not be seen as disjointed, but rather as fruitfully complementary to ecosystem dynamics modeling. This intertwined view should also take the organization of the monitoring equipment into due account. This review paper explores the value of the interplay between observations and predictions by presenting and discussing some selected studies dealing with vadose zone hydrology. I argue for an advanced vision in carrying out these two tasks to tackle the issues of ecosystem services and general environmental challenges more effectively. There is a recognized need to set up networks of critical zone observatories in which strategies are developed and tested that combine different measurement techniques with the use of models of different complexity.
Highlights
Intertwining the description of observed variables and system parameters with model simulations is definitely not new in science
The permanent wilting point is derived from the soil water retention function (see Equation (4)) when the matric suction head takes on the value hPW = 150 m, which is considered a sort of standard measure of this soil condition [8]
MFC2 drainage sub-catchment, thethe redred crosses are the wherewhere soil moisture value is value measured by time domain sub-catchment, crosses arelocations the locations soil moisture is measured by time reflectometry (TDR) probes, the red polygon delimits the unmanned aerial system (UAS)
Summary
Intertwining the description of observed variables and system parameters with model simulations is definitely not new in science. To overcome some difficulties and drawbacks of the RE, the daily soil–moisture dynamics can be described by resorting to an integral, but simplified, description of the hydrological processes occurring on a vegetated land surface known in the literature as the bucketing approach In most cases, this model assumes the soil as being made up of a single layer that behaves like a bucket, receiving and retaining all incident water until its storage capacity is filled. The map of an indicator of soil hydrological response concerns the entire area of Campania, whereas the analysis and mapping of field-scale soil moisture variability using administrative area of Campania, whereas the analysis and mapping of field-scale soil moisture different techniques refer to two distinct sites: the San Giuseppiello and Monteforte Cilento (MFC2).
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