Articles | Volume 11, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-75-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-75-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 Feb 2022
Research article |
| 16 Feb 2022
| 16 Feb 2022
Assessing the feasibility of a directional cosmic-ray neutron sensing sensor for estimating soil moisture
Till Francke
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Maik Heistermann
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Markus Köhli
Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Physikalisches Institut, University of Bonn, Nussallee 12, 53115 Bonn, Germany
Christian Budach
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Martin Schrön
UFZ – Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH, Dep. Monitoring and Exploration Technologies, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Sascha E. Oswald
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
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Till Francke, Cosimo Brogi, Alby Duarte Rocha, Michael Förster, Maik Heistermann, Markus Köhli, Daniel Rasche, Marvin Reich, Paul Schattan, Lena Scheiffele, and Martin Schrön
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2024-106, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2024-106, 2024
Revised manuscript under review for GMD
Short summary
Short summary
Multiple methods for measuring soil moisture beyond the point scale exist. Their validation generally hindered by lack of knowing the truth. We propose a virtual framework, in which this truth is fully known and the sensor observations for Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing, Remote Sensing, and Hydrogravimetry are simulated. This allows the rigourous testing of these virtual sensors to understand their effectiveness and limitations.
Maik Heistermann, Till Francke, Martin Schrön, and Sascha E. Oswald
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 989–1000, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-989-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-989-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a non-invasive technique used to obtain estimates of soil water content (SWC) at a horizontal footprint of around 150 m and a vertical penetration depth of up to 30 cm. However, typical CRNS applications require the local calibration of a function which converts neutron counts to SWC. As an alternative, we propose a generalized function as a way to avoid the use of local reference measurements of SWC and hence a major source of uncertainty.
Stefano Gianessi, Matteo Polo, Luca Stevanato, Marcello Lunardon, Till Francke, Sascha E. Oswald, Hami Said Ahmed, Arsenio Toloza, Georg Weltin, Gerd Dercon, Emil Fulajtar, Lee Heng, and Gabriele Baroni
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 13, 9–25, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-9-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-9-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Soil moisture monitoring is important for many applications, from improving weather prediction to supporting agriculture practices. Our capability to measure this variable is still, however, limited. In this study, we show the tests conducted on a new soil moisture sensor at several locations. The results show that the new sensor is a valid and compact alternative to more conventional, non-invasive soil moisture sensors that can pave the way for a wide range of applications.
Lena Katharina Schmidt, Till Francke, Peter Martin Grosse, and Axel Bronstert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 139–161, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-139-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-139-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
How suspended sediment export from glacierized high-alpine areas responds to future climate change is hardly assessable as many interacting processes are involved, and appropriate physical models are lacking. We present the first study, to our knowledge, exploring machine learning to project sediment export until 2100 in two high-alpine catchments. We find that uncertainties due to methodological limitations are small until 2070. Negative trends imply that peak sediment may have already passed.
Maik Heistermann, Till Francke, Lena Scheiffele, Katya Dimitrova Petrova, Christian Budach, Martin Schrön, Benjamin Trost, Daniel Rasche, Andreas Güntner, Veronika Döpper, Michael Förster, Markus Köhli, Lisa Angermann, Nikolaos Antonoglou, Manuela Zude-Sasse, and Sascha E. Oswald
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3243–3262, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3243-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3243-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) allows for the non-invasive estimation of root-zone soil water content (SWC). The signal observed by a single CRNS sensor is influenced by the SWC in a radius of around 150 m (the footprint). Here, we have put together a cluster of eight CRNS sensors with overlapping footprints at an agricultural research site in north-east Germany. That way, we hope to represent spatial SWC heterogeneity instead of retrieving just one average SWC estimate from a single sensor.
Lena Katharina Schmidt, Till Francke, Peter Martin Grosse, Christoph Mayer, and Axel Bronstert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 1841–1863, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1841-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1841-2023, 2023
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We present a suitable method to reconstruct sediment export from decadal records of hydroclimatic predictors (discharge, precipitation, temperature) and shorter suspended sediment measurements. This lets us fill the knowledge gap on how sediment export from glacierized high-alpine areas has responded to climate change. We find positive trends in sediment export from the two investigated nested catchments with step-like increases around 1981 which are linked to crucial changes in glacier melt.
Lena Katharina Schmidt, Till Francke, Erwin Rottler, Theresa Blume, Johannes Schöber, and Axel Bronstert
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 653–669, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-653-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-653-2022, 2022
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Climate change fundamentally alters glaciated high-alpine areas, but it is unclear how this affects riverine sediment transport. As a first step, we aimed to identify the most important processes and source areas in three nested catchments in the Ötztal, Austria, in the past 15 years. We found that areas above 2500 m were crucial and that summer rainstorms were less influential than glacier melt. These findings provide a baseline for studies on future changes in high-alpine sediment dynamics.
Maik Heistermann, Heye Bogena, Till Francke, Andreas Güntner, Jannis Jakobi, Daniel Rasche, Martin Schrön, Veronika Döpper, Benjamin Fersch, Jannis Groh, Amol Patil, Thomas Pütz, Marvin Reich, Steffen Zacharias, Carmen Zengerle, and Sascha Oswald
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2501–2519, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2501-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2501-2022, 2022
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This paper presents a dense network of cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) to measure spatio-temporal soil moisture patterns during a 2-month campaign in the Wüstebach headwater catchment in Germany. Stationary, mobile, and airborne CRNS technology monitored the root-zone water dynamics as well as spatial heterogeneity in the 0.4 km2 area. The 15 CRNS stations were supported by a hydrogravimeter, biomass sampling, and a wireless soil sensor network to facilitate holistic hydrological analysis.
Heye Reemt Bogena, Martin Schrön, Jannis Jakobi, Patrizia Ney, Steffen Zacharias, Mie Andreasen, Roland Baatz, David Boorman, Mustafa Berk Duygu, Miguel Angel Eguibar-Galán, Benjamin Fersch, Till Franke, Josie Geris, María González Sanchis, Yann Kerr, Tobias Korf, Zalalem Mengistu, Arnaud Mialon, Paolo Nasta, Jerzy Nitychoruk, Vassilios Pisinaras, Daniel Rasche, Rafael Rosolem, Hami Said, Paul Schattan, Marek Zreda, Stefan Achleitner, Eduardo Albentosa-Hernández, Zuhal Akyürek, Theresa Blume, Antonio del Campo, Davide Canone, Katya Dimitrova-Petrova, John G. Evans, Stefano Ferraris, Félix Frances, Davide Gisolo, Andreas Güntner, Frank Herrmann, Joost Iwema, Karsten H. Jensen, Harald Kunstmann, Antonio Lidón, Majken Caroline Looms, Sascha Oswald, Andreas Panagopoulos, Amol Patil, Daniel Power, Corinna Rebmann, Nunzio Romano, Lena Scheiffele, Sonia Seneviratne, Georg Weltin, and Harry Vereecken
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 1125–1151, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1125-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1125-2022, 2022
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Monitoring of increasingly frequent droughts is a prerequisite for climate adaptation strategies. This data paper presents long-term soil moisture measurements recorded by 66 cosmic-ray neutron sensors (CRNS) operated by 24 institutions and distributed across major climate zones in Europe. Data processing followed harmonized protocols and state-of-the-art methods to generate consistent and comparable soil moisture products and to facilitate continental-scale analysis of hydrological extremes.
Maik Heistermann, Till Francke, Martin Schrön, and Sascha E. Oswald
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 4807–4824, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4807-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4807-2021, 2021
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Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a powerful technique for retrieving representative estimates of soil moisture in footprints extending over hectometres in the horizontal and decimetres in the vertical. This study, however, demonstrates the potential of CRNS to obtain spatio-temporal patterns of soil moisture beyond isolated footprints. To that end, we analyse data from a unique observational campaign that featured a dense network of more than 20 neutron detectors in an area of just 1 km2.
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Erwin Rottler, Till Francke, Gerd Bürger, and Axel Bronstert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1721–1740, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1721-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1721-2020, 2020
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Tobias Pilz, José Miguel Delgado, Sebastian Voss, Klaus Vormoor, Till Francke, Alexandre Cunha Costa, Eduardo Martins, and Axel Bronstert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1951–1971, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1951-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1951-2019, 2019
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This work investigates different model types for drought prediction in a dryland region. Consequently, the performances of seasonal reservoir volume forecasts derived by a process-based and a statistical hydrological model were evaluated. The process-based approach obtained lower accuracy while resolution and reliability of drought prediction were comparable. Initialisation of the process-based model is worthwhile for more in-depth analyses, provided adequate rainfall forecasts are available.
José Miguel Delgado, Sebastian Voss, Gerd Bürger, Klaus Vormoor, Aline Murawski, José Marcelo Rodrigues Pereira, Eduardo Martins, Francisco Vasconcelos Júnior, and Till Francke
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5041–5056, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5041-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5041-2018, 2018
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The feasibility of drought prediction is assessed in the Brazilian northeast. The models were provided by a regional agency and a European meteorological agency and downscaling was done using three empirical models. This work showed that the combination of different forecast and downscaling models can provide skillful predictions of drought events on timescales relevant to water managers. But the models also showed little to no skill for quantitative predictions of monthly precipitation.
Till Francke, Saskia Foerster, Arlena Brosinsky, Erik Sommerer, Jose A. Lopez-Tarazon, Andreas Güntner, Ramon J. Batalla, and Axel Bronstert
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 1063–1075, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1063-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1063-2018, 2018
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This paper presents a hydro-sedimentological dataset for the Isábena catchment, northeastern Spain, for the period 2010–2018. It contains the results of several years of monitoring rainfall, discharge and sediment flux and analysing soil spectroscopic properties. The dataset features data in high spatial and temporal resolution suitable for the advanced process understanding of water and sediment fluxes, their origin and connectivity and sediment budgeting and for model development.
Tobias Pilz, Till Francke, and Axel Bronstert
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 3001–3023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3001-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3001-2017, 2017
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To discretise and transfer a landscape into a hydrological model, many different algorithms and software implementations exist. These are, however, often model specific, commercial, and allow for only a limited workflow automation. Overcoming these limitations, the software package lumpR was developed. It employs an hillslope-based discretisation algorithm directed at large-scale application. The software is demonstrated in a case study and crucial discretisation parameters are investigated.
Xiaoxiang Guan, Dung Viet Nguyen, Paul Voit, Bruno Merz, Maik Heistermann, and Sergiy Vorogushyn
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-2024-143, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-2024-143, 2024
Preprint under review for NHESS
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We evaluated a multi-site stochastic regional weather generator (nsRWG) for its ability to capture the cross-scale extremity of high precipitation events (HPEs) in Germany. We generated 100 realizations of 72 years of daily synthetic precipitation data. The performance was assessed using WEI and xWEI indices, which measure event extremity across spatio-temporal scales. Results show nsRWG simulates well the extremity patterns of HPEs, though it overestimates short-duration, small-extent events.
Till Francke, Cosimo Brogi, Alby Duarte Rocha, Michael Förster, Maik Heistermann, Markus Köhli, Daniel Rasche, Marvin Reich, Paul Schattan, Lena Scheiffele, and Martin Schrön
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2024-106, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2024-106, 2024
Revised manuscript under review for GMD
Short summary
Short summary
Multiple methods for measuring soil moisture beyond the point scale exist. Their validation generally hindered by lack of knowing the truth. We propose a virtual framework, in which this truth is fully known and the sensor observations for Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing, Remote Sensing, and Hydrogravimetry are simulated. This allows the rigourous testing of these virtual sensors to understand their effectiveness and limitations.
Georgy Ayzel and Maik Heistermann
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1945, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1945, 2024
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Forecasting rainfall over the next hour is an essential feature of early warning systems. Deep learning has emerged as a powerful alternative to conventional nowcasting technologies, but it still struggles to adequately predict impact-relevant heavy rainfall. We think that DL could do much better if the training tasks were defined more specifically, and that such a specification presents an opportunity to better align the output of nowcasting models with actual user requirements.
Paul Voit and Maik Heistermann
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-2024-119, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-2024-119, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for NHESS
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Floods have caused significant damage in the past. To prepare for such events, we rely on historical data, but face issues due to rare rainfall events, lack of data, and climate change. Counterfactuals, or "what if" scenarios, simulate historical rainfall in different locations to estimate flood levels. Our new study refines this by deriving more plausible local scenarios, using the June 2024 Bavaria flood as a case study. This method could improve future flood preparation.
Paul Voit and Maik Heistermann
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2147–2164, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2147-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2147-2024, 2024
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To identify flash flood potential in Germany, we shifted the most extreme rainfall events from the last 22 years systematically across Germany and simulated the consequent runoff reaction. Our results show that almost all areas in Germany have not seen the worst-case scenario of flood peaks within the last 22 years. With a slight spatial change of historical rainfall events, flood peaks of a factor of 2 or more would be achieved for most areas. The results can aid disaster risk management.
Maik Heistermann, Till Francke, Martin Schrön, and Sascha E. Oswald
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 989–1000, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-989-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-989-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a non-invasive technique used to obtain estimates of soil water content (SWC) at a horizontal footprint of around 150 m and a vertical penetration depth of up to 30 cm. However, typical CRNS applications require the local calibration of a function which converts neutron counts to SWC. As an alternative, we propose a generalized function as a way to avoid the use of local reference measurements of SWC and hence a major source of uncertainty.
Stefano Gianessi, Matteo Polo, Luca Stevanato, Marcello Lunardon, Till Francke, Sascha E. Oswald, Hami Said Ahmed, Arsenio Toloza, Georg Weltin, Gerd Dercon, Emil Fulajtar, Lee Heng, and Gabriele Baroni
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 13, 9–25, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-9-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-9-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Soil moisture monitoring is important for many applications, from improving weather prediction to supporting agriculture practices. Our capability to measure this variable is still, however, limited. In this study, we show the tests conducted on a new soil moisture sensor at several locations. The results show that the new sensor is a valid and compact alternative to more conventional, non-invasive soil moisture sensors that can pave the way for a wide range of applications.
Lena Katharina Schmidt, Till Francke, Peter Martin Grosse, and Axel Bronstert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 139–161, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-139-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-139-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
How suspended sediment export from glacierized high-alpine areas responds to future climate change is hardly assessable as many interacting processes are involved, and appropriate physical models are lacking. We present the first study, to our knowledge, exploring machine learning to project sediment export until 2100 in two high-alpine catchments. We find that uncertainties due to methodological limitations are small until 2070. Negative trends imply that peak sediment may have already passed.
Gerd Bürger and Maik Heistermann
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 3065–3077, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-3065-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-3065-2023, 2023
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Our subject is a new catalogue of radar-based heavy rainfall events (CatRaRE) over Germany and how it relates to the concurrent atmospheric circulation. We classify reanalyzed daily atmospheric fields of convective indices according to CatRaRE, using conventional statistical and more recent machine learning algorithms, and apply them to present and future atmospheres. Increasing trends are projected for CatRaRE-type probabilities, from reanalyzed as well as from simulated atmospheric fields.
Daniel Rasche, Jannis Weimar, Martin Schrön, Markus Köhli, Markus Morgner, Andreas Güntner, and Theresa Blume
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 3059–3082, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3059-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3059-2023, 2023
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We introduce passive downhole cosmic-ray neutron sensing (d-CRNS) as an approach for the non-invasive estimation of soil moisture in deeper layers of the unsaturated zone which exceed the observational window of above-ground CRNS applications. Neutron transport simulations are used to derive mathematical descriptions and transfer functions, while experimental measurements in an existing groundwater observation well illustrate the feasibility and applicability of the approach.
Maik Heistermann, Till Francke, Lena Scheiffele, Katya Dimitrova Petrova, Christian Budach, Martin Schrön, Benjamin Trost, Daniel Rasche, Andreas Güntner, Veronika Döpper, Michael Förster, Markus Köhli, Lisa Angermann, Nikolaos Antonoglou, Manuela Zude-Sasse, and Sascha E. Oswald
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3243–3262, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3243-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3243-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) allows for the non-invasive estimation of root-zone soil water content (SWC). The signal observed by a single CRNS sensor is influenced by the SWC in a radius of around 150 m (the footprint). Here, we have put together a cluster of eight CRNS sensors with overlapping footprints at an agricultural research site in north-east Germany. That way, we hope to represent spatial SWC heterogeneity instead of retrieving just one average SWC estimate from a single sensor.
Eshrat Fatima, Rohini Kumar, Sabine Attinger, Maren Kaluza, Oldrich Rakovec, Corinna Rebmann, Rafael Rosolem, Sascha Oswald, Luis Samaniego, Steffen Zacharias, and Martin Schrön
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1548, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1548, 2023
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This study establishes a framework to incorporate cosmic-ray neutron measurements into the mesoscale Hydrological Model (mHM). We evaluate different approaches to estimate neutron counts within mHM, using the Desilets equation with uniformly and with non-uniformly weighted average soil moisture, and the physically-based code COSMIC. The data not only improved soil moisture simulations, but also the parameterization of evapotranspiration in the model.
Lena Katharina Schmidt, Till Francke, Peter Martin Grosse, Christoph Mayer, and Axel Bronstert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 1841–1863, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1841-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1841-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present a suitable method to reconstruct sediment export from decadal records of hydroclimatic predictors (discharge, precipitation, temperature) and shorter suspended sediment measurements. This lets us fill the knowledge gap on how sediment export from glacierized high-alpine areas has responded to climate change. We find positive trends in sediment export from the two investigated nested catchments with step-like increases around 1981 which are linked to crucial changes in glacier melt.
Katharina Lengfeld, Paul Voit, Frank Kaspar, and Maik Heistermann
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1227–1232, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1227-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-1227-2023, 2023
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Estimating the severity of a rainfall event based on the damage caused is easy but highly depends on the affected region. A less biased measure for the extremeness of an event is its rarity combined with its spatial extent. In this brief communication, we investigate the sensitivity of such measures to the underlying dataset and highlight the importance of considering multiple spatial and temporal scales using the devastating rainfall event in July 2021 in central Europe as an example.
Omar Seleem, Georgy Ayzel, Axel Bronstert, and Maik Heistermann
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 809–822, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-809-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-809-2023, 2023
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Data-driven models are becoming more of a surrogate that overcomes the limitations of the computationally expensive 2D hydrodynamic models to map urban flood hazards. However, the model's ability to generalize outside the training domain is still a major challenge. We evaluate the performance of random forest and convolutional neural networks to predict urban floodwater depth and investigate their transferability outside the training domain.
Martin Schrön, Markus Köhli, and Steffen Zacharias
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 723–738, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-723-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-723-2023, 2023
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This paper presents a new analytical concept to answer long-lasting questions of the cosmic-ray neutron sensing community, such as
what is the influence of a distant area or patches of different land use on the measurement signal?or
is the detector sensitive enough to detect a change of soil moisture (e.g. due to irrigation) in a remote field at a certain distance?The concept may support signal interpretation and sensor calibration, particularly in heterogeneous terrain.
Markus Köhli, Martin Schrön, Steffen Zacharias, and Ulrich Schmidt
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 449–477, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-449-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-449-2023, 2023
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In the last decades, Monte Carlo codes were often consulted to study neutrons near the surface. As an alternative for the growing community of CRNS, we developed URANOS. The main model features are tracking of particle histories from creation to detection, detector representations as layers or geometric shapes, a voxel-based geometry model, and material setup based on color codes in ASCII matrices or bitmap images. The entire software is developed in C++ and features a graphical user interface.
Cosimo Brogi, Heye Reemt Bogena, Markus Köhli, Johan Alexander Huisman, Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen, and Olga Dombrowski
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 11, 451–469, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-451-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-451-2022, 2022
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Accurate monitoring of water in soil can improve irrigation efficiency, which is important considering climate change and the growing world population. Cosmic-ray neutrons sensors (CRNSs) are a promising tool in irrigation monitoring due to a larger sensed area and to lower maintenance than other ground-based sensors. Here, we analyse the feasibility of irrigation monitoring with CRNSs and the impact of the irrigated field dimensions, of the variations of water in soil, and of instrument design.
Alberto Caldas-Alvarez, Markus Augenstein, Georgy Ayzel, Klemens Barfus, Ribu Cherian, Lisa Dillenardt, Felix Fauer, Hendrik Feldmann, Maik Heistermann, Alexia Karwat, Frank Kaspar, Heidi Kreibich, Etor Emanuel Lucio-Eceiza, Edmund P. Meredith, Susanna Mohr, Deborah Niermann, Stephan Pfahl, Florian Ruff, Henning W. Rust, Lukas Schoppa, Thomas Schwitalla, Stella Steidl, Annegret H. Thieken, Jordis S. Tradowsky, Volker Wulfmeyer, and Johannes Quaas
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3701–3724, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-3701-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-3701-2022, 2022
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In a warming climate, extreme precipitation events are becoming more frequent. To advance our knowledge on such phenomena, we present a multidisciplinary analysis of a selected case study that took place on 29 June 2017 in the Berlin metropolitan area. Our analysis provides evidence of the extremeness of the case from the atmospheric and the impacts perspectives as well as new insights on the physical mechanisms of the event at the meteorological and climate scales.
Friedrich Boeing, Oldrich Rakovec, Rohini Kumar, Luis Samaniego, Martin Schrön, Anke Hildebrandt, Corinna Rebmann, Stephan Thober, Sebastian Müller, Steffen Zacharias, Heye Bogena, Katrin Schneider, Ralf Kiese, Sabine Attinger, and Andreas Marx
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 5137–5161, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5137-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5137-2022, 2022
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In this paper, we deliver an evaluation of the second generation operational German drought monitor (https://www.ufz.de/duerremonitor) with a state-of-the-art compilation of observed soil moisture data from 40 locations and four different measurement methods in Germany. We show that the expressed stakeholder needs for higher resolution drought information at the one-kilometer scale can be met and that the agreement of simulated and observed soil moisture dynamics can be moderately improved.
Paul Voit and Maik Heistermann
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2791–2805, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2791-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2791-2022, 2022
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To better understand how the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events (HPEs) will change with changing climate and to adapt disaster risk management accordingly, we have to quantify the extremeness of HPEs in a reliable way. We introduce the xWEI (cross-scale WEI) and show that this index can reveal important characteristics of HPEs that would otherwise remain hidden. We conclude that the xWEI could be a valuable instrument in both disaster risk management and research.
Lena Katharina Schmidt, Till Francke, Erwin Rottler, Theresa Blume, Johannes Schöber, and Axel Bronstert
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 653–669, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-653-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-653-2022, 2022
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Climate change fundamentally alters glaciated high-alpine areas, but it is unclear how this affects riverine sediment transport. As a first step, we aimed to identify the most important processes and source areas in three nested catchments in the Ötztal, Austria, in the past 15 years. We found that areas above 2500 m were crucial and that summer rainstorms were less influential than glacier melt. These findings provide a baseline for studies on future changes in high-alpine sediment dynamics.
Maik Heistermann, Heye Bogena, Till Francke, Andreas Güntner, Jannis Jakobi, Daniel Rasche, Martin Schrön, Veronika Döpper, Benjamin Fersch, Jannis Groh, Amol Patil, Thomas Pütz, Marvin Reich, Steffen Zacharias, Carmen Zengerle, and Sascha Oswald
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2501–2519, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2501-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2501-2022, 2022
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This paper presents a dense network of cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) to measure spatio-temporal soil moisture patterns during a 2-month campaign in the Wüstebach headwater catchment in Germany. Stationary, mobile, and airborne CRNS technology monitored the root-zone water dynamics as well as spatial heterogeneity in the 0.4 km2 area. The 15 CRNS stations were supported by a hydrogravimeter, biomass sampling, and a wireless soil sensor network to facilitate holistic hydrological analysis.
Andreas Wieser, Andreas Güntner, Peter Dietrich, Jan Handwerker, Dina Khordakova, Uta Ködel, Martin Kohler, Hannes Mollenhauer, Bernhard Mühr, Erik Nixdorf, Marvin Reich, Christian Rolf, Martin Schrön, Claudia Schütze, and Ute Weber
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2022-131, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2022-131, 2022
Preprint withdrawn
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We present an event-triggered observation concept which covers the entire process chain from heavy precipitation to flooding at the catchment scale. It combines flexible and mobile observing systems out of the fields of meteorology, hydrology and geophysics with stationary networks to capture atmospheric transport processes, heterogeneous precipitation patterns, land surface and subsurface storage processes, and runoff dynamics.
Mandy Kasner, Steffen Zacharias, and Martin Schrön
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2022-123, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2022-123, 2022
Publication in HESS not foreseen
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Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a non-invasive technique that is used to quantify field-scale root-zone soil moisture. We hypothesize that unaccounted spatiotemporal changes of soil density may have impact on the quality of CRNS soil moisture products. Our results indicate a significant dependency of neutrons on soil density, which also depends on the soil moisture state. A correction approach is provided that can be recommended for practical use.
Heye Reemt Bogena, Martin Schrön, Jannis Jakobi, Patrizia Ney, Steffen Zacharias, Mie Andreasen, Roland Baatz, David Boorman, Mustafa Berk Duygu, Miguel Angel Eguibar-Galán, Benjamin Fersch, Till Franke, Josie Geris, María González Sanchis, Yann Kerr, Tobias Korf, Zalalem Mengistu, Arnaud Mialon, Paolo Nasta, Jerzy Nitychoruk, Vassilios Pisinaras, Daniel Rasche, Rafael Rosolem, Hami Said, Paul Schattan, Marek Zreda, Stefan Achleitner, Eduardo Albentosa-Hernández, Zuhal Akyürek, Theresa Blume, Antonio del Campo, Davide Canone, Katya Dimitrova-Petrova, John G. Evans, Stefano Ferraris, Félix Frances, Davide Gisolo, Andreas Güntner, Frank Herrmann, Joost Iwema, Karsten H. Jensen, Harald Kunstmann, Antonio Lidón, Majken Caroline Looms, Sascha Oswald, Andreas Panagopoulos, Amol Patil, Daniel Power, Corinna Rebmann, Nunzio Romano, Lena Scheiffele, Sonia Seneviratne, Georg Weltin, and Harry Vereecken
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 1125–1151, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1125-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1125-2022, 2022
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Monitoring of increasingly frequent droughts is a prerequisite for climate adaptation strategies. This data paper presents long-term soil moisture measurements recorded by 66 cosmic-ray neutron sensors (CRNS) operated by 24 institutions and distributed across major climate zones in Europe. Data processing followed harmonized protocols and state-of-the-art methods to generate consistent and comparable soil moisture products and to facilitate continental-scale analysis of hydrological extremes.
Daniel Rasche, Markus Köhli, Martin Schrön, Theresa Blume, and Andreas Güntner
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 6547–6566, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6547-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6547-2021, 2021
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Cosmic-ray neutron sensing provides areal average soil moisture measurements. We investigated how distinct differences in spatial soil moisture patterns influence the soil moisture estimates and present two approaches to improve the estimate of soil moisture close to the instrument by reducing the influence of soil moisture further afield. Additionally, we show that the heterogeneity of soil moisture can be assessed based on the relationship of different neutron energies.
Maik Heistermann, Till Francke, Martin Schrön, and Sascha E. Oswald
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 4807–4824, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4807-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-4807-2021, 2021
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Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a powerful technique for retrieving representative estimates of soil moisture in footprints extending over hectometres in the horizontal and decimetres in the vertical. This study, however, demonstrates the potential of CRNS to obtain spatio-temporal patterns of soil moisture beyond isolated footprints. To that end, we analyse data from a unique observational campaign that featured a dense network of more than 20 neutron detectors in an area of just 1 km2.
Benjamin Fersch, Till Francke, Maik Heistermann, Martin Schrön, Veronika Döpper, Jannis Jakobi, Gabriele Baroni, Theresa Blume, Heye Bogena, Christian Budach, Tobias Gränzig, Michael Förster, Andreas Güntner, Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen, Mandy Kasner, Markus Köhli, Birgit Kleinschmit, Harald Kunstmann, Amol Patil, Daniel Rasche, Lena Scheiffele, Ulrich Schmidt, Sandra Szulc-Seyfried, Jannis Weimar, Steffen Zacharias, Marek Zreda, Bernd Heber, Ralf Kiese, Vladimir Mares, Hannes Mollenhauer, Ingo Völksch, and Sascha Oswald
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 2289–2309, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2289-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2289-2020, 2020
Georgy Ayzel, Tobias Scheffer, and Maik Heistermann
Geosci. Model Dev., 13, 2631–2644, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-2631-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-2631-2020, 2020
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In this study, we present RainNet, a deep convolutional neural network for radar-based precipitation nowcasting, which was trained to predict continuous precipitation intensities at a lead time of 5 min. RainNet significantly outperformed the benchmark models at all lead times up to 60 min. Yet, an undesirable property of RainNet predictions is the level of spatial smoothing. Obviously, RainNet learned an optimal level of smoothing to produce a nowcast at 5 min lead time.
Erwin Rottler, Till Francke, Gerd Bürger, and Axel Bronstert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 1721–1740, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1721-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-1721-2020, 2020
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In the attempt to identify and disentangle long-term impacts of changes in snow cover and precipitation along with reservoir constructions, we employ a set of analytical tools on hydro-climatic time series. We identify storage reservoirs as an important factor redistributing runoff from summer to winter. Furthermore, our results hint at more (intense) rainfall in recent decades. Detected increases in high discharge can be traced back to corresponding changes in precipitation.
Irene Crisologo and Maik Heistermann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 645–659, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-645-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-645-2020, 2020
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Archives of radar observations often suffer from errors, one of which is calibration. However, it is possible to correct them after the fact by using satellite radars as a calibration reference. We propose improvements to this calibration method by considering factors that affect the data quality, such that poor quality data gets filtered out in the bias calculation by assigning weights. We also show that the bias can be interpolated in time even for days when there are no satellite data.
Tobias Pilz, José Miguel Delgado, Sebastian Voss, Klaus Vormoor, Till Francke, Alexandre Cunha Costa, Eduardo Martins, and Axel Bronstert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 1951–1971, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1951-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1951-2019, 2019
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This work investigates different model types for drought prediction in a dryland region. Consequently, the performances of seasonal reservoir volume forecasts derived by a process-based and a statistical hydrological model were evaluated. The process-based approach obtained lower accuracy while resolution and reliability of drought prediction were comparable. Initialisation of the process-based model is worthwhile for more in-depth analyses, provided adequate rainfall forecasts are available.
Georgy Ayzel, Maik Heistermann, and Tanja Winterrath
Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 1387–1402, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-1387-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-1387-2019, 2019
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How much will it rain within the next hour? To answer this question, we developed rainymotion – an open source Python software library for precipitation nowcasting. In our benchmark experiments, including a state-of-the-art operational model, rainymotion demonstrated its ability to deliver timely and reliable nowcasts for a broad range of rainfall events. This way, rainymotion can serve as a baseline solution in the field of precipitation nowcasting.
Magdalena Uber, Jean-Pierre Vandervaere, Isabella Zin, Isabelle Braud, Maik Heistermann, Cédric Legoût, Gilles Molinié, and Guillaume Nord
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 6127–6146, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6127-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-6127-2018, 2018
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We investigate how rivers in a flash-flood-prone region in southern France respond to rainfall depending on initial soil moisture. Therefore, high-resolution data of rainfall, river discharge and soil moisture were used. We find that during dry initial conditions, the rivers hardly respond even for heavy rain events, but for wet initial conditions, the response remains unpredictable: for some rain events almost all rainfall is transformed to discharge, whereas this is not the case for others.
José Miguel Delgado, Sebastian Voss, Gerd Bürger, Klaus Vormoor, Aline Murawski, José Marcelo Rodrigues Pereira, Eduardo Martins, Francisco Vasconcelos Júnior, and Till Francke
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 5041–5056, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5041-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5041-2018, 2018
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The feasibility of drought prediction is assessed in the Brazilian northeast. The models were provided by a regional agency and a European meteorological agency and downscaling was done using three empirical models. This work showed that the combination of different forecast and downscaling models can provide skillful predictions of drought events on timescales relevant to water managers. But the models also showed little to no skill for quantitative predictions of monthly precipitation.
Irene Crisologo, Robert A. Warren, Kai Mühlbauer, and Maik Heistermann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 5223–5236, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-5223-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-5223-2018, 2018
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The calibration of ground-based weather radar (GR) can be improved a posteriori by comparing observed GR reflectivity to well-established spaceborne radar platforms (SR), such as TRMM or GPM. Our study shows that the consistency between GR and SR reflectivity measurements can be enhanced by considering the quality of GR data from areas where signals may have been blocked due to the surrounding terrain, and provides an open-source toolset to carry out corresponding analyses.
Till Francke, Saskia Foerster, Arlena Brosinsky, Erik Sommerer, Jose A. Lopez-Tarazon, Andreas Güntner, Ramon J. Batalla, and Axel Bronstert
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 1063–1075, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1063-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1063-2018, 2018
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This paper presents a hydro-sedimentological dataset for the Isábena catchment, northeastern Spain, for the period 2010–2018. It contains the results of several years of monitoring rainfall, discharge and sediment flux and analysing soil spectroscopic properties. The dataset features data in high spatial and temporal resolution suitable for the advanced process understanding of water and sediment fluxes, their origin and connectivity and sediment budgeting and for model development.
Martin Schrön, Steffen Zacharias, Gary Womack, Markus Köhli, Darin Desilets, Sascha E. Oswald, Jan Bumberger, Hannes Mollenhauer, Simon Kögler, Paul Remmler, Mandy Kasner, Astrid Denk, and Peter Dietrich
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 7, 83–99, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-83-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-83-2018, 2018
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Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a unique technology to monitor water storages in complex environments, non-invasively, continuously, autonomuously, and representatively in large areas. However, neutron detector signals are not comparable per se: there is statistical noise, technical differences, and locational effects. We found out what it takes to make CRNS consistent in time and space to ensure reliable data quality. We further propose a method to correct for sealed areas in the footrint.
Martin Schrön, Markus Köhli, Lena Scheiffele, Joost Iwema, Heye R. Bogena, Ling Lv, Edoardo Martini, Gabriele Baroni, Rafael Rosolem, Jannis Weimar, Juliane Mai, Matthias Cuntz, Corinna Rebmann, Sascha E. Oswald, Peter Dietrich, Ulrich Schmidt, and Steffen Zacharias
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 5009–5030, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5009-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-5009-2017, 2017
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A field-scale average of near-surface water content can be sensed by cosmic-ray neutron detectors. To interpret, calibrate, and validate the integral signal, it is important to account for its sensitivity to heterogeneous patterns like dry or wet spots. We show how point samples contribute to the neutron signal based on their depth and distance from the detector. This approach robustly improves the sensor performance and data consistency, and even reveals otherwise hidden hydrological features.
Berry Boessenkool, Gerd Bürger, and Maik Heistermann
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 1623–1629, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-1623-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-1623-2017, 2017
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Rainfall is more intense at high temperatures than in cooler weather, as can be seen in summer thunder storms. The relationship between temperature and rainfall intensity seems to invert at very high temperatures, however. There are some possible meteorological explanations, but we propose that part of the reason might be the low number of observations, due to which the actually possible values are underestimated. We propose a better way to estimate high quantiles from small datasets.
Tobias Pilz, Till Francke, and Axel Bronstert
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 3001–3023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3001-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3001-2017, 2017
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To discretise and transfer a landscape into a hydrological model, many different algorithms and software implementations exist. These are, however, often model specific, commercial, and allow for only a limited workflow automation. Overcoming these limitations, the software package lumpR was developed. It employs an hillslope-based discretisation algorithm directed at large-scale application. The software is demonstrated in a case study and crucial discretisation parameters are investigated.
Maik Heistermann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 3455–3461, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3455-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3455-2017, 2017
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In 2009, the "planetary boundaries" were introduced. They consist of nine global control variables and corresponding "thresholds which, if crossed, could generate unacceptable environmental change". The idea has been very successful, but also controversial. This paper picks up the debate with regard to the boundary on "global freshwater use": it argues that such a boundary is based on mere speculation, and that any exercise of assigning actual numbers is arbitrary, premature, and misleading.
K. Vormoor, D. Lawrence, M. Heistermann, and A. Bronstert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 913–931, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-913-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-913-2015, 2015
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Projected shifts towards more dominant autumn/winter events during a future climate correspond to an increasing relevance of rainfall as a flood generating process in six Norwegian catchments. The relative role of hydrological model parameter uncertainty, compared to other uncertainty sources from our applied ensemble, is highest in those catchments showing the largest shifts in flood seasonality which indicates a lack in parameter robustness under non-stationary hydroclimatological conditions.
C. A. Rivera Villarreyes, G. Baroni, and S. E. Oswald
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hessd-10-4237-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hessd-10-4237-2013, 2013
Revised manuscript not accepted
M. Heistermann, I. Crisologo, C. C. Abon, B. A. Racoma, S. Jacobi, N. T. Servando, C. P. C. David, and A. Bronstert
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 13, 653–657, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-13-653-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-13-653-2013, 2013
M. Heistermann, S. Jacobi, and T. Pfaff
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 863–871, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-863-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-863-2013, 2013
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An underground drip water monitoring network to characterize rainfall recharge of groundwater at different geologies, environments, and climates across Australia
Research and application of a flexible measuring array for deep displacement of landslides
A hydrate reservoir renovation device and its application in nitrogen bubble fracturing
Gas equilibrium membrane inlet mass spectrometry (GE-MIMS) for water at high pressure
Development of a power station unit in a distributed hybrid acquisition system of seismic and electrical methods based on the narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT)
Spectral observations at the Canary Island Long-Baseline Observatory (CILBO): calibration and datasets
Calculation of soil water content using dielectric-permittivity-based sensors – benefits of soil-specific calibration
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Zucan Lin, Qisheng Zhang, Keyu Zhou, Xiyuan Zhang, Xinchang Wang, Hui Zhang, and Feng Liu
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 13, 325–336, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-325-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-325-2024, 2024
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This paper describes the development of a controlled-source ultra-audio frequency electromagnetic receiver based on remote wireless communication technology for use in geophysical prospecting. Our design successfully addresses several shortcomings of such instruments currently available on the market, including their weight, limitations in data acquisition frequency, and difficulty in connecting to the internet for remote monitoring.
Hiroyuki Tanaka
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-2024-4, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-2024-4, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for GI
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A new ground-based technique called "Distance of flight of cosmic-ray muons" for sensing the height of the layer of the Earth where cosmic-ray muons are generated called muopause which is closely related with the height of tropopause and lower stratosphere.
Charlotte Wolff, Marc-Henri Derron, Carlo Rivolta, and Michel Jaboyedoff
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 13, 225–248, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-225-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-225-2024, 2024
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The remote-sensing InSAR technique is vital for monitoring slope instabilities but requires understanding. This paper delves into differences between satellite and GB-InSAR. It offers a tool to determine the optimal GB-InSAR installation site, considering various technical, meteorological, and topographical factors. By generating detailed maps and simulating radar image characteristics, the tool eases the setup of monitoring campaigns for effective and accurate ground movement tracking.
Andy Baker, Margaret Shanafield, Wendy Timms, Martin Sogaard Andersen, Stacey Priestley, and Marilu Melo Zurita
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 13, 117–129, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-117-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-117-2024, 2024
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Much of the world relies on groundwater as a water resource, yet it is hard to know when and where rainfall replenishes our groundwater aquifers. Caves, mines, and tunnels that are situated above the groundwater table are unique observatories of water transiting from the land surface to the aquifer. This paper will show how networks of loggers deployed in these underground spaces across Australia have helped understand when, where, and how much rainfall is needed to replenish the groundwater.
Yang Li, Zhong Li, Qifeng Guo, Yimin Liu, and Daji Zhang
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 13, 97–105, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-97-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-97-2024, 2024
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We have developed a novel flexible measurement array for deep landslide displacement and measurement processes, which enables higher accuracy in full-hole multidimensional deformation measurement. It provides a more comprehensive monitoring tool for disaster prevention and reduction.
Jingsheng Lu, Yuanxin Yao, Dongliang Li, Jinhai Yang, Deqing Liang, Yiqun Zhang, Decai Lin, and Kunlin Ma
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 13, 75–83, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-75-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-75-2024, 2024
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Natural gas hydrate (GH) is a significant potential energy source. However, the gas production rate of past GH production tests is much lower than the requirement of commercial gas production. Reservoir stimulation technologies like hydraulic fracture provide one potential approach to enhance gas production from GH. This paper presents an experimental facility that was developed to analyze the hydraulic fracture mechanism in a synthesized hydrate-bearing sediments.
Matthias S. Brennwald, Antonio P. Rinaldi, Jocelyn Gisiger, Alba Zappone, and Rolf Kipfer
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 13, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-1-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-1-2024, 2024
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The gas equilibrium membrane inlet mass spectrometry (GE-MIMS) method for dissolved-gas quantification was expanded to work in water at high pressures.
Feng Guo, Qisheng Zhang, and Shenghui Liu
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 12, 111–120, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-12-111-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-12-111-2023, 2023
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We propose a new type of power station unit with wireless data transmission capability, which was not supported by same type of instrument as on the market. Based on this, a novel distributed geophysical data acquisition architecture is also proposed. The proposed instrument loads more stations than the industry-leading LAUL-428 while providing additional wireless data transmission and narrowband Internet of Things remote control.
Joe Zender, Detlef Koschny, Regina Rudawska, Salvatore Vicinanza, Stefan Loehle, Martin Eberhart, Arne Meindl, Hans Smit, Lionel Marraffa, Rico Landman, and Daphne Stam
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 12, 91–109, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-12-91-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-12-91-2023, 2023
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The paper describes the ground-based camera equipment to obtain images from dust ablation phenomena (meteors) in the Earth's atmosphere. The meteors are observed from two locations, but one station is equipped with a camera containing a spectral grating, which allows following and determining the spectral information through the meteor ablation process. We describe the data merging, calibration, and processing to finally derive the meteor composition.
Bartosz M. Zawilski, Franck Granouillac, Nicole Claverie, Baptiste Lemaire, Aurore Brut, and Tiphaine Tallec
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 12, 45–56, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-12-45-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-12-45-2023, 2023
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In most cases, the soil water content (SWC) measurement is carried out using commercially available dielectric-permittivity-based probes such as time domain reflectometers or frequency domain reflectometers (FDR). However, these probes use transfer functions which may be inadequate in the soil concerned. Raw SWC measurement in clayey soil shows an important relative error. A simple protocol is presented, allowing for the recovery of an acceptable accuracy of the FDR SWC measurements.
Florian Späth, Verena Rajtschan, Tobias K. D. Weber, Shehan Morandage, Diego Lange, Syed Saqlain Abbas, Andreas Behrendt, Joachim Ingwersen, Thilo Streck, and Volker Wulfmeyer
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 12, 25–44, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-12-25-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-12-25-2023, 2023
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Important topics in land–atmosphere feedback research are water and energy balances and heterogeneities of fluxes at the land surface and in the atmosphere. To target these questions, the Land–Atmosphere Feedback Observatory (LAFO) has been installed in Germany. The instrumentation allows for comprehensive measurements from the bedrock to the troposphere. The LAFO observation strategy aims for simultaneous measurements in all three compartments: atmosphere, soil and land surface, and vegetation.
Antenor Oliveira Cruz Júnior, Cosme Ferreira da Ponte-Neto, and André Wiermann
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 12, 15–23, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-12-15-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-12-15-2023, 2023
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This project aims to demonstrate the viability of the development of a concept prototype that has, as a differential, free software and hardware used in its development and operation. It thus has unique characteristics compared with commercially available equipment for signal detection, providing strong rejection of spurious electrical noise, typical of urban areas. This project is important academic contribution to open-source instrumental research.
Cosimo Brogi, Heye Reemt Bogena, Markus Köhli, Johan Alexander Huisman, Harrie-Jan Hendricks Franssen, and Olga Dombrowski
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 11, 451–469, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-451-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-451-2022, 2022
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Accurate monitoring of water in soil can improve irrigation efficiency, which is important considering climate change and the growing world population. Cosmic-ray neutrons sensors (CRNSs) are a promising tool in irrigation monitoring due to a larger sensed area and to lower maintenance than other ground-based sensors. Here, we analyse the feasibility of irrigation monitoring with CRNSs and the impact of the irrigated field dimensions, of the variations of water in soil, and of instrument design.
Maximilian Weigand, Egon Zimmermann, Valentin Michels, Johan Alexander Huisman, and Andreas Kemna
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 11, 413–433, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-413-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-413-2022, 2022
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The construction, operation and analysis of a spectral electrical
impedance tomography (sEIT) field monitoring setup with high spatial and temporal resolution are presented. Electromagnetic induction errors are corrected, allowing the recovery of images of in-phase conductivity and electrical polarisation of up to 1 kHz.
Stephen Burt
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 11, 263–277, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-263-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-263-2022, 2022
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Most measurements of air temperature and humidity originate from Stevenson-type thermometer screens, which can produce erroneous measurements in light winds owing to insufficient ventilation of the in-screen sensors. A field experiment to measure airflow within a Stevenson screen found mean airflow to be only 0.2 m s−1, well below the 1 m s−1 minimum normally assumed, and only 7 % of 10 m mean wind speeds. Implications for air temperature and humidity measurement uncertainties are discussed.
Bartosz M. Zawilski
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 11, 223–234, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-223-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-223-2022, 2022
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Surface energy balance (SEB) closure check and important environmental variable monitoring require soil heat flux measurement. On the one hand every experimental technique has its possible errors and needs to be checked and corrected. On the other hand, SEB equation should include all sensed energy sources and sinks.
Bartosz M. Zawilski
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 11, 163–182, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-163-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-11-163-2022, 2022
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Soil evaporation is one of the most important water vapor sources on the Earth with multiple and severe consequences; however, there is a relative lack of instruments to measure it. This study describes a simple apparatus making the soil evaporation measurement accessible. The soil evaporation complexity is overcome by measuring the evaporation dynamic under different measurement conditions. A relatively simple measurement correction is then performed depending on the wind speed.
Maxim Philippov, Vladimir Makhmutov, Galina Bazilevskaya, Fedor Zagumennov, Vladimir Fomenko, Yuri Stozhkov, and Andrey Orlov
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 10, 219–226, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-219-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-219-2021, 2021
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This paper presents a brief description of the ground-based installation for the study of cosmic rays
CARPET. Today there is a network of such installations located in different parts of the world. For ground-based installations, meteorological effects must be considered as they affect the data. This paper shows a technique for eliminating barometric and temperature dependences based on data for 2019–2020.
Ondřej Racek, Jan Blahůt, and Filip Hartvich
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 10, 203–218, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-203-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-203-2021, 2021
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This paper is dedicated to description of universal, easy-to-modify, and affordable rock slope monitoring system. Using such a system, we are able to monitor environmental variables, the rock mass 3 m subsurface zone temperature profile, and spatiotemporal joint dynamics. We observe differences between three monitored sites. To further data analyses, longer time series are needed. The data will be further used for trend analyses and thermomechanical modelling.
Shane Coyle, C. Robert Clauer, Michael D. Hartinger, Zhonghua Xu, and Yuxiang Peng
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 10, 161–168, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-161-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-161-2021, 2021
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Global satellite navigation systems are commonly used for timing and synchronization of instrument platforms. These system clocks periodically
roll overfrom limitations in discrete counter math. Due to the rarity of these events (19.6 years for GPS), special consideration must be given to designing instruments intended for use in hard-to-reach locations like the Antarctic Plateau. A few
best practicesare presented to prevent total system failure from unexpected subsystem faults.
Keyu Zhou, Qisheng Zhang, Yongdong Liu, Zhen Wu, Zucan Lin, Bentian Zhao, Xingyuan Jiang, and Pengyu Li
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 10, 141–151, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-141-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-141-2021, 2021
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This paper describes the development of a new multifunctional four-dimensional high-density electrical instrument based on remote wireless communication technology, for use in shallow geophysical prospecting. We carried out a lot of tests. Our design successfully addresses a number of shortcomings of such instruments currently available on the market, including bulkiness, weight, limitations in data acquisition accuracy, and difficulty of connecting to the Internet for remote monitoring.
Qimao Zhang, Shuaiqing Qiao, Qisheng Zhang, and Shiyang Liu
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 10, 91–100, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-91-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-91-2021, 2021
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In order to meet the needs of geophysical exploration, the requirements of intelligent and convenient exploration instruments are realized. From the perspective of software, this research combines today's wireless transmission technology to integrate applications into mobile phones to realize remote control of field operations. It provides a new idea for geophysical exploration.
Anne-Karin Cooke, Cédric Champollion, and Nicolas Le Moigne
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 10, 65–79, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-65-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-65-2021, 2021
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Gravimetry studies the variations of the Earth’s gravity field which can be linked to mass changes studied in various disciplines of the Earth sciences. The gravitational attraction of the Earth is measured with gravimeters. Quantum gravimeters allow for continuous, high-frequency absolute gravity monitoring while remaining user-friendly and transportable. We assess the capacity of the AQG#B01, developed by Muquans, as a field gravimeter for hydrogeophysical applications.
Sixuan Song, Ming Deng, Kai Chen, Muer A, and Sheng Jin
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 10, 55–64, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-55-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-10-55-2021, 2021
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Current borehole receivers only measure a single parameter of the magnetic field component, which does not meet the special requirements of controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) methods. This study proposes a borehole electromagnetic receiver that realizes synchronous acquisition of the vertical electric field component and three-axis orthogonal magnetic field components. Results of the experiments show that our system functioned adequately and that high-quality CSEM signals were obtained.
Ramiro González, Carlos Toledano, Roberto Román, David Fuertes, Alberto Berjón, David Mateos, Carmen Guirado-Fuentes, Cristian Velasco-Merino, Juan Carlos Antuña-Sánchez, Abel Calle, Victoria E. Cachorro, and Ángel M. de Frutos
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 9, 417–433, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-9-417-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-9-417-2020, 2020
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Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is a parameter widely used in remote sensing for the characterization of atmospheric aerosol particles. AERONET was created by NASA for aerosol monitoring as well as satellite and model validation. The University of Valladolid (UVa) has managed an AERONET calibration center since 2006. The CÆLIS software tool, developed by UVa, was created to manage the data generated by AERONET photometers. The AOD algorithm in CÆLIS is developed and validated in this work.
Ozkan Kafadar
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 9, 365–373, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-9-365-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-9-365-2020, 2020
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In this paper, a low-cost, computer-aided, and geophone-based system designed to record, monitor, and analyze three-component microtremor data is presented. This system has several features such as a 200 Hz sampling frequency, text data format, and data analysis tools. The developed software undertakes many tasks such as communication between the external hardware and computer, transferring, monitoring, and recording the seismic data to a computer, and interpretation of the recorded data.
Maximilian Weigand, Florian M. Wagner, Jonas K. Limbrock, Christin Hilbich, Christian Hauck, and Andreas Kemna
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 9, 317–336, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-9-317-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-9-317-2020, 2020
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In times of global warming, permafrost is starting to degrade at alarming rates, requiring new and improved characterization approaches. We describe the design and test installation, as well as detailed data quality assessment, of a monitoring system used to capture natural electrical potentials in the subsurface. These self-potential signals are of great interest for the noninvasive investigation of water flow in the non-frozen or partially frozen subsurface.
Angelika Xaver, Luca Zappa, Gerhard Rab, Isabella Pfeil, Mariette Vreugdenhil, Drew Hemment, and Wouter Arnoud Dorigo
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 9, 117–139, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-9-117-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-9-117-2020, 2020
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Soil moisture plays a key role in the hydrological cycle and the climate system. Although soil moisture can be observed by the means of satellites, ground observations are still crucial for evaluating and improving these satellite products. In this study, we investigate the performance of a consumer low-cost soil moisture sensor in the lab and in the field. We demonstrate that this sensor can be used for scientific applications, for example to create a dataset valuable for satellite validation.
Qisheng Zhang, Wenhao Li, Feng Guo, Zhenzhong Yuan, Shuaiqing Qiao, and Qimao Zhang
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 8, 241–249, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-241-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-241-2019, 2019
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Complex and harsh exploration environments have put forward higher requirements for traditional geophysical exploration methods and instruments. In this study, a new distributed seismic and electrical hybrid acquisition station is developed and it can achieve high-precision hybrid acquisition of seismic and electrical data. The synchronization precision of the acquisition station is better than 200 ns and the maximum low-power data transmission speed is 16 Mbps along a 55 m cable.
Wenhao Li, Qisheng Zhang, Qimao Zhang, Feng Guo, Shuaiqing Qiao, Shiyang Liu, Yueyun Luo, Yuefeng Niu, and Xing Heng
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 8, 177–186, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-177-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-177-2019, 2019
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The nonuniqueness of geophysical inversions, which is based on a single geophysical method, is a long–standing problem in geophysical exploration. This paper developed a distributed, multi–channel, high–precision data acquisition system. It can achieve high–precision hybrid acquisition of seismic–electrical data and monitor the real–time quality of data acquisition processes using NB–IoT technology. The equivalent input noise is 0.5 μV and the synchronization accuracy is within 200 ns.
Andrew O. Hoffman, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Knut Christianson, and Christine Hvidberg
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 8, 149–159, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-149-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-149-2019, 2019
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We present the design considerations and deployment of an autonomous modular terrestrial rover for ice-sheet exploration that is inexpensive, easy to construct, and allows for instrumentation customization. The rover proved capable of driving over 20 km on a single charge with a drawbar pull of 250 N, which is sufficient to tow commercial ground-penetrating radars. Due to its low cost, low power requirements, and simple modular design, mass deployments of this rover design are practicable.
Sharafeldin M. Sharafeldin, Khalid S. Essa, Mohamed A. S. Youssef, Hakan Karsli, Zein E. Diab, and Nilgun Sayil
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 8, 29–43, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-29-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-29-2019, 2019
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Integrated geophysical techniques (ERT, SSR, and GPR) along the conducted profiles at the Great Pyramids of Giza have been successfully used to investigate the groundwater table and support hazard mitigation. The groundwater table elevation is 15 m under the Great Sphinx, which is safe, and at the Nazlet El-Samman it is 16–17 m.
Lichao Liu, Denys Grombacher, Esben Auken, and Jakob Juul Larsen
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 8, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-1-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-8-1-2019, 2019
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This paper introcudes the design workflow and test approaches of a surface-NMR receiver. But the method and technqiues, for instance, signal loop, acqusition board, GPS synchronization, and Wi-Fi network, could also be employed in other geophysical instruments.
Shuaiqing Qiao, Hongmei Duan, Qisheng Zhang, Qimao Zhang, Shuhan Li, Shenghui Liu, Shiyang Liu, Yongqing Wang, Shichu Yan, Wenhao Li, and Feng Guo
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 7, 253–263, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-253-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-253-2018, 2018
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In this study, a high-precision distributed wireless microseismic acquisition system has been designed for oil and gas exploration. The system design, which was based on the ADS1274 chip manufactured by TI, made full use of the four channels of the chip to collect vibration signals in three directions and one electrical signal, respectively. Furthermore, the acquisition system used GPS and WIFI technologies to achieve distributed wireless acquisition.
Kazuyuki Saito, Go Iwahana, Hiroki Ikawa, Hirohiko Nagano, and Robert C. Busey
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 7, 223–234, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-223-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-223-2018, 2018
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A DTS system, using fibre-optic cables as a temperature sensor, measured surface and subsurface temperatures at a boreal forest underlain by permafrost in the interior of Alaska for 2 years every 30 min at 0.5-metre intervals along 2.7 km to monitor the daily and seasonal temperature changes, whose temperature ranges between −40 ºC in winter and 30 ºC in summer. This instrumentation illustrated characteristics of temperature variations and snow pack dynamics under different land cover types.
Fanqiang Lin, Xuben Wang, Kecheng Chen, Depan Hu, Song Gao, Xue Zou, and Cai Zeng
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 7, 209–221, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-209-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-209-2018, 2018
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The main purpose of this paper is to introduce a receiver system for the synchronous acquisition of multiple electromagnetic signals in transient electromagnetic prospecting to achieve multiparameter and multichannel synchronous reception. The reliability, practicability, and data validity of the receiver were verified by different kinds of testing. It can be used for the reception of pseudorandom signals and distributed 3-D data, which can improve geophysical exploration efficiency.
Nissaf Boudhina, Rim Zitouna-Chebbi, Insaf Mekki, Frédéric Jacob, Nétij Ben Mechlia, Moncef Masmoudi, and Laurent Prévot
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 7, 151–167, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-151-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-151-2018, 2018
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To provide reliable time series of evapotranspiration, we evaluated the performances of four different gap-filling methods when tailored to conditions of hilly crop fields. The tailoring consisted of splitting the time series beforehand on the basis of upslope and downslope winds. The obtained accuracies on evapotranspiration after gap filling were comparable to those previously reported over flat and mountainous terrains, and they were better with the most widely used gap-filling method.
Prasanna Mahavarkar, Jacob John, Vijay Dhapre, Varun Dongre, and Sachin Labde
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 7, 143–149, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-143-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-143-2018, 2018
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The authors have successfully recommissioned an unused tri-axial Helmholtz coil system. The system now serves as a national facility for calibrating magnetometers.
Martin Schrön, Steffen Zacharias, Gary Womack, Markus Köhli, Darin Desilets, Sascha E. Oswald, Jan Bumberger, Hannes Mollenhauer, Simon Kögler, Paul Remmler, Mandy Kasner, Astrid Denk, and Peter Dietrich
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 7, 83–99, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-83-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-7-83-2018, 2018
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Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a unique technology to monitor water storages in complex environments, non-invasively, continuously, autonomuously, and representatively in large areas. However, neutron detector signals are not comparable per se: there is statistical noise, technical differences, and locational effects. We found out what it takes to make CRNS consistent in time and space to ensure reliable data quality. We further propose a method to correct for sealed areas in the footrint.
Xinyue Zhang, Qisheng Zhang, Meng Wang, Qiang Kong, Shengquan Zhang, Ruihao He, Shenghui Liu, Shuhan Li, and Zhenzhong Yuan
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 6, 495–503, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-495-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-495-2017, 2017
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We believe that our study full-waveform voltage and current recording device for MTEM transmitters makes a significant contribution to the literature because this full-waveform recording device can be used to monitor the high-power, full-waveform voltages and currents of MTEM transmitters. It has high precision, finer edge details, low noise, and other advantages. Hence, it can be used for real-time recording and transmission to the receiver for coherent demodulation.
Peter W. Thorne, Fabio Madonna, Joerg Schulz, Tim Oakley, Bruce Ingleby, Marco Rosoldi, Emanuele Tramutola, Antti Arola, Matthias Buschmann, Anna C. Mikalsen, Richard Davy, Corinne Voces, Karin Kreher, Martine De Maziere, and Gelsomina Pappalardo
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 6, 453–472, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-453-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-453-2017, 2017
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The term system-of-systems with respect to observational capabilities is frequently used, but what does it mean and how can it be assessed? Here, we define one possible interpretation of a system-of-systems architecture that is based upon demonstrable aspects of observing capabilities. We develop a set of assessment strands and then apply these to a set of atmospheric observational networks to decide which observations may be suitable for characterising satellite platforms in future work.
Alexandre Gonsette, Jean Rasson, Stephan Bracke, Antoine Poncelet, Olivier Hendrickx, and François Humbled
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 6, 439–446, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-439-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-439-2017, 2017
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Absolute magnetic measurements require the vertical and the geographic north as reference directions. We present here a novel system able to measure the direction of the magnetic field and of the vertical and true north. A design of a north seeker is proposed that takes into account sensor bias as well as misalignment errors. Different methods are derived from this model and measurement results are presented. A measurement test at high latitude is also shown.
Wilhelm Nikonow and Dieter Rammlmair
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 6, 429–437, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-429-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-429-2017, 2017
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This work describes a new approach to use fast X-ray fluorescence mapping as a tool for automated mineralogy applied on thin sections of plutonic rocks. Using a supervised classification of the spectral information, mineral maps are obtained for modal mineralogy and image analysis. The results are compared to a conventional method for automated mineralogy, which is scanning electron microscopy with mineral liberation analyzer, showing a good overall accuracy of 76 %.
E. William Worthington and Jürgen Matzka
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 6, 419–427, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-419-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-419-2017, 2017
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We have compared two methods of performing Absolute observations of the Earth's magnetic field. The newer, Residual method was evaluated for use at USGS geomagnetic observatories and compared with measurements using the traditional Null method. A mathematical outline of the Residual method is presented, including more precise conversions of the Declination angles to nanoTeslas (nT). Results show that the Residual method is better than the Null method, especially at high latitude.
Achim Morschhauser, Gabriel Brando Soares, Jürgen Haseloff, Oliver Bronkalla, José Protásio, Katia Pinheiro, and Jürgen Matzka
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 6, 367–376, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-367-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-367-2017, 2017
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We report on the history and recent developments of the Tatuoca magnetic observatory in Brazil. This observatory is located close to the geomagnetic equator and within a region of strong main field dynamics. Starting from 2015, we have installed new instrumentation and a new datalogger system. In the paper, we also comment on the challenges of doing absolute measurements at the geomagnetic equator.
Antoine Poncelet, Alexandre Gonsette, and Jean Rasson
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 6, 353–360, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-353-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-353-2017, 2017
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In this paper, we give some background on calibration and verification of our automatic DI-flux instrument and then compare the automatic absolute magnetic measurements
with the human-made and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of automatic measurements.
Alexandre Gonsette, Jean Rasson, and François Humbled
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 6, 361–366, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-361-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-361-2017, 2017
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We present a novel method for calibrating magnetic observatories. We show how magnetometer baselines can highlight a possible calibration error. We also provide a method based on high-frequency automatic absolute measurements. This method determines a transformation matrix for correcting raw data suffering from scale factor and orientation errors. We finally present a practical case where covered data have been successfully compared to those coming from a reference magnetometer.
Achim Morschhauser, Jürgen Haseloff, Oliver Bronkalla, Carsten Müller-Brettschneider, and Jürgen Matzka
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 6, 345–352, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-345-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-345-2017, 2017
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A modern geomagnetic observatory is expected to record geomagnetic data with high stability, high resolution, and high reliability. Also, geomagnetic observatories may be located in remote areas, requiring low power consumption and simple maintenance. Here, we present a new data logger system that was designed to meet these criteria. This system is based on a Raspberry Pi embedded PC and includes a modular C++ software package which can be adapted to specific observatory setups.
Xinyue Zhang, Qisheng Zhang, Xiao Zhao, Qimao Zhang, Shenghui Liu, Shuhan Li, and Zhenzhong Yuan
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 6, 209–215, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-209-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-209-2017, 2017
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In this study, we propose a more accurate method for calculating the current velocity from the nanovolt-scale current-induced electric field as measured using an expendable current profiler (XCP). In order to confirm the accuracy of the proposed data processing method, a sea test was performed, wherein ocean current/electric field data were collected from the sea surface to a depth of 1000 m using an XCP.
Thomas Albin, Detlef Koschny, Sirko Molau, Ralf Srama, and Björn Poppe
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 6, 125–140, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-125-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-6-125-2017, 2017
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The Canary Islands Long-Baseline Observatory (CILBO) is a stereoscopic camera setup on the Canary Islands Tenerife and La Palma. Both cameras observe the same volume in the sky to determine high-precision orbits of entering meteoroids. Both cameras are identical; however they show different brightness or velocity distributions of the observed meteors. This work analyses different observational bias effects to determine and understand, e.g. camera pointing or observation time-dependent effects.
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Short summary
Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a non-invasive tool for measuring hydrogen pools like soil moisture, snow, or vegetation. This study presents a directional shielding approach, aiming to measure in specific directions only. The results show that non-directional neutron transport blurs the signal of the targeted direction. For typical instruments, this does not allow acceptable precision at a daily time resolution. However, the mere statistical distinction of two rates is feasible.
Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a non-invasive tool for measuring hydrogen pools like soil...
