Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture and matric potential under different land covers at an agricultural site

Knowledge of the spatiotemporal patterns of soil moisture content (θ) and soil matric potential (ψ) is important for understanding landscape hydrological processes and agricultural management. Previous studies mostly focused on θ, while relevant studies on the spatiotemporal characteristics of ψ wer...

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Main Authors: Dongdong Wu, Tiejun Wang, Yibin Dai, Zhang Yu, Jing Xu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Agricultural Water Management
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837742500424X
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author Dongdong Wu
Tiejun Wang
Yibin Dai
Zhang Yu
Jing Xu
author_facet Dongdong Wu
Tiejun Wang
Yibin Dai
Zhang Yu
Jing Xu
author_sort Dongdong Wu
collection DOAJ
description Knowledge of the spatiotemporal patterns of soil moisture content (θ) and soil matric potential (ψ) is important for understanding landscape hydrological processes and agricultural management. Previous studies mostly focused on θ, while relevant studies on the spatiotemporal characteristics of ψ were still limited. In this study, the spatiotemporal patterns of θ and ψ were jointly investigated by one-year θ and ψ data, which were collected at 30 cm and 60 cm along a 100-m transect under cropped conditions and a 20-m transect under bare surface conditions in the North China Plain. The results showed that the spatial mean-variance relationship for both θ and ψ displayed upward convex relationships, and vegetation tended to reduce the spatial variability in θ and ψ through root water uptake processes, particularly at deeper soil layers (60 cm), suggesting that the spatial variability in θ and ψ at field scales depended on both moisture and land cover conditions. Moreover, the temporal stability analysis (TSA) revealed that the temporal stability of θ and ψ was different at the study site, which attributed to the influence of vegetation. The correlations between soil texture and the mean relative differences of θ and ψ further confirmed the effect of vegetation at field scales. Due to the different spatial patterns of θ and ψ, the representative sites for monitoring areal average θ and ψ differed, although the results demonstrated the usefulness of the TSA for selecting representative sites for both θ and ψ. Finally, the wavelet coherency analysis was employed to examine the spatial patterns of θ and ψ under cropped conditions. The results revealed that the intra-seasonal spatial stability of θ and ψ was strongly influenced by their large-scale (>8 m) correlations, which were more significant at 30 cm in spring and at 60 cm in summer. This study underscores the necessity to jointly investigate the interactions of θ and ψ with surrounding environments and provided insight into their spatiotemporal variations at field scales.
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spelling doaj-art-74e587126ce14838bbd1012ecc0345602025-08-20T02:56:44ZengElsevierAgricultural Water Management1873-22832025-09-0131810971010.1016/j.agwat.2025.109710Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture and matric potential under different land covers at an agricultural siteDongdong Wu0Tiejun Wang1Yibin Dai2Zhang Yu3Jing Xu4China Fire and Rescue Institute, Nanyan Road 4, Beijing 102202, PR ChinaInstitute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Tianjin Bohai Rim Coastal Earth Critical Zone National Observation and Research Station, Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Earth Critical Zone Science and Sustainable Development in Bohai Rim, Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Corresponding author at: Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin 300072, PR China.Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin 300072, PR ChinaInstitute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin 300072, PR ChinaTianjin Beidagang Wetland Nature Reserve Management Center, Tianjin, PR ChinaKnowledge of the spatiotemporal patterns of soil moisture content (θ) and soil matric potential (ψ) is important for understanding landscape hydrological processes and agricultural management. Previous studies mostly focused on θ, while relevant studies on the spatiotemporal characteristics of ψ were still limited. In this study, the spatiotemporal patterns of θ and ψ were jointly investigated by one-year θ and ψ data, which were collected at 30 cm and 60 cm along a 100-m transect under cropped conditions and a 20-m transect under bare surface conditions in the North China Plain. The results showed that the spatial mean-variance relationship for both θ and ψ displayed upward convex relationships, and vegetation tended to reduce the spatial variability in θ and ψ through root water uptake processes, particularly at deeper soil layers (60 cm), suggesting that the spatial variability in θ and ψ at field scales depended on both moisture and land cover conditions. Moreover, the temporal stability analysis (TSA) revealed that the temporal stability of θ and ψ was different at the study site, which attributed to the influence of vegetation. The correlations between soil texture and the mean relative differences of θ and ψ further confirmed the effect of vegetation at field scales. Due to the different spatial patterns of θ and ψ, the representative sites for monitoring areal average θ and ψ differed, although the results demonstrated the usefulness of the TSA for selecting representative sites for both θ and ψ. Finally, the wavelet coherency analysis was employed to examine the spatial patterns of θ and ψ under cropped conditions. The results revealed that the intra-seasonal spatial stability of θ and ψ was strongly influenced by their large-scale (>8 m) correlations, which were more significant at 30 cm in spring and at 60 cm in summer. This study underscores the necessity to jointly investigate the interactions of θ and ψ with surrounding environments and provided insight into their spatiotemporal variations at field scales.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837742500424XSoil waterSpatial variabilityTemporal stability analysisWavelet coherency (WTC) analysisNorth China Plain
spellingShingle Dongdong Wu
Tiejun Wang
Yibin Dai
Zhang Yu
Jing Xu
Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture and matric potential under different land covers at an agricultural site
Agricultural Water Management
Soil water
Spatial variability
Temporal stability analysis
Wavelet coherency (WTC) analysis
North China Plain
title Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture and matric potential under different land covers at an agricultural site
title_full Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture and matric potential under different land covers at an agricultural site
title_fullStr Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture and matric potential under different land covers at an agricultural site
title_full_unstemmed Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture and matric potential under different land covers at an agricultural site
title_short Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture and matric potential under different land covers at an agricultural site
title_sort spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture and matric potential under different land covers at an agricultural site
topic Soil water
Spatial variability
Temporal stability analysis
Wavelet coherency (WTC) analysis
North China Plain
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837742500424X
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