Abstract
Field experiments have been carried out in the United Arab Emirates since 1996 to explore post-irrigation drying processes in sandy loam using in-situ thermo-hygrometers.
In our “soil thermo-hygrometer” method, time variation of relative humidity in the soil pores at different depths is used to detect the position of the downward propagating drying front associated with the uppermost dry layer. After irrigation, the drying front reaches at depths of 0.05m and 0.1m after 4 days and 9 days, respectively. Moreover, the transport of sensible heat between atmosphere and ground surface is obtained from the heat energy budget of the ground surface layer, whose thickness is taken into account.
The field experiments demonstrate that the “soil thermo-hygrometer” method is valid for monitoring the development of the uppermost dry layer due to the evaporation from the soil.
