A soil moisture monitoring network to characterize karstic recharge and evapotranspiration at five representative sites across the globe

摘要: Abstract. Karst systems are characterized by a high subsurface heterogeneity, and their complex recharge processes difficult to characterize. Experimental methods study karst mostly focus on analysing the entire aquifer. Despite their important role in processes, soil epikarst receive limited attention, few available studies were performed at sites of similar latitudes. In this paper, we describe new monitoring network that allows for improvement understanding epikarst including different with land-cover types in climate regions. Here, present preliminary data form the network elaborate potential answer research questions about the role karstic water flow storage. The network measures moisture at multiple points depths understand the partitioning rainfall into infiltration, evapotranspiration, and groundwater processes. We installed probes five different regions: Puerto Rico (tropical), Spain (Mediterranean), the United Kingdom (humid oceanic), Germany mountainous), and Australia (dry semi-arid). At each five sites, defined two 20 m×20 m plots land-use types (forest grassland). each plot, 15 profiles randomly selected at different from topsoil (in total over 400 soil moisture probes) installed. Covering spatio-temporal variability of flow through large number profiles, our monitoring network will allow researchers develop conceptual evapotranspiration and groundwater regions across climate regions types, will provide base quantitative assessment with physically based modelling approaches future.