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Title: Soil Water and Temperature System (SWATS) Instrument Handbook

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1251383· OSTI ID:1251383
 [1]
  1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

The soil water and temperature system (SWATS) provides vertical profiles of soil temperature, soil-water potential, and soil moisture as a function of depth below the ground surface at hourly intervals. The temperature profiles are measured directly by in situ sensors at the Central Facility and many of the extended facilities of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) site. The soil-water potential and soil moisture profiles are derived from measurements of soil temperature rise in response to small inputs of heat. Atmospheric scientists use the data in climate models to determine boundary conditions and to estimate the surface energy flux. The data are also useful to hydrologists, soil scientists, and agricultural scientists for determining the state of the soil.

Research Organization:
DOE Office of Science Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1251383
Report Number(s):
DOE/SC-ARM-TR-063
Resource Relation:
Related Information: Revised August 2017; revised April 2018
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English