A better understanding of the water and energy cycles at climate scale in the Third Pole Environment is essential for assessing and understanding the causes of changes in the cryosphere and hydrosphere in relation to changes of plateau atmosphere in the Asian monsoon system and for predicting the possible changes in water resources in South and East Asia. This paper reports the following results: (1) A platform of in situ observation stations is briefly described for quantifying the interactions in hydrosphere-pedosphere-atmosphere-cryosphere-biosphere over the Tibetan Plateau. (2) A multiyear in situ L-Band microwave radiometry of land surface processes is used to develop a new microwave radiative transfer modeling system. This new system improves the modeling of brightness temperature in both horizontal and vertical polarization. (3) A multiyear (2001–2018) monthly terrestrial actual evapotranspiration and its spatial distribution on the Tibetan Plateau is generated using the surface energy balance system (SEBS) forced by a combination of meteorological and satellite data. (4) A comparison of four large scale soil moisture products to in situ measurements is presented. (5) The trajectory of water vapor transport in the canyon area of Southeast Tibet in different seasons is analyzed, and (6) the vertical water vapor exchange between the upper troposphere and the lower stratosphere in different seasons is presented.

Biodiversity is the prerequisite for well-functioning ecosystem services that are crucial, like clean water and clean air. Invasive alien species (IAS) are a serious and long-term issue that is actively threatening the genetic diversity within ecosystems. In Sweden, 20 percent of 2000 alien species is estimated to be invasive or potentially invasive. One of the species that is assessed to be an IAS is garden lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus), which today is widely spread over big parts of Europe and it is established and reproducing in Sweden. The aim of the study was to find out wether the occurence of garden lupine in Jämtland (last 30 years) has an association with a certain type of land cover and soil moisture, and wether reported findings have increased over the years. This analysis was carried out by first statistically testing the association between the number of lupine observations and the reporting year. After that, a 5m-radius buffer was created around the reported species observations, to then compare the area of each class from National Land Cover Database (NMD) and SLU Soil Moisture Map within the buffer against the total area for each class within Jämtland County. The results of the study showed that the occurence of garden lupine can be associated with the type of land cover and soil moisture that is found on the place of occurence, and that the reports of occurence has increased over the years. The area of the land cover classes within the buffer was not proportional to the total area of those classes in Jämtland County. Lupine occured most commonly within land cover classes exploited land (50%; mainly "exploited land road/railway"), forest (30%), and other open land (20%). As for soil moisture, the garden lupine was only observed within two classes, and the area for these classes within the buffer was not proportional to the area of the same classes in Jämtland County. The soil moisture class with the highest percentage of reported occurence was the class "mesic-dry". These results are in agreeance with the literature describing nonnative habitats for garden lupine, however they do not reflect the facultative status it has received in native habitats. The spread of garden lupine can in other words be linked to the land cover and soil moisture that is found in the place of occurence. Future efforts that are needed are continous monitoring of garden lupine, harmonization of data through standardized inventory methods and validation of data. / Biologisk mångfald är förutsättningen för att avgörande ekosystemtjänster som rent vatten och ren luft ska fungera väl. Invasiva främmande arter (IAS) är ett allvarligt och långsiktigt problem som aktivt hotar den genetiska variationen inom ekosystem. I Sverige bedöms 20 procent av de 2000 främmande arterna vara invasiva eller potentiellt invasiva. En av de arter som klassas som IAS är blomsterlupin (Lupinus polyphyllus), vilken idag är vitt sprid över stora delar av Europa samt är bofast och reproducerande i Sverige. Syftet med studien var att ta reda på huruvida förekomst av blomsterlupin i Jämtland över 30 år har ett samband med viss typ av marktäcke och markfuktighet, samt om inrapporterade fynd har ökat med åren. Denna analys genomfördes genom att först statistiskt testa sambandet mellan inrapporteringar och rapporteringstillfälle. Därefter konstruerades en buffert med en radie på 5 meter runt inrapporterade artobservationer, för att sedan jämföra arean av respektive klass från Nationell Marktäckedata (NMD) och SLU Markfuktighetskarta inom bufferten mot den totala arean av respektive klass i hela Jämtland. Studiens resultat visade att blomsterlupinens förekomst kan associeras med vilken typ av marktäcke och markfuktighet som finns på platsen, samt att inrapporteringen av arten har ökat över åren. Arean av markatäckeklasserna inom bufferten för artobservation var inte proportionell mot den totala arean av respektive markatäckeklass i Jämtlands län. Lupin förekom vanligast inom marktäckeklasser exploaterad mark (50%; framförallt ”exploaterad mark väg/järnväg”), skog (30%) och övrig öppen mark (20%). Vad gäller markfuktighet så observerades endast blomsterlupin på två klasser, och arean för dessa klasser inom bufferten var inte proportionell mot arean för samma klasser i Jämtlands län. Markfuktighetsklassen som hade störst procentuell andel av inrapporterade fynd var klassen ”torr-frisk”. Dessa resultat överensstämmer med litteraturen som beskriver icke inhemska habitat, däremot reflekterar inte dessa resultat den fakultativa statusen som blomsterlupin har fått i dess inhemska habitat. Mina resultat visar att blomsterlupinens utbredning kan kopplas till den marktäcke och markfuktighet som finns på fyndplatsen. Framtida insatser som behövs är fortsatt övervakning av blomsterlupin, harmonisering av data genom standardiserade inventeringsmetoder och validering av data.

No description available.

Flooding effects mineral composition of pasture grasses, but little is known concerning effects on mineral metabolism and fiber digestibility in animals. Experiments were conducted to investigate effects of flooding and Al-nitrilo-triacetate (Al-NTA) on growth, chemical composition and digestibility of annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum, L.). Ryegrass was grown in a greenhouse experiment on Bucks silt loam soil with two soil moisture levels (flooding and 80% field capacity) and two Al rates (0 and 135 mg/kg) as Al-NTA. Flooding increased Al, Fe, Cu, Ca and fiber and decreased dry matter yield, Mg, K and Zn concentrations. Treatment with 135 mg/kg Al had no effect on Al in plants, but decreased Ca and P concentrations. Two digestion trials were conducted with meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) fed forage harvested from the greenhouse experiment. Voles were housed in stainless steel metabolism cages for total collections of feed and feces. A 2-day preliminary, during which voles were fed 100% ryegrass, preceded a 3-day collection period. At the end of the collection period, a blood sample was taken from the animals. Forage grown under flooding increased apparent absorption of Al, and Ca concentration in urine samples. Apparent absorption of Mg and serum Mg were decreased, and dry matter digestibility tended to decrease. Grazing forages produced under flooded conditions would increase potential for outbreaks of grass tetany in animals due to reduced Mg intake and absorption. Altered Mg and Ca metabolism appeared related to Al ingestion. Lowered animal performance could result from reduced DM digestibility. / Master of Science

Accurately modeling climate and the impacts of climate change relies heavily on extensive observations. Soil moisture is a critical variable in this regard, as it influences energy partitioning, regulates the water cycle, directly affects vegetation dynamics, modulates terrestrial carbon sinks and sources, and overall plays a vital role in the land-atmosphere interactions and feedback. This work aims to improve the quality of available surface soil moisture data and its complementary dataset -- vegetation optical depth (since both are derived from the same satellite measurements). The datasets developed in the scope of this study fill the gap in the available observational data pool as unique, long-term, consistent datasets developed based on remote sensing data. These datasets were created with the help of machine learning tools, in particular, deep dense neural networks. The distinctive characteristics of the utilized approach include (1) decomposition of the signal into seasonal and residual parts and training a neural network to match the residuals; (2) applying a special transfer learning training scheme that allows adjusting the features of a trained neural network to a slightly different input that ultimately permits merging the non-compatible directly and disjoint satellite sources into a consistent dataset; (3) using an ensemble of neural networks to assess the data uncertainty. Upon development, the datasets were profoundly validated vs. in-situ soil moisture measurements for soil moisture and biomass and photosynthesis-related datasets for vegetation optical depth. The consistent and long-term nature of the created datasets allowed for the study of decadal trends in soil moisture and the potential drivers for its dynamics. Finally, this study presents two showcases of the datasets used for constraining models -- as data assimilated in a simple carbon cycle model and as an emergent constraint in an ensemble of global climate models. The vegetation optical depth dataset was used in a simple carbon cycle model and demonstrated how it can constrain unobserved respiration flux and carbon pools. In this project's scope, the role of information content, data quality, and local conditions is assessed. The soil moisture dataset is used to constrain global climate models' projections of future soil moisture change by constraining the past soil moisture change range. Altogether, this study proposes a robust methodology for merging data from different sources into a consistent long-term dataset (provided that at least a short overlap in data exists for transfer learning). The analysis of the soil moisture dataset reveals that the regions of drying and wetting dynamics exist globally and can be identified with statistically significant trends in soil moisture. The dynamics are studied seasonally, revealing the contradicting trends in soil moisture in some regions (for example, in Europe, wetting in spring and drying in summer) and persistent trends throughout the year for others (for example, drying in the Mediterranean). Similarly, the local drivers of the soil moisture change are established. The soil moisture change is mainly driven by variations in precipitation for dry regions and in temperature in wet regions with the rising role of vegetation dynamics, especially in high latitudes. Finally, the vegetation optical depth data has proven its high potential in constraining respiration flux and carbon pools, significantly improving the carbon cycle model predictions in the regions subjected to interannual variability in meteorological forcing conditions and vegetation response.

A preliminary experiment was conducted to determine the effects of salinity and moisture stress on the pathogenicity of root-knot nematodes (RKN) in turfgrass plants. The results indicated that RKN infection adversely affected both visual and functional parameters of bentgrass. Salinity and moisture stress further exaggerated the damage caused by RKN. Under well-watered conditions, the effects of SWC and RKN infection on bentgrass plants were studied. Applications of Swe at 0.5 liter ha⁻¹ and 1.0 liter ha⁻¹ effectively enhanced bentgrass growth under both RKN-free and RKN-infected condition. It was shown that RKN caused less damage to SWC-treated plants than to non-treated plants. In addition, a soil drench of 0.5 liter ha⁻¹ and 1.0 liter ha⁻¹ at 10 day intervals was required to enhance bentgrass growth under RKN-free and RKN-infected conditions, respectively. The effects of seven SWC treatments on the growth of nematode-free and RKN infected bentgrass plants were tested under three irrigation regimes. Rooting and leaf moisture parameters, quality and clipping yield were all improved to some degree by SWC applications. High dosage SWC treatments, applied as a soil drench at one liter ha⁻¹ every 10 days, were most effective in improving plant growth. Application of SWC was more beneficial to RKN-infected plants than RKN-free plants, and to abiotically stressed plants than to abiotic stress-free plants. In a separate study, seaweed application was also shown to enhance both top growth and root growth of lance nematode (Hoplolaimus galeatus) or RKN infected bentgrass grown under drought or salinity stress condition. With SWC application, almost all of the symptoms caused by nematode infection and the abiotic stress were partially overcome. In addition, root development, leaf water status and clipping yield were all improved. It was apparent that soil drench SWC treatments were more effective in enhancing bentgrass growth than foliar Swc treatments. Application of SWC slightly reduced the number of nematodes per unit of fresh root (for RKN) and per unit weight of soil (for lance nematodes). Protein extracted from SWC-treated or non-treated ryegrass plants under different stress conditions indicated that SWC altered plant protein synthesis, possibly by inducing selective gene expressions. / Ph. D.

[pt] O propósito do trabalho é avaliar a viabilidade técnica do uso de sondas tipo TDR e tensiômetros no monitoramento de encostas não saturadas. Com tais instrumentos, objetiva-se monitorar a variação da sucção mátrica e da umidade no solo em períodos chuvosos, visando aperfeiçoar os sistemas de alerta usados em áreas de risco e, consequentemente, minimizar perdas materiais e humanas. Para as medições, foram instalados uma estação meteorológica (munida de um pluviômetro, um datalogger, uma placa solar e uma antena para a transmissão de dados via internet), quatro sensores de umidade tipo TDR e um tensiômetro de alta capacidade em uma encosta localizada a montante da Faculdade de Medicina de Petrópolis, cidade da região serrana do estado do Rio de Janeiro. Foram registrados cerca de três meses de dados das sondas tipo TDR e, por conta de uma pane elétrica, apenas treze dias de dados do tensiômetro. As sondas tipo TDR apresentaram tempos de resposta rápidos, com nítidos aumentos de umidade volumétrica com o início de um evento chuvoso. Elas também apresentaram sensibilidade adequada para serem utilizadas em sistemas de alerta, sendo capazes de registrar alterações de umidade volumétrica com pequenos volumes de chuva. As curvas características encontradas através de ensaios de papel filtro mostraram um bom paralelo entre as sucções medidas diretamente pelo tensiômetro e aquelas obtidas indiretamente pelas sondas tipo TDR, através da conversão das umidades volumétricas em sucção. / [en] The purpose of this work is to evaluate the technical feasibility of using TDR probes and tensiometers to monitor unsaturated slopes. The objective is to monitor with these instruments the variation of matric suction and soil moisture during rainy periods, aiming to improve the warning systems used in hazardous areas and, consequently, to minimize human and material loss. For the measurements, a meteorological station (equipped with a rain gauge, a datalogger, a solar panel and an antenna for data transmission via internet), four TDR-type humidity sensors and a high capacity tensiometer were installed in a slope located in the University of Medicine of Petrópolis, city of the mountainous region of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Approximately three months of data were collected from the TDR probes and only thirteen days of tensiometer data due to a power outage. TDR-type probes showed fast response time, with clear increases in volumetric humidity with the beginning of a rainfall event. They also showed adequate sensitivity to be used in warning systems, being able to register changes in volumetric humidity with small precipitation amounts. The characteristic curves found by the filter method showed a good correlation with the suctions measured directly by the tensiometer and those obtained indirectly by the TDR probes, by converting the volumetric humidity into suction.

The decline of floodplain vegetation along the Lower River Murray, South Australia, has evoked recommendations for ‘environmental flows’ to restore and maintain the health of the ecosystem. To assist managers to maximize benefits from environmental flows, this thesis considers the significance of water for germination and recruitment in key floodplain plant species. Three dominant species are considered, including two trees, river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) and black box (E. largiflorens), and an understorey shrub, tangled lignum (Muehlenbeckia florulenta). The soil seed bank was dominated by terrestrial annual native plants. Among 1400 seedlings, a single river red gum was found, and no black box or lignum, suggesting that these species do not contribute to the persistent soil seed bank and rely instead on aerial seed banks (serotiny). Sampling of the soil seed bank was continued to determine when seed fall might coincide with appropriate soil moisture conditions. Responses of the soil seed bank to varied water regimes were compared to determine requirements for seedling survival. The results indicated that species richness, rapidity of response and survival time were all promoted by sustained soil moisture. Stands of eucalypts in various states of health (from very stressed to very healthy) were monitored to identify seasonal patterns in bud crops, flowering, fresh leaves and volumes of seed released from the aerial seed bank. Distinct seasonal phenological patterns were apparent, and suggested alternating flowering among individual trees (biennial for red gum, bi-annual for black box), producing an annual peak in summer. Peak seed rain occurred in summer (December–March) in healthy trees for both red gum and black box, with light seed rain continuing throughout the year. Seed fall from stressed trees was much reduced. Stressed trees responded after a second watering event, with much more varied and extended annual seed fall patterns. Lignum showed a spring peak in flowering and seed production. There was a prolific response of flowering and seeding to rainfall, but few seedlings survived. Vigorous vegetative growth occurred in existing plants in response to rainfall and watering but no new cloned plants were found during the study. An investigation of chromosomes as a potential tool to appraise the balance between sexual and asexual reproduction in lignum proved inconclusive, although a previous report of octoploidy in lignum was confirmed. Seeds from all three species and lignum cuttings were tested for their responses to varied watering regimes, based on combinations of simulated rain and flood conditions. The optimal soil moisture for continued growth and survival in all seeds and cuttings was 10 25%, with moisture values <10% causing wilting and death. The results also suggested that red gum and black box seeds which germinate in water under flooded conditions need to be stranded onto moist soil at the water’s edge within 10 days, for the seedling to continue to grow. It was also concluded that germination on rain-moistened soil is a key supplementary mechanism for recruitment, particularly between irregular flood events. For greatest benefit, the timing of environmental flows should complement any seasonal rainfall and irregular flooding that may occur. Extension of suitable soil moisture conditions (10-25%) for as long as possible after >5 mm rainfall, or after over-bank flows, would increase chances for survival of seedlings. December is the most likely month for maximal benefit from watering in the Lower Murray Valley, for germination and recruitment, based on regional rainfall and flooding patterns. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1344528 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2008

Urbanisation is characterised by mass migration of people to urban areas and conversion of land from rural to urban land uses. Changes in population dynamics have led to half the world’s population living in urban areas; in developed countries, urban dwellers account for three-quarters of the total population. Though populations have shifted from rural to urban areas, people continue to rely on their environment, and trees in particular, for tangible and intangible benefits alike. A great deal of factual and anecdotal knowledge supports the role of trees for ecological, social, and economic well-being. In spite of this, during urbanisation, previously vegetated land is converted to housing, roads, or utility corridors, all of which are necessary to support growing populations. This thesis investigates tree growth in these modified urban landscapes, in particular, the effects of pavements on urban trees. Pavements are truly pervasive, covering more than half of all land in highly developed urban areas. Their durability and strength are of great importance to transportation, but large-scale soil sealing is not without consequence. Pavements affect the hydrologic cycle, soil and air temperature, and nutrient cycling. Because of their effect on the surrounding environment, pavements inherently affect remnant or planted trees. They are believed to negatively affect tree growth and survival, thereby compromising the ecological, social, and economic benefits otherwise derived from the urban forest. In recent times, porous pavements have been increasingly installed in favour of impervious pavements. Porous pavements are perceived to be an environmentally-sound alternative to standard impervious pavements. This thesis begins by reviewing the literature concerning porous pavement’s effect on underlying soil and urban vegetation, thus illustrating the scarcity of empirical data describing the effect of porous pavement on tree growth. A greater understanding of porous pavement’s impact on the surrounding environment is needed, if its installation is to continue. With this aim in mind, this thesis describes an experiment in Christchurch, New Zealand, which monitored the impacts of porous and impervious pavement on underlying soil conditions, and subsequent tree growth. The experiment comprised 50 Platanus orientalis trees planted in an augmented factorial design, which consisted of controls and four treatments. Trees were split evenly amongst plots, such that ten replicates existed per treatment. The pavement treatments measured 2.3m by 2.3m, and were based on the combination of pavement type (2 levels: porous, impervious) and pavement profile design (2 levels: +/- subbase compaction and gravel base). The resulting four treatments were impervious concrete pavement (IP), impervious concrete pavement with compacted subbase and gravel base (IP+), porous concrete pavement (PP), and porous concrete pavement with compacted subbase and gravel base (PP+). From December 2007 to March 2009, data were collected to determine the effect of these treatments on soil moisture, aeration, pH, and nutrient concentration. Final tree height, stem diameter, shoot and root biomass, and root distribution were also measured at the conclusion of the experiment. Results of this experiment indicated that the effects of pavement porosity on soil moisture and aeration were dynamic, varying with season and soil depth. Increased soil moisture beneath porous pavements resulted from rapid infiltration following precipitation. This decreased the duration of plant stress resulting from drought. Relative to bare soil, paved plots had consistently greater soil moisture, likely because pavements reduced evaporation. The inclusion of a gravel base in the profile design limited capillary upflow, which resulted in lower soil moisture under pavements designed with a gravel base. Soil aeration was significantly lower beneath pavements relative to unpaved plots. This is likely related to greater soil moisture beneath pavements. Finally, soil pH increased beneath pavements, in particular beneath porous pavements. Though all growth parameters increased for trees surrounded by porous, rather than impervious pavement, this occurred only in the absence of a compacted subgrade and gravel base. Evidently, the impact of the compacted subgrade superseded the impact of pavement porosity. Furthermore, root growth was relatively shallow beneath pavements, likely due to favourable soil moisture directly beneath pavements. This research highlights (i) the dramatic effect of pavements on underlying soil conditions; (ii) that pavements do not inherently limit tree growth; (iii) that porous pavements can conditionally improve tree growth; and (iv) that soil compaction limits potential benefits resulting from porous pavements.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / This study evaluated the sensitivity of TAWS detection range calculations to the spatial resolution of scenario backgrounds. Sixteen independent sites were analyzed to determine TAWS background. Multispectral satellite data were processed to different spatial resolutions from 1m to 8km. The resultant imagery was further processed to determine TAWS background type. The TAWS background type was refined to include soil moisture characteristics. Soil moisture analyses were obtained using in situ measurements, the Air Force's Agricultural-Meteorological (AGRMET) model and the Army's Fast All-seasons Soil Strength (FASST) model. The analyzed imagery was compared to the current default 1o latitude by 1o of longitude database in TAWS. The use of the current default TAWS background database was shown to result in TAWS ranges differing from the 1m standard range by 18-23%. The uncertainty was reduced to 5% when background resolution was improved to 8km in rural areas. By contrast, in urban regions the uncertainty was reduced to 14% when spatial resolution was reduced to 30m. These results suggest that the rural and urban designations are important to the definition of a background database. / First Lieutenant, United States Air Force