9:30 - 9:45 -- Welcome (Luca Cicala)
9:45 - 10:00 -- Introduction (Fabio Mantovani)
10:00 - 10:35 -- Observing soil moisture and irrigations from space (Luca Brocca)
Irrigation is one of the most impacting human interventions in the water cycle, and its estimation plays a central role for water management and food security. Recently, satellite soil moisture observations are being exploited for quantifying irrigation volumes from space. Current achievements and future challenges will be described in the presentation.
10:35 - 10:40 -- Discussion
10.40 - 11.20 -- Cosmic-ray neutron sensing: from an inconvenient noise to a worldwide method for soil moisture estimation (and not only) (Gabriele Baroni)
In the present contribution I will introduce the so-called cosmic-ray neutron sensing method for non-invasive soil moisture estimation. I will give a short overview of the method from the discovery of the signal to its current integration in several national monitoring networks. I will conclude by shaping some possible new opportunities in the light of fruitful collaborations between scientific disciplines.
11.20 - 11.25 -- Discussion
11.25 - 11.35 -- Virtual coffee break
11.35 - 12.05 -- Measuring Soil Water Content with Proximal Gamma Ray Spectroscopy (Virginia Strati)
Proximal soil sensors are taking hold in the non-stop tracing of soil water content hydrological processes involved in precision agriculture. In this context, permanently installed gamma ray spectroscopy stations represent one of the best space–time trade off methods at field scale. This talk will present a real-time and continuous monitoring of soil moisture based on 40K gamma signal coming from the soil.
12.05 - 12.10 -- Discussion
12.10 - 12.40 -- Discriminating irrigation and rainfall with proximal gamma-ray spectroscopy (Andrea Serafini)
During a precipitation, the 214Pb nuclei deposited to the ground by rain droplets generate a transient increase in the environmental gamma activity. A continuous monitoring of this signal through the employment of proximal gamma spectroscopy allows for the estimation of the rainfall rate. This talk will show how, by combining the environmental 40K and 214Pb gamma signals, it is possible to undoubtedly and independently distinguish irrigation water from rainfalls.
12.40 - 13.00 -- Discussion
