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NASA NTRS2009

Impact of Land Surface Heterogeneity on Mesoscale Atmospheric Dispersion

Prior numerical modelling studies show that atmospheric dispersion is sensitive to surface heterogeneities, but past studies do not consider the impact of a realistic distribution of surface heterogeneities on mesoscale atmospheric dispersion. While these focussed on dispersion in the convective boundary layer, the present work also considers dispersion in the nocturnal boundary layer and above. Using a Lagrangian particle dispersion model (LPDM) coupled to the Eulerian Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS), the impact of topographic, vegetation, and soil moisture heterogeneities on daytime and nighttime atmospheric dispersion is examined. In addition, the sensitivity to the use of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-derived spatial distributions of vegetation characteristics on atmospheric dispersion is also studied. The impact of vegetation and terrain heterogeneities on atmospheric dispersion is strongly modulated by soil moisture, with the nature of dispersion switching from non-Gaussian to near- Gaussian behaviour for wetter soils (fraction of saturation soil moisture content exceeding 40%). For drier soil moisture conditions, vegetation heterogeneity produces differential heating and the formation of mesoscale circulation patterns that are primarily responsible for non-Gaussian dispersion patterns. Nighttime dispersion is very sensitive to topographic, vegetation, soil moisture, and soil type heterogeneity and is distinctly non-Gaussian for heterogeneous land-surface conditions. Sensitivity studies show that soil type and vegetation heterogeneities have the most dramatic impact on atmospheric dispersion. To provide more skillful dispersion calculations, we recommend the utilisation of satellite-derived vegetation characteristics coupled with data assimilation techniques that constrain soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer (SVAT) models to generate realistic spatial distributions of surface energy fluxes.

Wu, Yuling↗

NASA NTRS2017

Assessment of the Impact of Spatial Heterogeneity on Microwave Satellite Soil Moisture Periodic Error

An accurate temporal and spatial characterization of errors is required for the efficient processing, evaluation, and assimilation of remotely-sensed surface soil moisture retrievals. However, empirical evidence exists that passive microwave soil moisture retrievals are prone to periodic artifacts which may complicate their application in data assimilation systems (which commonly treat observational errors as being temporally white). In this paper, the link between such temporally-periodic errors and spatial land surface heterogeneity is examined. Both the synthetic experiment and site-specified cases reveal that, when combined with strong spatial heterogeneity, temporal periodicity in satellite sampling patterns (associated with exact repeat intervals of the polar-orbiting satellites) can lead to spurious high frequency spectral peaks in soil moisture retrievals. In addition, the global distribution of the most prominent and consistent 8-day spectral peak in the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System soil moisture retrievals is revealed via a peak detection method. Three spatial heterogeneity indicators - based on microwave brightness temperature, land cover types, and long-term averaged vegetation index - are proposed to characterize the degree to which the variability of land surface is capable of inducing periodic error into satellite-based soil moisture retrievals. Regions demonstrating 8-day periodic errors are generally consistent with those exhibiting relatively higher heterogeneity indicators. This implies a causal relationship between spatial land surface heterogeneity and temporal periodic error in remotely-sensed surface soil moisture retrievals.

Fangni Lei↗

NASA NTRS1982

Spatial variability of soil hydraulics and remotely sensed soil parameters

The development of methods to correctly interpret remotely sensed information about soil moisture and soil temperature requires an understanding of water and energy flow in soil, because the signals originate from the surface, or from a shallow surface layer, but reflect processes in the entire profile. One formidable difficulty in this application of soil physics is the spatial heterogeneity of natural soils. Earlier work has suggested that the heterogeneity of soil hydraulic properties may be described by the frequency distribution of a single scale factor. The sensitivity of hydraulic and energetic processes to the variation of this scale factor is explored with a suitable numerical model. It is believed that such an analysis can help in deciding how accurately and extensively basic physical properties of field soils need to be known in order to interpret thermal or radar waveband signals. It appears that the saturated hydraulic conductivity needs to be known only to its order of magnitude, and that the required accuracy of the soil water retention function is about 0.02 volume fraction. Furthermore, the results may be helpful in deciding how the total scene or view field, as perceived through a sensor, is composed from the actual mosaic of transient soil properties, such as surface temperature or surface soil moisture. However, the latter proposition presupposes a random distribution of permanent properties, a condition that may not be met in many instances, and no solution of the problem is apparent.

Lascano, R. J.↗

DOE OSTI2023

(Fe, Cr)(OH) 3 Coprecipitation in Solution and on Soil: Roles of Surface Functional Groups and Solution pH

The simultaneous precipitation of (Fe, Cr)(OH) 3 nanoparticles in solution (homogeneous) and on soil surfaces (heterogeneous), which controls Cr transport in soil and aquatic systems, was quantified for the first time in the presence of model surfaces, i.e., bare and natural organic matter (NOM)-coated SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 . Various characterization techniques were combined to explore the surface-ion-precipitate interactions and the controlling mechanisms. (Fe, Cr)(OH) 3 accumulation on negatively charged SiO 2 was mainly governed by electrostatic interactions between hydrolyzed ion species or homogeneous (Fe, Cr)(OH) 3 and surfaces. The elevated pH through protonation of Al 2 O 3 surface hydroxyls resulted in higher Cr/Fe ratios in both homogeneous and heterogeneous coprecipitates. Here, due to ignorable NOM adsorption onto SiO 2 , the amounts of (Fe, Cr)(OH) 3 precipitates on bare/NOM-SiO 2 were similar; contrarily, attributed to favored NOM adsorption onto Al 2 O 3 and consequently carboxyl association with metal ions or (Fe, Cr)(OH) 3 nanoparticles, remarkably more heterogeneous precipitates harvested on NOM-Al 2 O 3 than bare-Al 2 O 3 . With the same solution supersaturation, the total amounts of homogeneous and heterogeneous precipitates were similar irrespective of the substrate type. With lower pH, decreased electrostatic forces between substrates and precipitates shifted (Fe, Cr)(OH) 3 distribution from heterogeneous to homogeneous phases. The quantitative knowledge of (Fe, Cr)(OH) 3 distribution and the controlling mechanisms can assist in better Cr sequestration in natural and engineered settings.

(Fe, Cr)(OH)3 distribution↗

DOE OSTI2023

Multi-scale Analysis of Surface Heterogeneity Induced Convection on Isentropic Coordinates

This research uses semi-idealized simulations to investigate multi-scale processes induced by the heterogeneity of soil moisture observed during the 2016 Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) field campaign. The semi-idealized simulations have realistic land heterogeneity, but large-scale winds are removed. Analysis on isentropic coordinates enables the tracking of circulation that transports energy vertically and facilitates the identification of the primary convective processes induced by realistic land heterogeneity. The isentropes associated with upward motion are found to connect the ground characterized by high latent heat flux to cloud bases directly over the ground with high sensible heat flux, while isentropes associated with downward motion connect precipitation to the ground characterized by high sensible heat fluxes. The mixing of dry, warm parcels ascending from the ground with high sensible heat fluxes and moist parcels from high latent heat regions leads to cloud formation. This new mechanism explains how soil moisture heterogeneity provides the key ingredients such as buoyancy and moisture for shallow cloud formation. We also found that the sub-mesoscale dominates upward energy transport in the boundary layer, while mesoscale circulations contribute to vertical energy transport above the boundary layer. Our novel method better illustrates and elucidates the nature of land atmospheric interactions under irregular and realistic soil moisture patterns.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Urbanization drives convergence in soil profile texture and carbon content

Urban development has driven extensive modification of the global landscape. This shift in land use and land cover alters ecological functioning, and thereby affects sustainable management agendas. Urbanization fundamentally reshapes the soils that underlay landscapes, and throughout the soil profile, extends impacts of urbanization far below the landscape surface. The impacts of urbanization on deeper soils that are beyond the reach of regular land management are largely unknown, and validation of general theories of convergent ecosystem properties are thwarted by a dearth of both level of measurement effort and the substantial heterogeneity in soils and urban landscapes. Here, we examined two soil properties with strong links to ecological functioning—carbon and mineral-fraction particle size—measured in urban soils, and compared them to their pre-urbanization conditions across a continental gradient encompassing global soil diversity. We hypothesized that urbanization drove convergence of soils properties from heterogeneous pre-urban conditions towards homogeneous urban conditions. Based on our observations, we confirm the hypothesis. Both soil carbon and particle size converged toward an intermediate value in the full data distribution, from pre-urban to urban conditions. These outcomes in urban soils were observed to uniformly be fine textured soils with overall lower carbon content. Although these properties are desirable for supporting urban infrastructure (e.g. buildings, pipes), they constrain the potential to render ecosystem services. Since soil profile texture and carbon content were convergent and observed across 11 cities, we suggest that these property profiles can be used as a universal urban soil profile to: 1) provide a clear prediction for how urbanization will shift soil properties from pre-urban conditions, 2) facilitate the adoption of commonly-accepted soil profiles for process models, and 3) offer a reference point to test against urban management strategies and how they impact soil resources.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1973

Thermal conductivity of heterogeneous mixtures and lunar soils

The theoretical evaluation of the effective thermal conductivity of granular materials is discussed with emphasis upon the heat transport properties of lunar soil. The following types of models are compared: probabilistic, parallel isotherm, stochastic, lunar, and a model based on nonlinear heat flow system synthesis.

Vachon, R. I.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Topography and canopy cover influence soil organic carbon composition and distribution across a forested hillslope in the discontinuous permafrost zone

Abstract Topography and canopy cover influence ground temperature in warming permafrost landscapes, yet soil temperature heterogeneity introduced by mesotopographic slope positions, microtopographic differences in vegetation cover, and the subsequent impact of contrasting temperature conditions on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics are understudied. Buffering of permafrost‐affected soils against warming air temperatures in boreal forests can reflect surface soil characteristics (e.g., thickness of organic material) as well as the degree and type of canopy cover (e.g., open cover vs. closed cover). Both landscape and soil properties interact to determine meso‐ and microscale heterogeneity of ground warming. We sampled a hillslope catena transect in a discontinuous permafrost zone near Fairbanks, Alaska, to test the small‐scale (1 to 3 m) impacts of slope position and cover type on soil organic matter composition. Mineral active layer samples were collected from backslope, low backslope, and footslope positions at depths spanning 19 to 60 cm. We examined soil mineralogical composition, soil moisture, total carbon and nitrogen content, and organic mat thickness in conjunction with an assessment of SOC composition using Fourier‐transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT‐ICR‐MS). Soils in the footslope position had a higher relative contribution of lignin‐like compounds, whereas backslope soils had more aliphatic and condensed aromatic compounds as determined using FT‐ICR‐MS. The effect of open versus closed tree canopy cover varied with the slope position. On the backslope, we found higher oxidation of molecules under open cover than closed cover, indicating an effect of warmer soil temperature on decomposition. Little to no effect of the canopy was observed in soils at the footslope position, which we attributed, in part, to the strong impact of soil moisture content in SOC dynamics in the water‐gathering footslope position. The thin organic mat under open cover on the backslope position may have contributed to differences in soil temperature and thus SOC oxidation under open and closed canopies. Here, the thinner organic mat did not appear to buffer the underlying soil against warm season air temperatures and thus increased SOC decomposition as indicated by the higher oxidation of SOC molecules and a lower contribution of simple molecules under open cover than the closed canopy sites. Our findings suggest that the role of canopy cover in SOC dynamics varies as a function of landscape position and soil properties, namely, organic mat thickness and soil moisture. Condition‐specific heterogeneity of SOC composition under open and closed canopy cover highlights the protective effect of canopy cover for soils on backslope positions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Soil architecture and subsurface stratigraphic heterogeneities across land-lake interfaces along Lake Erie.

Uploaded raw datasets from electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), ground penetrating radar (GPR), electromagnetic induction (EMI) and insitu sensors were acquired across land-lake interfaces along Lake Erie. These datasets were useful to delineate the soil architecture and subsurface stratigraphic heterogeneities. We combined multiple geophysical methods with lithostratigraphic logs from borehole cores and data from soil and borehole sensors to investigate spatial heterogeneities across land-lake interfaces. The apparent electrical conductivity (Eca) maps matched closely with the soil maps from public database and also detected additional soil units that were missing in the traditional soil maps. This implies that electromagnetic induction (EMI) could be relied upon for non invasive characterization of soils in sampling restricted sites where only non-invasive measurements are feasible. Results from electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and Ground penetrating radar (GPR) are consistent with the surficial geology of the study area, and revealed that the vertical variabilities at the sites are mainly driven by stratigraphy.The ERT data (.stg) were acquired from three different sites portage river (PTR), crane creek (CRC) and old woman creek (OWC). The ".stg" files can be opened with ERT inversion software such as EarthImager, ResIpy or Res2DInv. The GPR data (.GPZ) were also acquired from the three sites, and the ".GPZ" data files can be opened with EKKO_project 5 software from Sensors & Software Inc., or with any other standard GPR software. The EM data (.csv) were acquired from the three sites while the soil sensor data (.csv) here were acquired only from crane creek site. The ".csv) files can be opened with MS Excel or any other spread sheet software.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

The evolution of soil microstructure and micromineralogy along a soil age gradient on the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador)

The islands of the Galápagos archipelago are of different ages due to the combination of a geostationary volcanic hotspot and the eastward movement of the Nazca tectonic plate. Taking advantage of this, a soil chronosequence (1.5–1070 ka) has recently been established covering four of the islands. This was used to investigate the temporal development of soil microstructure and micromineralogy using micromorphological methods in combination with synchrotron-based mineralogical and geochemical microanalyses. Along the chronosequence, the microstructure changed from intergrain microaggregates in the young soils to angular blocky microaggregates in the older soils. In the young soils, a high amount of vitric scoria and weatherable minerals occur, but they quickly disappear with age, and micromass increased fast. The micromorphological studies as well as micro-XRD and micro-XRF revealed increasing heterogeneity of soil microstructure and micromineralogy due to weathering and pedogenic processes until intermediate soil age. In the oldest soils, the microstructure became more uniform again, de-mixing pedofeatures like clay coatings have completely disappeared, and kaolinite, hematite and gibbsite dominate the mineralogical composition. Our study shows that the development of soil microstructure mirrors macroscopic soil profile development showing increasing differentiation until intermediate developmental stages and receding heterogeneity in highly weathered soils.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Environmental matrix and moisture are key determinants of microbial phenotypes expressed in a reduced complexity soil-analog

Soil moisture and porosity regulate microbial metabolism by influencing factors such as redox conditions, substrate availability, and soil connectivity. However, the inherent biological, chemical, and physical heterogeneity of soil complicates laboratory investigations into microbial phenotypes that mediate community metabolism. This difficulty arises from challenges in accurately representing the soil environment and in establishing a tractable microbial community that limits confounding variables. To address these challenges in our investigation of community metabolism, we use a reduced-complexity microbial consortium grown in a soil analog using a glass-bead matrix amended with chitin. Long-read and short-read metagenomes, metatranscriptomes, metaproteomes, and metabolomes were analyzed to test the effects of soil structure and moisture on chitin degradation. Our soil structure analog system greatly altered microbial expression profiles compared to the liquid-only incubations, emphasizing the importance of incorporating environmental parameters, like pores and surfaces, for understanding microbial phenotypes relevant to soil ecosystems. These changes were mainly driven by differences in overall expression of chitin-degrading Streptomyces species and stress-tolerant Ensifer. Our findings suggest that the success of Ensifer in a structured environment is likely related to its ability to repurpose carbon via the glyoxylate shunt while potentially using polyhydroxyalkanoate granules as a C source. We also identified traits like motility, stress resistance, and biofilm formation that underlie the degradation of chitin across our treatments and inform how they may ultimately alter carbon use efficiency. Together our results demonstrate that community functions like decomposition are sensitive to environmental conditions and more complex than the multi-enzyme pathways involved in depolymerization.

Rodriguez-Ramos, Josue A↗

DOE OSTI2023

Topography and canopy cover influence soil organic carbon composition and distribution across a forested hillslope in the discontinuous permafrost zone

This dataset contains data used for the paper "Topography and canopy cover influence soil organic carbon composition and distribution across a forested hillslope in the discontinuous permafrost zone". The Related References field will be updated with a full citation when available. Topography and canopy cover influence ground temperature in warming permafrost landscapes, yet soil temperature heterogeneity introduced by meso-topographic slope positions, microtopographic differences in vegetation cover, and the subsequent impact of contrasting temperature conditions to soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics are understudied. Buffering of permafrost-affected soils against warming air temperatures in boreal forests can reflect surface soil characteristics (e.g., thickness of organic material) as well as the degree and type of canopy cover (e.g., open cover vs closed cover). Both landscape and soil properties interact to determine meso- and micro-scale heterogeneity of ground warming. We sampled a hillslope catena transect in a discontinuous permafrost zone near Fairbanks, Alaska to test the small-scale (1 to 3 meter) impacts of slope position and cover type on soil organic matter composition. Mineral active layer samples were collected from backslope, low backslope, and footslope positions at depths spanning 19 to 60 cm. We examined soil mineralogical composition, soil moisture, total carbon and nitrogen content, and organic mat thickness in conjunction with an assessment of SOC composition using Fourier-transform ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS). Soils in the footslope position had a higher relative contribution of lignin-like compounds while backslope soils had more aliphatic and condensed aromatic compounds as determined by FT-ICR-MS. The effect of open versus closed tree canopy cover varied with slope position. On the backslope, we found higher oxidation of molecules under open cover compared with closed cover, indicating an effect of warmer soil temperature on decomposition. Little to no effect of canopy was observed for soils at the footslope position, which we attributed, in part, to the strong impact of soil moisture content in SOC dynamics in the water-gathering footslope position. The thin organic mat under open cover on the backslope position may have contributed to differences in soil temperature and thus SOC oxidation under open and closed canopy. Here, the thinner organic mat did not appear to buffer the underlying soil against warm season air temperatures and thus increased SOC decomposition as indicated by higher oxidation of SOC molecules and a lower contribution of simple molecules under open cover compared with the closed canopy sites. Our findings suggest that the role of canopy cover in SOC dynamics varies as a function of landscape position and soil properties, namely organic mat thickness and soil moisture. Condition-specific heterogeneity of SOC composition under open and closed canopy cover highlights the protective effect of canopy cover for soils on backslope positions. This dataset contains a compressed (.zip) archive of the data and R scripts used for this manuscript. The dataset includes files in .csv format, which can be accessed and processed using MS Excel or R. This archive can also be accessed on GitHub at https://github.com/Erin-Rooney/Y1_fairbanks (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8071247).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Experimental Soil Warming Impacts Soil Moisture and Plant Water Stress and Thereby Ecosystem Carbon Dynamics

Experimental soil heating experiments have found a consistent increase in soil-surface CO 2 emissions ( F s ), but inconsistent soil organic carbon (SOC) responses. Interpretation of heating effects is complicated by spatial heterogeneity and soil moisture, nitrogen availability, and microbial and plant responses. Here we applied a mechanistic ecosystem model to interpret heating impacts on a California forest subjected to 1 m deep, 4°C heating. The model accurately simulated control-plot CO 2 fluxes, SOC stocks, fine root biomass, soil moisture, and soil temperature, and the observed increases in F s and decreases in fine root biomass. We show that a complex suite of interactions can lead to a consistent increase in F s (~17%) over the 5-year study period, with very small changes in SOC stocks (<1%). Modeled increases in leaf water stress from soil drying reduced GPP and NPP. The resulting reduction in leaf and fine root allocation increased fine root litter inputs to the soil and reduced root exudation. Soil heating led to about a 50% larger increase in root autotrophic respiration than in heterotrophic respiration, with the heating effect on both these fluxes decreasing over the simulation period. Increased heterotrophic respiration led to increased soil N availability and plant N uptake. These heating responses are mechanistically linked, of magnitudes that can affect ecosystem dynamics, and long-term observations of them are rarely made. Therefore, we conclude that a coupled observational and mechanistic modeling framework is needed to interpret manipulation experiments, and to improve projections of climate change impacts on terrestrial ecosystem carbon dynamics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2021

Determining Spatial Scales of Soil Moisture—Cloud Coupling Pathways Using Semi-Idealized Simulations

The spatial scales of land-atmosphere interactions over heterogeneous, realistic soil moisture patterns are critical to improve our understanding of land-atmosphere interactions. However, these scales are poorly quantified. We use high-resolution numerical experiments to quantify the spatial scales for a selected day during the Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) campaign in Oklahoma. A semi-idealized approach (removing background winds and surface topography while retaining the real-world data for other boundary conditions) enables examination of the local influence from the surface. Simulations that apply uniform surface, variable land cover with uniform soil moisture, and variable land cover with variable soil moisture are then compared. Land cover variations, especially water and urban surfaces, create two variance peaks in the surface sensible heat flux in the scales >10 km (meso-β) and <6 km (meso-γ). Both peaks are enhanced by the observation-based soil moisture distribution that has most of its variance in the meso-β scale. Atmospheric response in the meso-β scale is hydrostatic with weak vertical motion. The land cover variations induce secondary circulations in the scales of 2.5–6 km. The additional soil moisture variability intensifies extreme circulations over dry soil patches and sharp sensible heat flux gradients, slightly extending the characteristic scales to 2.5–9 km. While their areal coverage is small, soil moisture variations on such “hotspots” lead to substantially larger convective cloud structure and domain-mean rainfall, calling for a consideration of their non-linear effect in large-scale models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2026

Synthetic soils for ecological and synthetic biology applications

Soils are heterogeneous and dynamic systems characterized by complex physical, chemical, and biological interactions. Understanding these interactions is critical, as they influence plant productivity, global biogeochemical cycles, and ecosystem resilience. While ecologists have long studied soils in field, greenhouse, and laboratory settings, their complexity and heterogeneity make it challenging to pinpoint key properties driving biological processes and derive mechanistic insights. Advancements in synthetic biology, which seeks to engineer and control biological processes in soils, have increased the demand for standardized and controllable experimental platforms. These platforms, referred to here as ‘synthetic soils’, are systems designed to reproduce selected physicochemical characteristics of natural soils in a simplified and defined format, allowing scientists to systematically change soil physicochemical properties (i.e. texture, mineralogy, pH) to study how biological components (i.e. microbes, plants, soil fauna, etc.) respond to, modify, or interact within these controlled environments. This review explores existing synthetic soils, their advantages, limitations, and applications in ecology and synthetic biology, and discusses potential directions for their future development.

artificial soils↗

NASA NTRS1983

Spatial variation of corn canopy temperature as dependent upon soil texture and crop rooting characteristics

A soil plant atmosphere model for corn (Zea mays L.) together with the scaling theory for soil hydraulic heterogeneity are used to study the sensitivity of spatial variation of canopy temperature to field averaged soil texture and crop rooting characteristics. The soil plant atmosphere model explicitly solves a continuity equation for water flux resulting from root water uptake, changes in plant water storage and transpirational flux. Dynamical equations for root zone soil water potential and the plant water storage models the progressive drying of soil, and day time dehydration and night time hydration of the crop. The statistic of scaling parameter which describes the spatial variation of soil hydraulic conductivity and matric potential is assumed to be independent of soil texture class. The field averaged soil hydraulic characteristics are chosen to be representative of loamy sand and clay loam soils. Two rooting characteristics are chosen, one shallow and the other deep rooted. The simulation shows that the range of canopy temperatures in the clayey soil is less than 1K, but for the sandy soil the range is about 2.5 and 5.0 K, respectively, for the shallow and deep rooted crops.

Choudhury, B. J.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Downscaling Soil Moisture in the Southern Great Plains Through a Calibrated Multifractal Model for Land Surface Modeling Applications

Accounting for small-scale spatial heterogeneity of soil moisture (theta) is required to enhance the predictive skill of land surface models. In this paper, we present the results of the development, calibration, and performance evaluation of a downscaling model based on multifractal theory using aircraft!based (800 m) theta estimates collected during the southern Great Plains experiment in 1997 (SGP97).We first demonstrate the presence of scale invariance and multifractality in theta fields of nine square domains of size 25.6 x 25.6 sq km, approximately a satellite footprint. Then, we estimate the downscaling model parameters and evaluate the model performance using a set of different calibration approaches. Results reveal that small-scale theta distributions are adequately reproduced across the entire region when coarse predictors include a dynamic component (i.e., the spatial mean soil moisture ) and a stationary contribution accounting for static features (i.e., topography, soil texture, vegetation). For wet conditions, we found similar multifractal properties of soil moisture across all domains, which we ascribe to the signature of rainfall spatial variability. For drier states, the theta fields in the northern domains are more intermittent than in southern domains, likely because of differences in the distribution of vegetation coverage. Through our analyses, we propose a regional downscaling relation for coarse, satellite-based soil moisture estimates, based on ancillary information (static and dynamic landscape features), which can be used in the study area to characterize statistical properties of small-scale theta distribution required by land surface models and data assimilation systems.

Mascaro, Giuseppe↗

DOE OSTI2024

Geophysical methods reveal the soil architecture and subsurface stratigraphic heterogeneities across land-lake interfaces along Lake Erie

Abstract Purpose The land-lake interface is a unique zone where terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems meet, forming part of the Earth’s most geochemically and biologically active zones. The unique characteristics of this interface are yet to be properly understood due to the inherently high spatiotemporal variability of subsurface properties, which are difficult to capture with the traditional soil sampling methods. Geophysical methods offer non-invasive techniques to capture variabilities in soil properties at a high resolution across various spatiotemporal scales. Methods We combined electromagnetic induction (EMI), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and ground penetrating radar (GPR) with data from soil cores and in situ sensors to investigate hydrostratigraphic heterogeneities across land-lake interfaces along the western basin of Lake Erie. Results EMI revealed high spatial heterogeneities in ECa distribution across the land-lake interfaces, with higher values in the wetland and transition zones compared to the upland zone. Soil ECa maps matched soil maps from a public database with the hydric soil units delineated as high conductivity zones (ECa > 40 mS/m). ERT and GPR showed vertical variation in soil properties with clear stratigraphic boundaries, and correlation of ERT profiles with lithologs from piezometers revealed the stratigraphic units of silt–clay and till sequence down to 3.5 m depth which are consistent with the surficial geology of the study area. Conclusions These results validate the use of multiple geophysical methods for extrapolating soil properties and mapping stratigraphic structures at land-lake interfaces, thereby providing the missing information required to improve the earth system model (ESM) of coastal interfaces.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗