A5007270684- Soil Moisture and Remote Sensing
- Soil and Unsaturated Flow
- Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
- Nuclear Physics and Applications
- Climate change and permafrost
- Groundwater flow and contamination studies
- Geophysical and Geoelectrical Methods
- Geophysical Methods and Applications
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations
- Cryospheric studies and observations
- Geophysics and Gravity Measurements
- Earthquake Detection and Analysis
- Irrigation Practices and Water Management
- Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research
- Probabilistic and Robust Engineering Design
- Water resources management and optimization
- Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis
- Precipitation Measurement and Analysis
- Soil Geostatistics and Mapping
- Hydrological Forecasting Using AI
- Aquatic and Environmental Studies
- Hydrology and Drought Analysis
- Particle Detector Development and Performance
University of Bologna
2019-2025
University of Potsdam
2011-2020
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
2015-2019
Norsk Hydro (Germany)
2016-2017
University of Milan
2009-2010
National Research Council
2010
Istituto per il Rilevamento Elettromagnetico dell'Ambiente
2010
Abstract. In the last few years method of cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) has gained popularity among hydrologists, physicists, and land-surface modelers. The sensor provides continuous soil moisture data, averaged over several hectares tens decimeters in depth. However, signal still may contain unidentified features hydrological processes, many calibration datasets are often required order to find reliable relations between intensity water dynamics. Recent insights into environmental...
Abstract The characteristics of an aboveground cosmic‐ray neutron sensor (CRNS) are evaluated for monitoring a mountain snowpack in the Austrian Alps from March 2014 to June 2016. Neutron counts were compared continuous point‐scale snow depth (SD) and snow‐water‐equivalent (SWE) measurements automatic weather station with maximum SWE 600 mm (April 2014). Several spatially distributed Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS)‐based SD maps additionally used. A strong nonlinear correlation is found...
Abstract Cosmic‐ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is a promising non‐invasive technique to estimate snow water equivalent (SWE) over large areas. In contrast preliminary studies focusing on shallow conditions (SWE 130 mm), more recently the method was shown experimentally be sensitive also deeper snowpacks providing basis for its use at mountain experimental sites. However, hysteretic response has been observed complex cover including patchy snow‐free present study we aimed understand and support...
Abstract. Monitoring soil moisture is still a challenge: it varies strongly in space and time at various scales while conventional sensors typically suffer from small spatial support. With sensor footprint up to several hectares, cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) modern technology address that challenge. So far, the CRNS method has been applied with single or sparse national-scale networks. This study presents, for first time, dense network of 24 stations covered, May July 2019, an area just...
Abstract. Soil moisture at the plot or hill-slope scale is an important link between local vadose zone hydrology and catchment hydrology. However, so far only a few methods are on way to close this gap point measurements remote sensing. One new measurement methodology that could determine integral soil aboveground sensing of cosmic-ray neutrons, more precisely ground albedo neutrons. The present study performed neutron (GANS) agricultural field in northern Germany. To test method it was...
Abstract. Data of soil hydraulic properties forms often a limiting factor in unsaturated zone modelling, especially at the larger scales. Investigations for characterization soils are time-consuming and costly, accuracy results obtained by different methodologies is still debated. However, we may wonder how uncertainty parameters relates to selected modelling approach. We performed an intensive monitoring study during cropping season 10 ha maize field Northern Italy. The data were used to:...
A correct soil moisture estimation is a fundamental prerequisite for many applications: agriculture, meteorological forecast, flood and drought prediction, and, in general, water accounting management. Traditional methods typically provide point-like measurements, but suffer from heterogeneity, which can produce significant misinterpretation of the hydrological scenarios. In last decade, cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) has emerged as promising approach detection content. CRNS average over...
Abstract The improvement of process representations in hydrological models is often only driven by the modelers' knowledge and data availability. We present a comprehensive comparison between two different complexity that developed to support (1) understanding differences model structures (2) identification observations needed for assessment improvement. conducted on both space time aggregating outputs at spatiotemporal scales. In study, mHM, process‐based model, ParFlow‐CLM, an integrated...
Abstract In recent years, cosmic‐ray neutron sensing (CRNS) has shown a large potential among proximal techniques to monitor soil moisture noninvasively, with high frequency and support volume (radius up 240 m depth 80 cm). This signal is, however, more sensitive closer distances shallower depths. Inherently, CRNS‐derived is spatially weighted value, different from an average as retrieved by sensor network. this study, we systematically test new profile shape correction on moisture, based...
Abstract. Cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) has emerged as a reliable method for soil moisture and snow estimation. However, the applicability of this beyond research been limited due to, among others, use relatively large expensive sensors. This paper presents tests conducted on new scintillator-based sensor especially designed to jointly measure counts, muons total gamma rays. The signal is first compared against two conventional gas-tube-based CRNS sensors at locations. estimated further...
Remote sensing vegetation indices play a vital role in agricultural zoning by providing detailed insights into crop health, productivity, and environmental conditions. They enable researchers professionals to monitor changes, urban expansion, natural events with exceptional accuracy precision. This progress has been fueled major technological developments satellite sensors, data processing algorithms, analytical methods, enabling the capture of more information increased observation...
Abstract Integrated terrestrial system models predict the coupled water, energy and biogeochemical cycles. Simulations with these are affected by uncertainties of model parameters, initial boundary conditions, atmospheric forcings biophysical processes. Data assimilation (DA) can quantify reduce uncertainty. This has been tested intensively for single compartment models, but far less integrated multiple compartments. We constructed a virtual reality (VR) land surface‐subsurface under...
Abstract Vadose zone models, calibrated with state variables, may offer a robust approach for deriving groundwater recharge. Cosmic‐ray neutron sensing (CRNS) provides soil moisture over large support volume (horizontal extent of hectares) and offers the opportunity to estimate water fluxes at this scale. However, horizontal vertical sensitivity method results in an inherently weighted content, which poses challenge its application hydrologic modeling. We systematically assess calibrating...
Surface soil moisture (SSM) products derived from microwave remote sensing technology are currently operational at coarse resolutions (10-40 km) and global scale. Despite the utility of existing Earth Observation (EO) SSM products, there is significant scientific interest in enhancing ability to resolve fine-scale surface heterogeneity. High spatial resolution patterns (e.g., 0.1-1 can improve our quantitative understanding soil-vegetation-atmosphere system enhance applications such as...
Observations are invaluable information for testing hypotheses, increasing knowledge and advancing science. Even if this might be universally accepted, it is however quite surprising, by looking at the scientific literature, how diverse terminology interpretation used same monitoring strategy, ranging from assessment of actual measurements to sampling designs. While simply mirror diversity underlying assumptions developed in different communities, raises question undermines a solid...
Abstract. Soil properties show high heterogeneity at different spatial scales and their correct characterization remains a crucial challenge over large areas. The aim of the study is to quantify impact types uncertainties that arise from unresolved soil variability on simulated hydrological states fluxes. Three perturbation methods are presented for in properties. applied map upper Neckar catchment (Germany), as an example. propagated through distributed mesoscale model (mHM) assess outputs...
The agricultural sector accounts for 70% of all water consumption and poses great pressure on ground resources. Therefore, evaluating is highly important as it allows supply chain actors to identify practices which are associated with unsustainable use, risk depleting current resources impacting future production. However, these assessments often not feasible crop producers data, models experiments required in order conduct them. This work introduces a new on-line use assessment tool that...
Abstract Although cosmic‐ray neutron sensing (CRNS) is probably the most promising noninvasive proximal soil moisture measurement technique at field scale, its application for hydrological simulations remains underexplored in literature so far. This study assessed use of CRNS to inversely calibrate hydraulic parameters intermediate scale simulate groundwater recharge rates a daily timescale. The was conducted two contrasting years Guaraíra experimental basin, Brazil, 5.84‐km², tropical wet...
Abstract Measuring the variability of incoming neutrons locally would be usefull for cosmic‐ray neutron sensing (CRNS) method. As measurement high energy is not so easy, alternative particles can considered such purpose. Among them, muons are created from same cascade primary fluxes that generate at ground. In addition, they easily detected by small and relatively inexpensive detectors. For these reasons could provide a suitable local to corrections based on remote monitor data. The reported...
Abstract In the field of hydrological modeling, many alternative representations natural processes exist. Choosing specific process formulations when building a model is therefore associated with high degree ambiguity and subjectivity. addition, numerical integration underlying differential equations parametrization structures influence performance. Identifiability analysis may provide guidance by constraining priori range alternatives based on observations. this work, flexible simulation...