基于移动式宇宙射线中子技术的区域尺度土壤墒情监测研究

doi:10.13866/j.azr.2025.05.04

Abstract

Abstract:

Cosmic-ray neutron technology (CRNT) is a new method for soil moisture monitoring within at the hectometer scale, and has broad application prospects in ecology, agriculture, hydrology, and meteorology. This technology enables the “upscaling” of soil moisture measurements combined with mobile devices, providing better support for the production activities of modern large-scale agricultural, forestry, and pastoral enterprises. This study conducted the experiments of region-scale soil moisture measurements in the Baijitan National Nature Reserve in Lingwu, Ningxia, using a mobile CRNT. A total of 378 soil samples were collected from 14 large plots for neutron intensity calibration and soil moisture validation. After correcting for atmospheric pressure, air humidity, and incident neutron intensity based on the measured neutron intensity, the final calibrated neutron intensity N₀ was 375 cpm. The validation results indicated that CRNT has high measurement accuracy for soil moisture (RMSE=0.01 g·g^-1), the CRNT technology was suitable for soil moisture measurements in arid regions. The soil moisture inverted in the study area ranged from 0 to 0.15 g·g^-1. Within the effective detection depth of the CRNT, soil moisture was converted into soil water storage, which was approximately 27.1 mm in the 0-30 cm layer of the area. Higher soil moisture was measured in areas near reservoirs or areas with dense vegetation. This study can enrich the methods for assessing regional soil water resources and provide technical references for scientific research on terrestrial surface ecosystems in arid regions.

Key words: soil moisture, cosmic-ray neutron technology, neutron intensity, mobile observation, Baijitan National Nature Reserve

WU Shaoxiong, MA Dengke, CHEN Kun, JI Guiping, HE Zhibin. Study on region-scale soil moisture measurements using mobile cosmic-ray neutron technology[J].Arid Zone Research, 2025, 42(5): 810-819.

Figures/Tables 8

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References 47

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样地序号	经度	纬度	P /hPa	RH /(g·m^-3)	R_C /GV	I /cpm	${\rho }_{b}$ /(g·cm^-3)	N_raw /cpm	N /cpm	N₀ /cpm
1	106°26′E	38°01′N	882.98	5.61	9.61	219	1.50	800	328	381
2	106°27′E	37°58′N	875.53	5.18	9.67	221	1.50	876	337	386
3	106°26′E	37°57′N	877.12	6.92	9.67	221	1.51	876	343	388
4	106°25′E	37°58′N	883.02	9.28	9.67	218	1.51	736	309	353
5	106°24′E	37°58′N	883.02	8.94	9.67	219	1.54	844	353	389
6	106°26′E	37°59′N	881.06	8.26	9.64	219	1.52	784	322	365
7	106°26′E	37°58′N	880.91	8.20	9.66	219	1.51	802	328	369
8	106°29′E	38°03′N	877.82	8.01	9.61	219	1.53	848	339	377
9	106°29′E	37°59′N	876.64	9.89	9.66	219	1.51	768	308	373
10	106°32′E	38°02′N	866.75	9.03	9.64	219	1.45	816	302	373
11	106°33′E	38°03′N	864.92	9.08	9.61	219	1.50	880	322	369
12	106°24′E	38°01′N	881.44	9.12	9.64	219	1.53	816	337	371
13	106°29′E	38°01′N	875.44	8.85	9.63	220	1.51	854	336	378
14	106°28′E	37°55′N	868.69	9.01	9.70	220	1.47	858	321	382
平均值	106°28′E	37°59′N	876.81	8.24	9.65	219	1.51	826	327	375

Study on region-scale soil moisture measurements using mobile cosmic-ray neutron technology

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