DEPENDENCE OF THE SOIL MOISTURE DISTRIBUTION IN THE TIBETAN PLATEAU ON THE MICRO-TOPOGRAPHY

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of land surface on atmosphere, spatially averaged evaporation has to be estimated correctly. We developed the model to represent the soil moisture distribution, and showed that soil moisture distribution was important to estimate the spatially averaged evaporation correctly.
To predict the soil moisture distribution based on spatially averaged soil moisture, we must understand the characteristics of soil moisture by using this model. To do so, availability of this model has to be validated using field observation. At first, based on the field observation, we show the mechanism of formation of the soil moisture distribution which is the basis of the model. Second, the model is applied to four observation sites. As the result, the model simulation agrees with observed soil moisture distribution in each site, quantitatively.