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Oral

Emerging & Innovative Technologies (Interdisciplinary)

Smart Sensing, Controls, Analysis, and Algorithms

Multiple-scale sensor and remote sensing technology to quantify abiotic carbon dioxide emission in irrigated soils of aridlands

Wednesday, May 24, 2023
5:03 PM – 5:21 PM PDT
Room: La Sirena I
Intensive irrigation of arid lands causes several problems, including high water loss through evaporation, salt accumulation, and the formation of calcite mineral deposits, which can clog soil pores and change water-infiltration patterns. The formation of these calcite minerals is coupled with the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) that could alter regional and global carbon balances. We have embarked on a project that aims to advance our fundamental understanding of the release of calcite-derived CO2 from arid agricultural soils using an irrigated pecan orchard in the El Paso region along the Rio Grande valley as a test site. To achieve this goal, the emission of calcite-derived CO2 is measured using a suite of measurement tools including portable CO2 isotope analyzers, eddy covariance towers, and remote sensing systems mounted on uncrewed aerial vehicles. Along with CO2, we have also developed a comprehensive sensor network that includes lysimeters, sap flow sensors, flow meters, soil moisture sensors, and eddy covariance towers to understand the water balance. Through this integrated measurement program, we aim to capture the spatiotemporal variations of the abiotic CO2 fluxes and identify critical parameters/variables (e.g., irrigation intensity, water chemistry, and soil physicochemical properties) that control the release of abiotic CO2 from their pecan orchard test site. In this talk, we will discuss the sensor network and the initial data that have been collected by the sensors.