Mesoscale soil moisture survey by mobile cosmic-ray neutron sensor across various landscapes in the Heihe River Basin

Abstract

The cosmic-ray neutron technology is a novel method for upscaling soil moisture, holding significant importance in drought monitoring, soil water storage estimation, calibration of remote sensing products, and data assimilation of land surface models. However, most studies conducted soil moisture measurement experiments using static Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensors (CRNS) and are often limited to a single landscape, lacking in-situ measurement for the cosmic-ray neutron rover across various landscapes. This study carried out soil moisture observation experiments using a cosmic-ray neutron rover in nine grassland plots, nine farmland plots, and nine desert plots of the Heihe River Basin, Northwest China. The neutron counts displayed clear variations among different plots, and an equation could represent the relationship between neutron intensity and multiple variables near the ground. The parameter N0 was the smallest for grassland and greatest for desert, and there was a significant negative correlation between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and N0 (P <0.05). Furthermore, the performance of CRNS notably improved after considering soil lattice water and soil organic matter. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) between the measured and oven-dried soil moisture increased with radius. Soil moisture measured by CRNS strongly supported the 100 m diameter footprint assumption (RMSE <0.044 g/g). The study offers valuable insights into the application and promotion of cosmic-ray neutron technology across various landscapes within a basin.