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Published in Vadose Zone Journal 2:552-560 (2003)
© 2003 Soil Science Society of America
677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA


SPECIAL SECTION - ADVANCES IN MEASUREMENT AND MONITORING METHODS

Field Evaluation of the Dual-Probe Heat-Pulse Method for Measuring Soil Water Content

J. L. Heitmana, J. M. Basingerb, G. J. Kluitenberg*,a, J. M. Ham, J. M. Frankc and P. L. Barnesd

a J.M. Ham, Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506
b Plant and Soil Science Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409
c Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S. Forest Service, 240 W. Prospect Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80526
d Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506

Correspondence: * Corresponding author (gjk{at}ksu.edu).

Received for publication 19 March 2003. The dual-probe heat-pulse (DPHP) method is useful for measuring water content ({theta}) and change in water content ({Delta}{theta}) near the soil surface. The method has been evaluated in laboratory and greenhouse experiments, but not in a field setting. Our objective was to test the DPHP method under field conditions and for a range of soil properties. Twenty-five DPHP sensors and five monitoring stations were constructed and installed at five locations in northeastern Kansas to measure {theta} and {Delta}{theta} at 3-h intervals for 3 mo. In addition, {theta} was estimated by coupling {Delta}{theta} measurements with independent measurements of {theta} obtained by soil sampling at sensor installation. Additional soil samples were collected from each location during the monitoring period to provide independent measurements of {theta}. Regression of DPHP and independent {theta} measurements revealed slight bias but substantial offset error (about 0.1 m3 m-3) in the DPHP method. The offset error could not be fully attributed to bias in any single input parameter, but could have been caused by a combination of biased parameters. Estimates of {theta} from {Delta}{theta} measurements also revealed slight bias, but offset error was considerably smaller. Use of a published empirical calibration for DPHP sensors almost completely eliminated this bias and further reduced the offset error to approximately 0.01 m3 m-3. Thus, the {Delta}{theta} approach combined with use of the empirical calibration appears to have practical utility.

Abbreviations: DACS, data acquisition and control system • DPHP, dual-probe heat-pulse




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