Abstract
Spatiotemporal distribution of the soil moisture content of 0–10 cm underground has been assessed across the aroclimatic zones of Ukraine for the period 2000–2019. Calculated Soil Moisture Anomaly Index (SMAI) was used to characterize the degree of saturation of the soil, comparing to normal conditions. The North Atlantic Oscillation index (NAO) and the European Continental Blocking Index (ECBI) were used for the estimation of the influence of atmospheric circulation on soil moisture content in different seasons. The clear annual soil moisture content course is observed in all agroclimatic zones of Ukraine, when the maximum is observed in February, and the minimum is in August. The lowest soil moisture values are fixed in the Western Steppe and the maximum in the Carpathian region and Polesie. The analysis of time series of the SMAI showed the tendency to transition from mostly positive values to negative values in the past decade in summer and autumn. In winter and spring, no significant trends were found in the SMAI values. Analysis of the statistical relationship between the SMAI and the NAO indices, and the SMAI and the ECBI indices showed the features of the state of zonal flow and determined certain anomalies of soil moisture content.
Highlights
Ukraine has an rich reserve of fertile soil, so it can be one of the European leaders in the production of high-quality, environmentally friendly food
As a dynamic indicator for state of the zonal flow related to blocking processes, the regional European Continental Blocking Index (ECBI) was used [8], which is determined by a ratio of the current and climatic pentad values of zonal wind component (u) at the level 300 mb
The lowest average values of soil moisture content during the year are observed in the Western Steppe (15–31 kg/m2), and the maximum values are in the Carpathian region (24–38 kg/m2)
Summary
Ukraine has an rich reserve of fertile soil, so it can be one of the European leaders in the production of high-quality, environmentally friendly food. Evaporation and transpiration responsible for the rate of extraction of water from the soil during the drying are subjected to daily fluctuations. These fluctuations have a little effect on the full balance. Soil moisture content increase quite quickly during precipitation or irrigation, and slowly decrease between periods of the precipitation or/and irrigation [1]. This decrease is partially due to the gravitational flow of water, but mostly due to transpiration and surface evaporation. Depending on the balance of precipitation and transpiration, fluctuations in soil wetness are characterized by quite long periods (decade, month)
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