Figures 1 and 2 present soil moisture data collected at CWRU’s University Farm at two sites (Forest and Meadow) for 2011 and 2012. These data were collected with the same type of instruments that we propose using to monitor parcels. The contrast in patterns of variability at the two sites for the two years is instructive because of the contrast in total annual precipitation between years. Total precipitation was 65.32 in for 2011 and 44.62 in for 2012. Furthermore, we anticipate that the experimental parcels will function more like the forest site and the control sites will resemble the meadow site. Both of these sites at University Farms have similar slopes, but have different soil compaction and plant communities.
Figure
1. Pattern of variation of soil moisture
at two sites in University Farms (Case Western Reserve University, Hunting
Valley, Ohio) for 2011.
Figure
2. Pattern of variation of soil moisture
at two sites in University Farms (Case Western Reserve University, Hunting
Valley, Ohio) for 2012.
These data demonstrate substantial differences in water
retention and processing by the two sites.
The simplest comparison is the level of soil moisture saturation. These soils have a saturation value of 0.35 m3/m3. The forest site averaged 58% of saturated
soil moisture in 2012 and 66% in 2011.
In contrast, the meadow site averaged 81% of saturation in 2012 and 93%
saturation in 2011. Thus, the forest
site’s mean saturation was 0.23 and 0.27 less than the meadow site’s for 2012
and 2011. In general, higher soil
moisture saturation results in greater runoff from a storm event. The more saturated soils of the meadow site
have significantly less capacity to absorb and process individual storm events,
particularly in the spring of both 2011 and 2012 and especially in the summer
of 2011, when the Cleveland area received nearly double its annual mean
precipitation.
The monitoring design for soil moisture monitoring in the
Vacant to Vibrant project will provide better estimates of retention and
processing of storm water than the monitoring summarized in Figures 1 and
2. The data in these two figures is from
a single, vertically positioned 10 cm probe.
The proposed monitoring will use three probes with horizontal placement
at three depths (5, 10, and 20 cm) below the soil surface. This placement will provide a profile of soil
moisture through the root zone and thereby will yield a more accurate
assessment of soil moisture dynamics.
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