Decagon Webinar

Smart Field Lysimeters,

why and how do they work? Georg von Unold

27.03.2013

Soil Water & Interfaces

27.03.2013

27.03.2013

Soilscience

Botany

Climate Change

Hydrology

Water Ressources Management

Irrigation

Plant Production

Fluxes of

Water and Solutes

in Soils Agronomy

Landscape Studies

Meteorology

Fields of Applikation

27.03.2013

• Introduction

• Technique

• Example

• Data management

27.03.2013

Coshocton, Ohio 1937

Lysimeters

But, how in soils?

„ Panta Rhei! “

„All is in a state of flux“ Heraklit, 550 – 480 a.D.

27.03.2013

Field setups, but …

27.03.2013 20 Jahre Wagna 7

Fluxes F1

27.03.2013 20 Jahre Wagna 8

Defined cross-section Defined length

27.03.2013 20 Jahre Wagna 9

Atmospheric Interface: Any kind of precipitation Any kind of rain, hail, dew, Snow, hoar frost, …

F2

10

Infiltration & Soil water flux

F3

11

Groundwater recharge in wet seasons/snow melt, Positive water balance

F4

12

For gravimetric lysimeters: Groundwater = Zero Potential Lysim. Bottom = Zero Potential

F5

13

Capillar flux Dry seasons / Negative water balance Lysimeter getting to dry Due to missing connection to groundwater.

Fm 6

14

Fm 7

Fluxes are potential driven. Field matrix potential needs to be lysimeter matrix potential. We need to measure field condition and need to transmitt it into lysimeters

15

We need to control the lower boundary condition to reach true hydraulic field situations in lysimeters

F8

27.03.2013

• Introduction

• Technique

• Example

• Data management

27.03.2013

F9

27.03.2013

F10

Suction cup rake in big lysimeters

27.03.2013

F11

Suction cups In smart field lysimeters

Field setup

27.03.2013

27.03.2013

TERENO 1m² Lysimeter

• Best results

• Heavy machines

• Long planning

• Higher expense

Lysimeter Station

Field Lysimeter

27.03.2013

• Undisturbed samples

• Soil column 30 cm, 60 cm, 100 cm

• Lower boundary control

• Precise weighing system

• Monitoring of water fluxes

• Water sampling

• Easy maintanance

• Easy removable

SFL, design

Smart Field Lysimeter

27.03.2013

Smart Field Lysimeters twin, triple, quattro

27.03.2013

• Small setup

• Full function

• No machines

• Flexible to demand

• Easy installation

• Low expense

Smart Field Lysimeter

27.03.2013

• Introduction

• Technique

• Example

• Data management

27.03.2013

Soil column cutting with jack lift device

Minimum impact

Installation in the alps

27.03.2013

Lysimeter suited

Lysimeter site at Italian alps

Installation in the alps

27.03.2013

• Introduction

• Technique

• Example

• Data management

27.03.2013

Data download and backup Data Pre Processing

Data management

Quality check procedures

27.03.2013 No. 30

27.03.2013 No. 31

Quality check procedures

27.03.2013 No. 32

Quality check procedures

27.03.2013 No. 33

Quality check procedures

Data processing

27.03.2013

27.03.2013

Evaporation & Precipitation

27.03.2013

Mass balances

Inj. = applied Bromid, V = vegetation loss, L = leachate, delta M (S) = Change of Mass, P = Precipitation, D = Drainage

27.03.2013

Thank you!