Soil evaporation and soil thermal regime inside micro-lysimeters

This thesis evaluates the basic assumption of an infrared thermometry model to predict bare soil evaporation by infrared thermometry. Field data were obtained from the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, ARS-USDA at Phoenix, Arizona. Computationally, these field data validated that assumption. Secondly, a field experiment was conducted to study the thermal regime of air-dried soil inside metal and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microlysimeters. A significant difference in soil heat flux was seen between metal and PVC microlysimeters, while no significant difference was observed between PVC microlysimeters and a reference soil. This study supports the findings from recent studies that inside metal microlysimeters, heat is conducted efficiently downward into the deeper soil depths, leaving the surface cooler than the surrounding soil.hydrology collectio