Wet Soil Moisture Research Articles

Predicting the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on malaria in coastal Kenya.

BackgroundThe transmission of malaria is highly variable and depends on a range of climatic and anthropogenic factors. This study investigates the combined, i.e. direct and indirect, impacts of climate change on the dynamics of malaria through modifications in: (i) the sporogonic cycle of Plasmodium induced by air temperature increase, and (ii) the life cycle of Anopheles vector triggered by changes in natural breeding habitat arising from the altered moisture dynamics resulting from acclimation responses of vegetation under climate change. The study is performed for a rural region in Kilifi county, Kenya.Methods and findingsWe use a stochastic lattice-based malaria (SLIM) model to make predictions of changes in Anopheles vector abundance, the life cycle of Plasmodium parasites, and thus malaria transmission under projected climate change in the study region. SLIM incorporates a nonlinear temperature-dependence of malaria parasite development to estimate the extrinsic incubation period of Plasmodium. It is also linked with a spatially distributed eco-hydrologic modeling framework to capture the impacts of climate change on soil moisture dynamics, which served as a key determinant for the formation and persistence of mosquito larval habitats on the land surface. Malaria incidence data collected from 2008 to 2013 is used for SLIM model validation. Projections of climate change and human population for the region are used to run the models for prediction scenarios.Under elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) only, modeled results reveal wetter soil moisture in the root zone due to the suppression of transpiration from vegetation acclimation, which increases the abundance of Anopheles vectors and the risk of malaria. When air temperature increases are also considered along with elevated [CO2], the life cycle of Anopheles vector and the extrinsic incubation period of Plasmodium parasites are shortened nonlinearly. However, the reduction of soil moisture resulting from higher evapotranspiration due to air temperature increase also reduces the larval habitats of the vector. Our findings show the complicated role of vegetation acclimation under elevated [CO2] on malaria dynamics and indicate an indirect but ignored impact of air temperature increase on malaria transmission through reduction in larval habitats and vector density.ConclusionsVegetation acclimation triggered by elevated [CO2] under climate change increases the risk of malaria. In addition, air temperature increase under climate change has opposing effects on mosquito larval habitats and the life cycles of both Anopheles vectors and Plasmodium parasites. The indirect impacts of temperature change on soil moisture dynamics are significant and should be weighed together with the direct effects of temperature change on the life cycles of mosquitoes and parasites for future malaria prediction and control.

Seasonal, interannual and decadal drivers of tree and grass productivity in an Australian tropical savanna.

Tree-grass savannas are a widespread biome and are highly valued for their ecosystem services. There is a need to understand the long-term dynamics and meteorological drivers of both tree and grass productivity separately in order to successfully manage savannas in the future. This study investigated the interannual variability (IAV) of tree and grass gross primary productivity (GPP) by combining a long-term (15year) eddy covariance flux record and model estimates of tree and grass GPP inferred from satellite remote sensing. On a seasonal basis, the primary drivers of tree and grass GPP were solar radiation in the wet season and soil moisture in the dry season. On an interannual basis, soil water availability had a positive effect on tree GPP and a negative effect on grass GPP. No linear trend in the tree-grass GPP ratio was observed over the 15-year study period. However, the tree-grass GPP ratio was correlated with the modes of climate variability, namely the Southern Oscillation Index. This study has provided insight into the long-term contributions of trees and grasses to savanna productivity, along with their respective meteorological determinants of IAV.

Growth and Yield Responses of Corn (Zea mays L.) as Affected by Growth Period and Irrigation Intensity

The frequency and intensity of soil moisture stress associated with climate change has increasing, and the stability of field crop cultivation has decreasing. This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of soil moisture management method on growth and yield of corn. Soil moisture was managed at the grade of WSM (wet soil moisture, 34.0~42.9%), OSM (optimum soil moisture, 27.8~34.0%), DSM (dry soil moisture, 20.3~27.8%), and ESM (extreme dry moisture, 16.6~20.3%) during V8 (8th leaf stage)-VT (tasseling stage). After VT, irrigation was limited. The treated amount of irrigation was 54.1, 47.7, 44.0 and 34.5% of total water requirement, respectively. The potential evapotranspiration during the growing period was 3.29 mm day-1, and upward movement of soil water was estimated by the AFKAE 0.5 model in the order of ESM, DSM, OSM, and WSM. We could confirm this phenomenon from actual observations. There was no significant difference in leaf characteristics, dry matter, and primary productivity depending on the level of soil moisture, but leaf development was delayed and dry weight decreased in DSM. However, dry weight and individual productivity of DSM increased after irrigation withdrawal compared to that of OSM. In DSM, ear yield and number of kernels per ear decreased, but water use efficiency and harvest index were higher than other treatments. Therefore, it is considered that the soil moisture is concentratedly managed before the V8 period, the V8-VT period is controlled within the range of 100 to 500 kPa (20.3~27.8%), and no additional irrigation is required after the VT. Yield responses of Zea mays L. as affected by irrigation scheme, WSM (10~33 kPa), OSM (33~100 kPa), DSM (100~500 kPa), and ESM (500~1500 kPa), during V8-VT.

Temporal and Spatial Comparison of Agricultural Drought Indices from Moderate Resolution Satellite Soil Moisture Data over Northwest Spain

During the last decade, a variety of agricultural drought indices have been developed using soil moisture (SM), or any of its surrogates, as the primary drought indicator. In this study, a comprehensive study of four innovative SM-based indices, the Soil Water Deficit Index (SWDI), the Soil Moisture Agricultural Drought Index (SMADI), the Soil Moisture Deficit Index (SMDI) and the Soil Wetness Deficit Index (SWetDI), is conducted over a large semi-arid crop region in northwest Spain. The indices were computed on a weekly basis from June 2010 to December 2016 using 1-km satellite SM estimations from Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and/or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. The temporal dynamics of the indices were compared to two well-known agricultural drought indices, the atmospheric water deficit (AWD) and the crop moisture index (CMI), to analyze the levels of similarity, correlation, seasonality and number of weeks with drought. In addition, the spatial distribution and intensities of the indices were assessed under dry and wet SM conditions at the beginning of the growing season. The results showed that the SWDI and SMADI were the appropriate indices for developing an efficient drought monitoring system, with higher significant correlation coefficients (R ≈ 0.5–0.8) when comparing with the AWD and CMI, whereas lower values (R ≤ 0.3) were obtained for the SMDI and SWetDI.

Effect of Spring Precipitation on Summer Precipitation in Eastern China: Role of Soil Moisture

The relation of spring (March–May) to summer (July–August) precipitation in eastern China is examined using observed data. It is found that when spring precipitation from the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River valley to northern China (the YRNC region) is higher (lower), more (less) summer precipitation occurs in northeastern China and the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River valley, and less (more) in southeastern China. The analysis of physical mechanism showed that higher (lower) spring precipitation in the YRNC region is closely related to wet (dry) spring soil moisture, which decreases (increases) the surface temperature and sensible heat flux in late spring. Because the memory of spring soil moisture in the YRNC region reaches about 2.4 months, the surface thermal anomaly lasts into the subsequent summer, resulting in a weak (strong) East Asian summer monsoon. A weak East Asian summer monsoon corresponds to an anomalous anticyclone and a cyclone over southeastern and northeastern China, respectively, in the lower troposphere. The anomalous anticyclone depresses the summer precipitation in southeastern China, and the anomalous cyclone promotes precipitation over northeastern China. The abnormal northerly and southerly winds associated with the anomalous cyclone and anticyclone, respectively, converge in the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River valley, inducing more summer precipitation there.

The effect of 18 O-labelled water vapour on the oxygen isotope ratio of water and assimilates in plants at high humidity.

Our understanding of how temporal variations of atmospheric water vapour and its isotopic composition (δ18 OV ) influence water and assimilates in plants remains limited, restricting our ability to use δ18 O as a tracer of ecophysiological processes. We exposed oak (Quercus robur) saplings under wet and dry soil moisture conditions to 18 O-depleted water vapour (c. -200‰) at high relative humidity (c. 93%) for 5h, simulating a fog event. We then traced the step change in δ18 OV into water and assimilates (e.g. sucrose, hexoses, quercitol and starch) in the leaf lamina, main veins and twigs over 24h. The immediate δ18 OV effect was highest for δ18 O of leaf lamina water, but 40% lower on δ18 O of main vein water. To a smaller extent, we also observed changes in δ18 O of twig xylem water. Depending on the individual assimilation rate of each plant, the 18 O-label was partitioned among different assimilates, with highest changes in δ18 O of starch/sucrose and lowest in δ18 O of quercitol. Additionally, 18 O-label partitioning and allocation towards leaf starch and twig phloem sugars was influenced by the plant water status. Our results have important implications for water isotope heterogeneity in plants and for our understanding of how the δ18 O signal is incorporated into biomarkers.

Long‐Term Application of the Crop Water Stress Index in Midwest Agro‐Ecosystems

Core Ideas The crop water stress index was calculated for corn, soybean, and prairie using eddy covariance and canopy temperature. Crop water stress index increased with decreasing volumetric soil water content in tallgrass prairie with net ecosystem production sensitive to water deficits. Crop water stress index in corn and soybean increased at low and high volumetric soil water content demonstrating that carbon assimilation is affected by deficit and excess soil water contents. Corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] are predominantly produced in Iowa under rainfed conditions in which the amount and distribution of rainfall, and ambient air temperature, vary substantially among years. Prairie ecosystems also represent a small but significant portion of the landscape in the Midwest, but are subjected to the same variation in rainfall. Quantifying the effect of rainfall variation on ecosystem productivity is required to understand how the absence and the oversupply of water induces plant water stress and affects plant growth. We used the crop water stress index (CWSI) using canopy temperatures obtained from infrared temperature sensors coupled with eddy flux measurements to quantify the impact of water stress on corn, soybean, and prairie net ecosystem production (NEP) in central Iowa from June to August, 2006 through 2015. The relationships between CWSI and NEP, evapotranspiration (ET), and volumetric water content (VWC) were analyzed for these three canopies. Average seasonal CWSI values varied substantially among years and sites, indicating no‐stress and extreme water stress periods. The CWSI significantly increased with decreasing ET and NEP, signaling that water stress adversely affected transpiration and C assimilation. Prairie CWSI was linearly and negatively related to VWC. Corn and soybean CWSI increased with very dry and wet soil moisture regimes, indicating that corn–soybean cropping systems were negatively affected by both the absence and oversupply of water. The CWSI approach quantifies water stress in different agroecosystems to compare the responsiveness of these systems to the dynamics of seasonal rainfall patterns.

Biochar influences on soil CO2 and CH4 fluxes in response to wetting and drying cycles for a forest soil

Biochar has been the focus of significant research efforts in agriculture, but little research has been conducted in forested ecosystems. Here, we assess CO2 and CH4 fluxes from a forest soil in response to biochar additions using a before-after-control-intervention experimental design. Soil CO2 and CH4 fluxes were measured over a series of wetting cycles by coupling soil mesocosms equipped with auto-chambers to a laser-based spectrometer for high-frequency measurements of gas fluxes and related soil processes. We found that soil CO2 fluxes were higher and CH4 fluxes were less negative (e.g. reduced CH4 uptake) for the biochar-amended soil compared to the no biochar condition. Furthermore, biochar improved soil infiltrability under wet conditions, and enhanced soil moisture levels under dry conditions. Biochar additions shifted the point of maximum soil respiration (i.e. soil CO2 efflux) to a slightly wetter soil moisture level. The point of maximum CH4 uptake was also shifted to a slightly wetter moisture level for soil with biochar. Overall differences in soil gas fluxes were found to be minor compared to the increase in soil carbon resulting from the biochar addition. Biochar may thus contribute to improved forest management through increases to soil carbon stocks and improved soil moisture levels.

Runoff sensitivity over Asia: Role of climate variables and initial soil conditions

AbstractWe applied statistical and numerical modeling approach to evaluate the sensitivity of runoff (ROF) to climate variables using Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) data and regional climate model (RegCM4). It was observed that ROF is more sensitive to precipitation (P) compared to other analyzed hydroclimatic variables (potential evapotranspiration (PET), 2 m air temperature (T2m), solar radiation (Rn), specific humidity (SSH), and wind speed (U), especially over India, Indochina, and south‐north‐northeast China semihumid‐humid climate transition zones based on the higher correlation coefficient (>0.7) and elasticity (>2). The abnormal positive T2m‐ROF observed over Tibetan Plateau region (TP) may be due to its high topography and cold weather regime, while positive PET‐ROF over India and north China‐southeast Mongolia regions can be attributed to the stronger influence of local land‐atmosphere interactions. Soil moisture (SM) reflects high correlation with runoff, especially over the climate transition zones (i.e., India and Indochina‐southeast China). The initial wet (dry) soil moisture (SM) anomalies lead to an increase (decrease) of ROF in each season with the hot spots mainly located in middle to high latitudes (spring), TP and northeast (summer and autumn), and Indochina (autumn) regions. Such influence can persist almost 4 months in spring while only about 1 month in autumn during dry and wet conditions. The wet condition has stronger influence at beginning but dissipates quickly, while the dry condition can last longer within the same season. The impact of initial soil temperature anomalies on ROF is weaker than SM, with the only obvious ROF changes located over south China (spring and summer) and north India (autumn).

On the Spatial Gradient of Soil Moisture–Precipitation Feedback Strength in the April 2011 Drought in the Southern Great Plains

Abstract The southern Great Plains (SGP) experienced a record-breaking drought in 2011, in which the excessively dry conditions established quickly in spring (i.e., April) and extended into summer. A regional climate model is used (after its evaluation) to simulate this April drought and investigate how a soil moisture anomaly could affect the development of its precipitation deficit. The authors examine how the local thermodynamic structure of the overlying atmosphere contributes to soil moisture feedbacks and how these feedbacks are connected to nonlocal mechanisms. The simulations establish a zonal gradient in the (generally positive) feedback strength [i.e., a significant (negligible) precipitation increase over the eastern (western) SGP] under an SGP-wide wet soil moisture anomaly and spatially similar evapotranspiration (ET) increments. This pattern is dominated by convective precipitation and consistent with spatial gradients in parameters relevant to moist convection, including the precipitable water, the low-level instability and humidity, and the local cloud water content. All these variables are sensitive to a wet soil moisture anomaly, but precipitation responds differently to their changes in different locations. Furthermore, the impacts of the soil moisture anomaly on various large-scale atmospheric fields are related to the spatial structure of feedback strength. Additionally, the weaker feedback over the western SGP occurs in a region of relatively strong subsidence and changes little with a westward expansion of the anomaly area, whereas nonlocal soil moisture impacts—in particular, moisture advection from the west—are important for the stronger feedback over the eastern SGP.

Strategies trees use to overcome seasonal water limitation in an agroforestry system in semiarid West Africa

AbstractAgroforestry parklands, in which annual crops are grown under scattered mature trees, constitute the most prevalent farming system in semiarid West Africa, covering vast areas of land. The most dominant tree species in these systems is Vitellaria paradoxa, an indigenous tree to West Africa. Despite the importance of this tree in the region, no study to our knowledge has examined its sources and patterns of water uptake. In this study, we used oxygen stable isotopes at natural abundance levels to investigate water sources used by V. paradoxa both in the dry and wet season in an agroforestry parkland in Burkina Faso. We found that during the wet season soil moisture was highest near the soil surface (<10 cm depth), yet during this time V. paradoxa preferentially accessed water from slightly deeper soil depths, obtaining ca. 90% of its water from 10 to 50 cm depth. In contrast, soil moisture in the upper soil layers was significantly lower during the dry season and as a result V. paradoxa shifted to deeper water sources, obtaining ca. 30% of its water from groundwater and ca. 50% from 30 to 600 cm depth. We also found a negative relationship between tree size and the contribution of groundwater during the dry season, whereas during the wet season V. paradoxa predominantly used water near the soil surface regardless of tree size. Knowledge about the sources and patterns of tree water uptake provides crucial information to better understand how trees influence the local water balance.

Water Retention and Preferential States of Soil Moisture in a Cultivated Vertisol

Core Ideas Water retention data from saturation to oven dryness were collected for a Vertisol. New water retention and differential water capacity models were developed. Draining of intra‐aggregate pore space triggers the dry field soil moisture state. Mode of the textural pore space controls shift to wet field soil moisture state. Vertisols are well suited for rainfed agriculture in water‐limited environments as a result of their unique water transfer and retention characteristics. Despite their importance, the agro‐hydrological behavior of these soils under seasonally dry climates is not yet fully understood. We collected water retention data for a Vertisol, measured from saturation to oven dryness on 27 undisturbed topsoil (0–0.05 m) samples from an experimental field in south‐central Spain and related this information to the occurrence of field‐observed preferential soil moisture states. A continuous function was fitted to the mean gravimetric water retention data, Θ, consisting of the sum of a double exponential model and the Groenevelt and Grant model. An inflection point at pressure head |h| = 1.1 × 105 cm, Θ = 0.12 kg kg−1, and an equivalent pore radius, δ = 14 nm, was interpreted as the boundary between the clay inter‐ and intra‐aggregate pore spaces, corresponding with the transition from the intermediate to the dry field soil moisture state. The mode of the textural pore space (|h| = 7.3 × 103 cm, Θ = 0.21 kg kg−1, and δ = 200 nm) matched the transition from the wet to the intermediate field soil moisture state. We related these characteristics of the soil water retention curve with the spatiotemporal soil moisture dynamics and patterns observed in the field, characterized by fast transitions between preferential soil moisture states. The proposed framework is suitable for comparing the effects of different soil management strategies on the agro‐hydrological performance of Vertisols.

Estimation of available water capacity components of two-layered soils using crop model inversion: Effect of crop type and water regime

Characterization of the soil water reservoir is critical for understanding the interactions between crops and their environment and the impacts of land use and environmental changes on the hydrology of agricultural catchments especially in tropical context. Recent studies have shown that inversion of crop models is a powerful tool for retrieving information on root zone properties. Increasing availability of remotely sensed soil and vegetation observations makes it well suited for large scale applications. The potential of this methodology has however never been properly evaluated on extensive experimental datasets and previous studies suggested that the quality of estimation of soil hydraulic properties may vary depending on agro-environmental situations. The objective of this study was to evaluate this approach on an extensive field experiment. The dataset covered four crops (sunflower, sorghum, turmeric, maize) grown on different soils and several years in South India. The components of AWC (available water capacity) namely soil water content at field capacity and wilting point, and soil depth of two-layered soils were estimated by inversion of the crop model STICS with the GLUE (generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation) approach using observations of surface soil moisture (SSM; typically from 0 to 10cm deep) and leaf area index (LAI), which are attainable from radar remote sensing in tropical regions with frequent cloudy conditions. The results showed that the quality of parameter estimation largely depends on the hydric regime and its interaction with crop type. A mean relative absolute error of 5% for field capacity of surface layer, 10% for field capacity of root zone, 15% for wilting point of surface layer and root zone, and 20% for soil depth can be obtained in favorable conditions. A few observations of SSM (during wet and dry soil moisture periods) and LAI (within water stress periods) were sufficient to significantly improve the estimation of AWC components. These results show the potential of crop model inversion for estimating the AWC components of two-layered soils and may guide the sampling of representative years and fields to use this technique for mapping soil properties that are relevant for distributed hydrological modelling.

The Effect of Altered Soil Moisture on Hybridization Rate in a Crop-Wild System (Raphanus spp.).

Since plant mating choices are flexible and responsive to the environment, rates of spontaneous hybridization may vary across ecological clines. Developing a robust and predictive framework for rates of plant gene flow requires assessing the role of environmental sensitivity on plant reproductive traits, relative abundance, and pollen vectors. Therefore, across a soil moisture gradient, we quantified pollinator movement, life-history trait variation, and unidirectional hybridization rates from crop (Raphanus sativus) to wild (Raphanus raphanistrum) radish populations. Both radish species were grown together in relatively dry (no rain), relatively wet (double rain), or control soil moisture conditions in Ohio, USA. We measured wild and crop radish life-history, phenology and pollinator visitation patterns. To quantify hybridization rates from crop-to-wild species, we used a simply inherited morphological marker to detect F1 hybrid progeny. Although crop-to-wild hybridization did not respond to watering treatments, the abundance of hybrid offspring was higher in fruits produced late in the period of phenological overlap, when both species had roughly equal numbers of open flowers. Therefore, the timing of fruit production and its relationship to flowering overlap may be more important to hybrid zone formation in Raphanus spp. than soil moisture or pollen vector movements.

Changes in measured spatiotemporal patterns of hydrological response after partial deforestation in a headwater catchment

Although the hydrological effects of land use change have been studied extensively, only few datasets are available to accurately describe, model, and predict detailed changes in spatiotemporal patterns of hydrological fluxes and states due to land use change. The Wüstebach catchment within the TERENO (TERrestrial Environmental Observatories) network in Germany provides a unique monitoring setup to measure the major components of the water balance (evapotranspiration, discharge, precipitation) and the spatiotemporal distribution of soil moisture before and after a partial deforestation. Here, we present five years of measured hydrological data, including all major water budget components three years before and two years after a partial deforestation. A data-driven approach was used to understand changes and related feedback mechanisms in spatiotemporal hydrological response patterns. As expected from earlier studies, the partial deforestation caused a decrease in evapotranspiration and an increase in discharge. A closer look at the high resolution datasets revealed new insights in the intra-annual variability and relationship between the water balance components. The overall decrease in evapotranspiration caused a large increase in soil water storage in the deforested region, especially during the summer period, which in turn caused an increase in the frequency of high discharge in the same period. Although the evapotranspiration in the forested region was larger on average, the deforested region showed a higher evapotranspiration during part of the summer period. This could be related to wetter conditions in the deforested area, accompanied with the emergence of grass vegetation. At the same time, wetter soil moisture conditions in the deforested area increased the spatial variance of soil moisture in the summer and therewith altered the relationship between spatial mean and variance. Altogether, this study illustrates that detailed spatiotemporal monitoring can provide new insights into the hydrological effects of partial deforestation.

Analysis of soil moisture dynamics beneath olive trees

AbstractOlive cultivation is a widespread land use in Mediterranean climates. The proper implementation of soil and water conservation practices in groves requires detailed knowledge of the governing hydrological processes. In this work topsoil moisture dynamics under wet and dry conditions and across a small catchment was investigated in the inter row (IR) and directly under the olive tree canopies (UC). We do this using a sensor network (11 stations) and a simple bucket model which was calibrated (June, 2011–2012) and validated (June, 2012–2013). During most of the year the normalized soil moisture contents (s) were greater in the IR than under UC, with an average normalized soil moisture difference of 0.12. The difference between UC and IR normalized soil moisture followed a seasonal pattern, reaching a maximum near 0.30 during spring. An analysis of the normalized soil moisture probability density functions (pdfs) was bimodal, showing characteristic dominant wet and dry soil moisture states, with the highest probability densities for the dry state. Overall the spatial variability of soil moisture was lower UC than in the IR. This was a result of the soil moisture buffering capacity of the canopy with respect to rainfall and evaporation, in addition to observed differences in soil properties. Hourly soil moisture data were successfully modelled (R2 > 0.85), both UC and in the IR, yet with the inclusion of a simple formulation for canopy interception for the former. The results provide insight into how olive trees change hydrological processes in their neighbourhood. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effect of Mulching with Vegetative Residues on Soil Water Erosion and Water Balance in an Oxisol Cropped by Cassava in East Cameroon

AbstractSoil water erosion is a major agricultural concern in tropical Africa with high precipitation and low soil fertility where Oxisols are generally distributed. A field experiment was conducted in east Cameroon during the rainy season in 2013 to investigate the effects of surface mulching with the residues of Imperata cylindrica on soil losses and surface runoff water generation in a cassava cropland on an Oxisol. Three treatments were established using two small plots for each treatment: bare plot (BA), cassava plot (CA) and cassava with mulch plot (CM). Soil loss and surface runoff water were measured, and water budgets of rainfall, surface runoff and soil moisture within rainfall events were measured in all treatment plots. Runoff coefficients in all treatment plots were suppressed below 8·0% because the large volume of large pores of surface soil of Oxisols contributed to the high drainage capacity over a rainy season even under wet soil moisture conditions. Total soil loss in CM was decreased by 49% compared with that in BA and CA, despite there not being a large difference in runoff water among treatments. These results suggest that surface mulching with the residues of I. cylindrica can substantially suppress soil losses caused by particle detachment by raindrops, while it maintain soil surface with originally high permeability in cassava croplands on Oxisols. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effect of mulching with vegetative residues on soil water erosion and water balance in an oxisol cropped by cassava in east cameroon

Soil water erosion is a major agricultural concern in tropical Africa with high precipitation and low soil fertility where Oxisols are generally distributed. A field experiment was conducted in east Cameroon during the rainy season in 2013 to investigate the effects of surface mulching with the residues of Imperata cylindrica on soil losses and surface runoff water generation in a cassava cropland on an Oxisol. Three treatments were established using two small plots for each treatment: bare plot (BA), cassava plot (CA) and cassava with mulch plot (CM). Soil loss and surface runoff water were measured, and water budgets of rainfall, surface runoff and soil moisture within rainfall events were measured in all treatment plots. Runoff coefficients in all treatment plots were suppressed below 8·0% because the large volume of large pores of surface soil of Oxisols contributed to the high drainage capacity over a rainy season even under wet soil moisture conditions. Total soil loss in CM was decreased by 49% compared with that in BA and CA, despite there not being a large difference in runoff water among treatments. These results suggest that surface mulching with the residues of I. cylindrica can substantially suppress soil losses caused by particle detachment by raindrops, while it maintain soil surface with originally high permeability in cassava croplands on Oxisols. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reduced sulfur trace gas exchange between a seasonally dry grassland and the atmosphere

Reduced sulfur gases are precursors to sulfate aerosols that act as cloud condensation nuclei and affect Earth’s radiative balance. The diminishing anthropogenic atmospheric sulfur inputs due to long-standing acid rain abatement activities increase the influence of natural emissions on the remaining sulfur budget. Most previous terrestrial observations of reduced sulfur gas fluxes focus on wetland ecosystems where sulfur gas emissions are highest. The diffuse natural production of sulfur gas from more widespread oxic ecosystems needs to be characterized. Here we report in situ fluxes of sulfur gases and CO2 from grasslands outside of Santa Cruz, CA, USA (36.96°N, 122.08°W). Monthly measurements were made using static flux chambers from March 2012 to March 2014. A large net emission of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) was observed during the growing season. During the non-growing dry season, small but quantifiable carbonyl sulfide (COS) exchange rates were correlated with soil temperature. When soil moisture was artificially increased in senescent grassland plots, the relative exchange of COS:CO2 increased and then returned to the original ratio within 2 h. Sulfur gas fluxes during wet season soil moisture transition events (i.e. after precipitation) indicate that understudied aerobic environments may provide an important contribution to atmospheric COS consumption and DMS production.

Lifetime of soil moisture perturbations in a coupled land–atmosphere simulation

Abstract. In order to evaluate whether the initialization of soil moisture has the potential to improve the prediction skill of earth system models (ESMs) on seasonal to decadal timescales, an elaborate experiment was conducted. For this task a coupled land–atmosphere model with prescribed ocean was utilized. The experiment design considered soil moisture initialization in different seasons and years and yielded information about the lifetime (memory) of extreme yet realistic soil moisture perturbations. Our analyses were focused on root zone soil moisture (RootSM) as it comprises the part of the soil that directly interacts with the atmosphere via bare-soil evaporation and transpiration. We found that RootSM memory differs not only spatially but also depends on the time of initialization. A long memory of up to 1 year is evident mostly for dry soil moisture regimes after heavy precipitation periods or prior to snow covered conditions. Short memory below 2 weeks prevails in wet soil moisture regimes and prior to distinct precipitation periods or snowmelt. Furthermore, RootSM perturbations affect other land surface states, e.g. soil temperature and leaf carbon content, and even induce anomalies with specific memory in these variables. Especially for deep-layer soil temperature, these anomalies can last for up to several years. As long as RootSM memory is evident, we found that anomalies occur periodically in other land surface states whenever climate conditions allow for interactions between that state and RootSM. Additionally, anomaly recurrence is visible for RootSM itself. This recurrence is related to the thickness of the soil layer below the root zone and can affect RootSM for several years. From our findings we conclude that soil moisture initialization has the potential to improve the predictive skill of climate models on seasonal scales and beyond. However, a sophisticated, multilayered soil hydrology scheme is necessary to allow for the interactions between RootSM and the deep-soil layer reservoir.