Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11681/12747
Title: A review of developments in agricultural science applicable to military soil moisture prediction requirements
Authors: Utah State University. Soils and Biometeorology Department
Hall, Leonard F.
Keywords: Agricultural science
Evapotranspiration
Numerical models
Mass balance models
Soil moisture
Military ground vehicle mobility models
Soil physics
Soil mechanics
Military hydrology models
Waterlogging
Publisher: Geotechnical Laboratory (U.S.)
Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)
Series/Report no.: Technical report (U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station) ; GL-85-8.
Description: Technical report
Abstract: A number of investigators have made a concerted effort during the last 20 years in agricultural science in soil moisture modeling and prediction. A parallel effort by soil physicists over the last three decades has improved their capability to estimate input data values for more complex soil moisture prediction models, which is particularly significant in worldwide applications and in applications involving inaccessible areas. Advances are also being made in treating problems caused by spatial variability of soil properties. These developments in the prediction of soil moisture content by the civilian community are potentially important to many military operations because of the negative effects of excessive soil moisture (reduction of ground vehicle mobility and enhancement of flooding in field areas, for example) Current soil moisture prediction procedures for mobility are based on a military model formulated over 20 years ago. While excellent for its time and purpose, this model does not predict several critical soil moisture conditions with desirable accuracy. Additionally, only simplistic estimates of antecedent soil moisture are used in military hydrology models. Some aspects of improved soil moisture prediction capabilities developed in agricultural science and in soil physics are now fully applicable to military requirements. Other aspects will require adaption to specific military applications. This report provides a comprehensive literature survey and review of mathematical models for predicting soil moisture that were developed in agricultural science and soil physics and that are potentially adaptable to military modeling of ground vehicle mobility and hydrology. Further, the report presents recommendations (a) for comparing the accuracy of soil moisture predictions made by the current military model and by agricultural science and soil physics models for soil and moisture conditions important to the military, and (b) for developing the soil moisture prediction model(s) most useful for the military based on results of this comparison and on an evaluation of characteristics of all prediction models included in the comparison.
Rights: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11681/12747
Appears in Collections:Technical Report

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