Assessing effects of soil hydraulic properties on the temporal stability of absolute soil moisture content and soil moisture anomaly under different climatic conditions

Due to the complex interactions of soil moisture with its controlling factors, numerical models are more suitable for quantifying different controls on the temporal pattern of soil moisture. Here, the effects of soil hydraulic properties on the temporal stability of absolute soil moisture content (TS SMC) and soil moisture anomaly (TS SMA) under different climatic conditions were assessed using a vadose zone model. To run the model, two soil datasets with van Genuchten parameters were generated and hydrometeorological data from four study sites with a significant precipitation gradient were obtained. The TS SMC analysis revealed that the patterns of mean relative difference (MRD) and standard deviation of relative difference (SDRD) of soil moisture partly depended on climatic conditions. With increasing precipitation, the range of MRD generally decreased; whereas, the range and mean value of SDRD increased, indicating that soil moisture was temporally more stable under drier climatic conditions. Based on the Spearman rank correlation coefficient, the results showed that the dependence of MRD on soil hydraulic parameters was partly determined by climatic conditions. With decreasing precipitation, the effects of residual soil moisture content, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and the parameter l that accounts for pore tortuosity and connectivity strengthened, while the effects of saturated soil moisture content and the parameter n that is a measure of pore size distribution weakened. Finally, according to the Pearson correlation coefficient, the results revealed that the control of soil hydraulic properties was shown to be reduced in the TS SMA analysis, thus confirming the previously made conjecture that the use of soil moisture anomalies in the temporal stability analysis reduces the impacts of static soil properties.