Soil moisture is critical to the Earth's water cycle as it influences water exchange between the land, atmosphere, and oceans. This study assessed the potential of a cosmic-ray neutron probe (CRNP) to monitor soil moisture dynamics in a forested mountain region, which is critical for water resource management and ecosystem health. Accurate soil moisture monitoring is essential for effectively managing forested mountainous areas, but various limitations exist in such environments. To overcome the complexities of soil moisture monitoring, an observatory consisting of a CRNP, automatic weather sensors, and dataloggers was established. Fifteen capacitance sensor (CS) stations were placed strategically within the CRNP's footprint to ensure strict evaluation. Although each CS measurement revealed the heterogeneity of the experimental site, temporal stability analysis determined the representative soil moisture. The validation of the CRNP and the average results of the 15 surface CS sensors revealed that they were strongly correlated (R = 0.94). It means that the CRNP can describe the dynamics of soil moisture that fluctuate according to physical properties, underscoring its reliability in estimating intermediate scale soil moisture. This correlation remained robust despite differences in rainfall patterns over three years. These findings indicate that the CRNP may be a valuable tool for monitoring soil moisture in a challenging environment. Additionally, the evaluation of the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2 (AMSR2), Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT), and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) demonstrated the usefulness of CRNP in supplying reference data. The AMSR2 showed an inadequate temporal pattern (R = 0.35), and the ASCAT achieved the highest correlation agreement (R = 0.67) with the CRNP. The GLDAS also showed close agreement, although with some discrepancies (R = 0.52). The results of this study support the utilization of CRNP and provide insight into establishing and expanding a soil moisture network.

中文翻译：

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山地森林环境表层土壤湿度宇宙射线中子探针观测的多尺度评估


土壤湿度对地球水循环至关重要，因为它影响陆地、大气和海洋之间的水交换。这项研究评估了宇宙射线中子探测器（CRNP）监测森林山区土壤湿度动态的潜力，这对于水资源管理和生态系统健康至关重要。准确的土壤湿度监测对于有效管理森林山区至关重要，但此类环境存在各种局限性。为了克服土壤湿度监测的复杂性，建立了一个由 CRNP、自动天气传感器和数据记录器组成的观测站。 CRNP 的占地面积内战略性地放置了 15 个电容传感器 (CS) 站，以确保严格评估。尽管每次 CS 测量都揭示了实验地点的异质性，但时间稳定性分析确定了代表性的土壤湿度。 CRNP 的验证和 15 个表面 CS 传感器的平均结果表明它们具有很强的相关性（R = 0.94）。这意味着CRNP可以描述根据物理性质波动的土壤水分动态，强调了其在估算中尺度土壤水分方面的可靠性。尽管三年间降雨模式存在差异，但这种相关性仍然很强。这些发现表明 CRNP 可能是在充满挑战的环境中监测土壤湿度的有价值的工具。此外，对先进微波扫描辐射计-2 (AMSR2)、先进散射仪 (ASCAT) 和全球陆地数据同化系统 (GLDAS) 的评估证明了 CRNP 在提供参考数据方面的有用性。 AMSR2 显示出不适当的时间模式（R = 0。35），ASCAT 与 CRNP 的相关一致性最高（R = 0.67）。 GLDAS 也显示出接近的一致性，尽管存在一些差异 (R = 0.52)。这项研究的结果支持了 CRNP 的利用，并为建立和扩大土壤水分网络提供了见解。