Virtual Joint Field Campaign: a framework of synthetic landscapes to assess multiscale measurement methods of water storage
<p>Various methods are available to measure water storage across different landscape compartments, e.g. cosmic-ray neutron sensing, remote sensing, or hydrogravimetry. All these methods provide integral estimates that are representative of their corresponding measurement volume.</p>...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Geoscientific Model Development |
| Online Access: | https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/18/819/2025/gmd-18-819-2025.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823856585824272384 |
|---|---|
| author | T. Francke C. Brogi A. Duarte Rocha M. Förster M. Heistermann M. Köhli D. Rasche M. Reich P. Schattan P. Schattan L. Scheiffele M. Schrön |
| author_facet | T. Francke C. Brogi A. Duarte Rocha M. Förster M. Heistermann M. Köhli D. Rasche M. Reich P. Schattan P. Schattan L. Scheiffele M. Schrön |
| author_sort | T. Francke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Various methods are available to measure water storage across different landscape compartments, e.g. cosmic-ray neutron sensing, remote sensing, or hydrogravimetry. All these methods provide integral estimates that are representative of their corresponding measurement volume.</p>
<p>However, we typically do not know the true value of water storage in these measurement volumes, which makes it difficult to assess the accuracy of such methods.</p>
<p>In this study we suggest a synthetic virtual landscape that allows for an exact definition of all variables of interest and, consequently, constitutes the so-called “virtual truth” free of knowledge gaps. Such a landscape can be explored in various “virtual field campaigns” using “virtual sensors” that mimic the response and characteristics of actual devices. We use dedicated physically based models to simulate the signal a sensor would receive. These model outputs, termed “virtual observations”, can be explored and also allow for the reconstruction of water storage, which can then readily be compared to the virtual truth. Insights from this comparison could help to better understand real measurements and their uncertainties and to challenge accepted knowledge about signal processing and data interpretation.</p>
<p>The Virtual Joint Field Campaign is an open collaborative framework for constructing such landscapes. It comprises data and methods to create and combine different compartments of the landscape (e.g. atmosphere, soil, vegetation). The present study demonstrates virtual observations of water storage with cosmic-ray neutron sensing, hydrogravimetry, and remote sensing in three exemplary landscapes. It enables unprecedented opportunities for the systematic assessment of the sensor's strengths and weaknesses and even their combined use.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-64949eb487424e39a1373e80f4c434c7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-959X 1991-9603 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geoscientific Model Development |
| spelling | doaj-art-64949eb487424e39a1373e80f4c434c72025-02-12T06:52:34ZengCopernicus PublicationsGeoscientific Model Development1991-959X1991-96032025-02-011881984210.5194/gmd-18-819-2025Virtual Joint Field Campaign: a framework of synthetic landscapes to assess multiscale measurement methods of water storageT. Francke0C. Brogi1A. Duarte Rocha2M. Förster3M. Heistermann4M. Köhli5D. Rasche6M. Reich7P. Schattan8P. Schattan9L. Scheiffele10M. Schrön11Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, GermanyAgrosphere Institute (IBG-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, GermanyGeoinformation in Environmental Planning Lab, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, GermanyGeoinformation in Environmental Planning Lab, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, GermanyInstitute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, GermanyPhysikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, GermanyGFZ – German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Hydrology, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyGFZ – German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Hydrology, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyInstitute of Geography, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020, Innsbruck, AustriaInstitute of Hydrology and Water Management (HyWa), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, AustriaInstitute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, GermanyUFZ – Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH, Department of Monitoring and Exploration Technologies, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany<p>Various methods are available to measure water storage across different landscape compartments, e.g. cosmic-ray neutron sensing, remote sensing, or hydrogravimetry. All these methods provide integral estimates that are representative of their corresponding measurement volume.</p> <p>However, we typically do not know the true value of water storage in these measurement volumes, which makes it difficult to assess the accuracy of such methods.</p> <p>In this study we suggest a synthetic virtual landscape that allows for an exact definition of all variables of interest and, consequently, constitutes the so-called “virtual truth” free of knowledge gaps. Such a landscape can be explored in various “virtual field campaigns” using “virtual sensors” that mimic the response and characteristics of actual devices. We use dedicated physically based models to simulate the signal a sensor would receive. These model outputs, termed “virtual observations”, can be explored and also allow for the reconstruction of water storage, which can then readily be compared to the virtual truth. Insights from this comparison could help to better understand real measurements and their uncertainties and to challenge accepted knowledge about signal processing and data interpretation.</p> <p>The Virtual Joint Field Campaign is an open collaborative framework for constructing such landscapes. It comprises data and methods to create and combine different compartments of the landscape (e.g. atmosphere, soil, vegetation). The present study demonstrates virtual observations of water storage with cosmic-ray neutron sensing, hydrogravimetry, and remote sensing in three exemplary landscapes. It enables unprecedented opportunities for the systematic assessment of the sensor's strengths and weaknesses and even their combined use.</p>https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/18/819/2025/gmd-18-819-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | T. Francke C. Brogi A. Duarte Rocha M. Förster M. Heistermann M. Köhli D. Rasche M. Reich P. Schattan P. Schattan L. Scheiffele M. Schrön Virtual Joint Field Campaign: a framework of synthetic landscapes to assess multiscale measurement methods of water storage Geoscientific Model Development |
| title | Virtual Joint Field Campaign: a framework of synthetic landscapes to assess multiscale measurement methods of water storage |
| title_full | Virtual Joint Field Campaign: a framework of synthetic landscapes to assess multiscale measurement methods of water storage |
| title_fullStr | Virtual Joint Field Campaign: a framework of synthetic landscapes to assess multiscale measurement methods of water storage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Virtual Joint Field Campaign: a framework of synthetic landscapes to assess multiscale measurement methods of water storage |
| title_short | Virtual Joint Field Campaign: a framework of synthetic landscapes to assess multiscale measurement methods of water storage |
| title_sort | virtual joint field campaign a framework of synthetic landscapes to assess multiscale measurement methods of water storage |
| url | https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/18/819/2025/gmd-18-819-2025.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tfrancke virtualjointfieldcampaignaframeworkofsyntheticlandscapestoassessmultiscalemeasurementmethodsofwaterstorage AT cbrogi virtualjointfieldcampaignaframeworkofsyntheticlandscapestoassessmultiscalemeasurementmethodsofwaterstorage AT aduarterocha virtualjointfieldcampaignaframeworkofsyntheticlandscapestoassessmultiscalemeasurementmethodsofwaterstorage AT mforster virtualjointfieldcampaignaframeworkofsyntheticlandscapestoassessmultiscalemeasurementmethodsofwaterstorage AT mheistermann virtualjointfieldcampaignaframeworkofsyntheticlandscapestoassessmultiscalemeasurementmethodsofwaterstorage AT mkohli virtualjointfieldcampaignaframeworkofsyntheticlandscapestoassessmultiscalemeasurementmethodsofwaterstorage AT drasche virtualjointfieldcampaignaframeworkofsyntheticlandscapestoassessmultiscalemeasurementmethodsofwaterstorage AT mreich virtualjointfieldcampaignaframeworkofsyntheticlandscapestoassessmultiscalemeasurementmethodsofwaterstorage AT pschattan virtualjointfieldcampaignaframeworkofsyntheticlandscapestoassessmultiscalemeasurementmethodsofwaterstorage AT pschattan virtualjointfieldcampaignaframeworkofsyntheticlandscapestoassessmultiscalemeasurementmethodsofwaterstorage AT lscheiffele virtualjointfieldcampaignaframeworkofsyntheticlandscapestoassessmultiscalemeasurementmethodsofwaterstorage AT mschron virtualjointfieldcampaignaframeworkofsyntheticlandscapestoassessmultiscalemeasurementmethodsofwaterstorage |