An agrogeophysical modelling framework for the detection of soil compaction spatial variability due to grazing using field‐scale electromagnetic induction data

Fuente: Wiley Open Access
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alejandro Romero‐Ruiz, Dave O'Leary, Eve Daly, Patrick Tuohy, Alice Milne, Kevin Coleman, Andrew P. Whitmore
Format: Artículo Open Access
Published: Wiley 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867019919579676672
author Alejandro Romero‐Ruiz
Dave O'Leary
Eve Daly
Patrick Tuohy
Alice Milne
Kevin Coleman
Andrew P. Whitmore
author_facet Alejandro Romero‐Ruiz
Dave O'Leary
Eve Daly
Patrick Tuohy
Alice Milne
Kevin Coleman
Andrew P. Whitmore
Alejandro Romero‐Ruiz
Dave O'Leary
Eve Daly
Patrick Tuohy
Alice Milne
Kevin Coleman
Andrew P. Whitmore
collection Wiley Open Access
contents An agrogeophysical modelling framework for the detection of soil compaction spatial variability due to grazing using field‐scale electromagnetic induction data Alejandro Romero‐Ruiz Dave O'Leary Eve Daly Patrick Tuohy Alice Milne Kevin Coleman Andrew P. Whitmore Soil Use and Management Abstract Soil compaction is a regarded as a major environmental and economical hazard, degrading soils across the world. Changes in soil properties due to compaction are known to lead to decrease in biomass and increase in greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient leaching and soil erosion. Quantifying adverse impacts of soil compaction and developing strategies for amelioration relies on an understanding of soil compaction extent and temporal variability. The main indicators of soil compaction (i.e., reduction of pore space, increase in bulk density and decrease in soil transport properties) are relatively easy to quantify in laboratory conditions but such traditional point‐based methods offer little information on soil compaction extent at the field scale. Recently, geophysical methods have been proposed to provide non‐invasive information about soil compaction. In this work, we developed an agrogeophysical modelling framework to help address the challenges of characterizing soil compaction across grazing paddocks using electromagnetic induction (EMI) data. By integrative modelling of grazing, soil compaction, soil processes and EMI resistivity anomalies, we demonstrate how spatial patterns of EMI observations can be linked to management leading to soil compaction and concurrent modifications of soil functions. The model was tested in a dairy farm in the midlands of Ireland that has been grazed for decades and shows clear signatures of grazing‐induced compaction. EMI data were collected in the summer of 2021 and autumn of 2022 under dry and wet soil moisture conditions, respectively. For both years, we observed decreases of apparent electrical resistivity at locations that with visible signatures of compaction such as decreased vegetation and water ponding (e.g., near the water troughs and gates). A machine learning algorithm was used to cluster EMI data with three unique cluster signatures assumed to be representative of heavy, moderately, and non‐compacted field zones. We conducted 1D process‐based simulations corresponding to non‐compacted and compacted soils. The modelled EMI signatures agree qualitatively and quantitatively with the measured EMI data, linking decreased electrical resistivities to zones that were visibly compacted. By providing a theoretical framework based on mechanistic modelling of soil management and compaction, our work may provide a strategy for utilizing EMI data for detection of soil degradation due to compaction. 10.1111/sum.13039 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
doi_str_mv 10.1111/sum.13039
format Artículo Open Access
id wiley_oa_10_1111_sum_13039
institution Wiley Open Access
license_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
publishDate 2024
publisher Wiley
record_format wiley_oa
spellingShingle An agrogeophysical modelling framework for the detection of soil compaction spatial variability due to grazing using field‐scale electromagnetic induction data
Alejandro Romero‐Ruiz
Dave O'Leary
Eve Daly
Patrick Tuohy
Alice Milne
Kevin Coleman
Andrew P. Whitmore
Soil Use and Management
An agrogeophysical modelling framework for the detection of soil compaction spatial variability due to grazing using field‐scale electromagnetic induction data Alejandro Romero‐Ruiz Dave O'Leary Eve Daly Patrick Tuohy Alice Milne Kevin Coleman Andrew P. Whitmore Soil Use and Management Abstract Soil compaction is a regarded as a major environmental and economical hazard, degrading soils across the world. Changes in soil properties due to compaction are known to lead to decrease in biomass and increase in greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient leaching and soil erosion. Quantifying adverse impacts of soil compaction and developing strategies for amelioration relies on an understanding of soil compaction extent and temporal variability. The main indicators of soil compaction (i.e., reduction of pore space, increase in bulk density and decrease in soil transport properties) are relatively easy to quantify in laboratory conditions but such traditional point‐based methods offer little information on soil compaction extent at the field scale. Recently, geophysical methods have been proposed to provide non‐invasive information about soil compaction. In this work, we developed an agrogeophysical modelling framework to help address the challenges of characterizing soil compaction across grazing paddocks using electromagnetic induction (EMI) data. By integrative modelling of grazing, soil compaction, soil processes and EMI resistivity anomalies, we demonstrate how spatial patterns of EMI observations can be linked to management leading to soil compaction and concurrent modifications of soil functions. The model was tested in a dairy farm in the midlands of Ireland that has been grazed for decades and shows clear signatures of grazing‐induced compaction. EMI data were collected in the summer of 2021 and autumn of 2022 under dry and wet soil moisture conditions, respectively. For both years, we observed decreases of apparent electrical resistivity at locations that with visible signatures of compaction such as decreased vegetation and water ponding (e.g., near the water troughs and gates). A machine learning algorithm was used to cluster EMI data with three unique cluster signatures assumed to be representative of heavy, moderately, and non‐compacted field zones. We conducted 1D process‐based simulations corresponding to non‐compacted and compacted soils. The modelled EMI signatures agree qualitatively and quantitatively with the measured EMI data, linking decreased electrical resistivities to zones that were visibly compacted. By providing a theoretical framework based on mechanistic modelling of soil management and compaction, our work may provide a strategy for utilizing EMI data for detection of soil degradation due to compaction. 10.1111/sum.13039 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title An agrogeophysical modelling framework for the detection of soil compaction spatial variability due to grazing using field‐scale electromagnetic induction data
topic Soil Use and Management
url https://bsssjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sum.13039