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Spatial characterization of soil moisture estimates from the Southern Great Plain (SGP 97) hydrology experiment

  • Water Engineering
  • Published:
KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Aims and scope

Abstract

The Southern Great Plains Hydrology experiment (SGP'97) was conducted on an area approximately 12 times larger than that of previous field experiments (e.g. Washita'92), and thus the statistical structure of soil moisture can be examined using large-scale remotely sensed images (40 km×250 km). Here, empirical scaling analysis was conducted to elucidate the link-ages between the spatial and temporal variability of soil moisture and the succession of wetting and drying cycles in the landscape. The results show that the soil moisture fields exhibit multiscaling behavior varying with the scales of observation and hydrometeorological conditions. During inter-storm periods the spatial evolution of soil moisture is closely associated with the spatial variability of soil permeability, and by vegetation after it reaches values near field-capacity. Topography appears to dominate the spatial structure of soil moisture during and immediately after storm events, while evapotranspiration increasingly dominates the evolution of soil moisture fields as the landscape dries. Specifically, the multiscaling behavior is consistent with the scaling behavior of soil hydraulic properties as described by soil texture parameters such as sand and clay percentage. Finally, a break in statistical symmetry (multiple scaling behavior) was identified, which separates the spatial and temporal evolution of the statistical structure of soil moisture fields for wavelengths below and above 10 km, the α- and β-scale ranges respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Taegu, Korea

    Gwangseob Kim

  2. National Institute of Disaster Prevention, Seoul, Korea

    JaeHak Chung

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ulsan University, Ulsan, Korea

    JungSik Kim (Member)

Authors
  1. Gwangseob Kim
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  2. JaeHak Chung
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  3. JungSik Kim
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Correspondence to Gwangseob Kim.

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The manuscript for this paper was submitted for review on September 5, 2001.

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Kim, G., Chung, J. & Kim, J. Spatial characterization of soil moisture estimates from the Southern Great Plain (SGP 97) hydrology experiment. KSCE J Civ Eng 6, 177–184 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02829134

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02829134

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