1 SIMULATION OF WEIGHING LYSIMETER MEASURES BY MEANS OF

2 CAPACITANCE SOIL MOISTURE SENSORS

3 Faramiñán, Adán M. G.1,2; Carmona, Facundo1,2; Rivas, Raúl1,3; Silicani, Matías1,3

4 1
Instituto de Hidrología de Llanuras (IHLLA), Paraje Arroyo Seco s/n, Tandil, 7000, Argentina Contacto:

5 adanfaraminian@ihlla.org.ar

6 2
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET),

7 3
Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CICPBA)

8 Abstract

9 The cultivated area in the world has grown by 12% in the last 50 years and, consequently, the

10 irrigated area has doubled in the same period. For this reason, it is consistent to have accurate

11 information for the proper and sustainable management of water resources. At present, lysimeters are

12 the most accurate instruments for measuring water flows in the unsaturated zone. For this reason, this

13 work shows a model that simulates a weighing lysimeter by means of a low-cost capacitance soil

14 moisture sensor. The study was conducted in test site at the Campus of the Universidad Nacional del

15 Centro de la provincial de Buenos Aires in Tandil, Argentina, on an argiudol soil covered with native

16 pasture for a three-year data series. A multiple linear regression model was used to integrate the

17 sensors into a single function in order to explain the data observed by the lysimeter. The sensitivity

18 of the method was analyzed by means of classical statistical indicators and resampling techniques

19 with an appropriate level of significance, which allowed the method to be evaluated quantitatively

20 and qualitatively. The relationship between data from a weighing lysimeter and soil moisture sensors

21 resulted in a "very good" evaluation (RMSE<0.3; NSEI>0.9). The method was validated a continuous

22 data from another weighing lysimeter, and good performance was observed in the correlation an

23 estimated data. This technique can be extrapolated to the formation of a monitoring network that

24 would serve for the validation of remote sensing products and decision making on the water resource.

25 Keywords: agrometeorology, multiple linear regression, Pampa plain, typical argiudol, unsaturated zone.

26 Detalles desarrollados en la tesis doctoral de Faramiñan, 2022. DCAAS, Facultad de Ciencias

27 Exactas de la UNCPBA.