TY - JOUR
T1 - Soil moisture patterns in semiarid hillslopes
T2 - Linkage to surface water redistribution
AU - Katra, Itzhak
AU - Blumberg, Dan G.
AU - Lavee, Hanoch
AU - Sarah, Pariente
PY - 2008/12/1
Y1 - 2008/12/1
N2 - The water content of the upper soil layer is an important factor in the geomorphic response of a semiarid hillslope to rainfall events. Remotely sensed thermal infrared data acquired by a ground-based platform were used for spatially detailed measurement of the temporal changes of the topsoil moisture contents in a semiarid area in the northeastern Negev, Israel. The results highlight the effect of native shrubs on the soil moisture content, distribution, and dynamics during desiccation following runoff events. At the shrub scale, there was a general spatio-temporal pattern of topsoil moisture behavior manifested as a dynamic moist patch and controlled by pedohydrological properties, hillslope aspect, and microtopography. At the hillslope scale, the areas of higher soil moisture at the end of runoff events are closely associated with the vegetation pattern. The topsoil moisture dynamics indicate patchiness in the hydrological response of semiarid hillslopes to rainfall events, and thereby improve our understanding of the mosaic-like patterns of source and sink areas for runoff and sediments in these systems.
AB - The water content of the upper soil layer is an important factor in the geomorphic response of a semiarid hillslope to rainfall events. Remotely sensed thermal infrared data acquired by a ground-based platform were used for spatially detailed measurement of the temporal changes of the topsoil moisture contents in a semiarid area in the northeastern Negev, Israel. The results highlight the effect of native shrubs on the soil moisture content, distribution, and dynamics during desiccation following runoff events. At the shrub scale, there was a general spatio-temporal pattern of topsoil moisture behavior manifested as a dynamic moist patch and controlled by pedohydrological properties, hillslope aspect, and microtopography. At the hillslope scale, the areas of higher soil moisture at the end of runoff events are closely associated with the vegetation pattern. The topsoil moisture dynamics indicate patchiness in the hydrological response of semiarid hillslopes to rainfall events, and thereby improve our understanding of the mosaic-like patterns of source and sink areas for runoff and sediments in these systems.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=69549090138&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1560/IJES.57.3-4.281
DO - 10.1560/IJES.57.3-4.281
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:69549090138
SN - 0021-2164
VL - 57
SP - 281
EP - 289
JO - Israel Journal of Earth Sciences
JF - Israel Journal of Earth Sciences
IS - 3-4
ER -