Observing soil moisture temporal variability under fluctuating climatic conditions

Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures ◭ ◮ ◭ ◮ Back Close Full Screen / Esc Papers published in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions are under open-access review for the journal Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Abstract Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures ◭ ◮ ◭ ◮ Back Close Full Screen / Esc Abstract The paper focuses on the observation of interannual and intra-annual climate variability impact on soil moisture temporal patterns and variation, for an experimental site located in Southern Italy and characterized by a typical Mediterranean climate. Analysed data consist of three years soil water content time series measured during the period climatological conditions. Results show that, for the case study, interannual precipitation fluctuation highly impact the annual soil moisture cycle, modifying the number and length of characteristic periods revealed by the cycle patterns. Annual rainfall variation also affects the weight of the wet and dry soil moisture conditions, making the 10 distinction between preferred states more and more evident for increasing precipitation variability. Intra-annual precipitation fluctuation instead mainly impact soil moisture dynamic during the dry period of the year, shifting the position of the modes and the weight of the wet mode and nearly leading the dry mode to disappear for larger mean seasonal rainfall. Reported analyses would be a support and a premise for further 15 modeling implications.