Measurements of soil moisture and snow water equivalent: the revolution starts with cosmic rays

We often talk about the consequences of climate change and, in Italy, the data of 2021 indicate that it has been a year characterized by critical climatic trends and meteorological events, as well as by very high maximum temperatures, average temperatures higher than those of past years and prolonged periods of drought (source ISPRA). Up to these weeks, we must observe that in Italy the current water availability has been negatively affected by a winter so far lacking in significant rainfall (source ANBI).

These situations of hardship are always increasing, and that increases the number of the institutions that need to be updated on the availability of water in order to better manage it, taking into account the different needs: agricultural, industrial, electrical, domestic, etc. For this reason, it’s increasingly important to have data that allow us to accurately calculate water availability, and to this end CAE suggests the Finapp probe, produced and patented by the same innovative start-up which uses CRNS (Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing) technology.

Finapp transformed the CRNS technology from heavy, bulky and expensive - and therefore only useful for academic purposes - into a real product, suitable to meet different market needs at low costs and, at the same time, with an important level of innovation compared to traditional probes, therefore allowing to measure soil moisture and SWE - Snow Water Equivalent:

• on an areal basis
• in depth
• in real-time

and all this with a light, compact, and eco-friendly instrument, installed above the ground. 2 sensors in 1, as the hardware used for measuring soil moisture and SWE is the same. This implies that, by purchasing a single instrument, it is possible, for example, to collect the SWE data in winter to estimate the avalanche risk, as well as the soil moisture data in summer to predict the risk of wildfires or floods (soil wetting).

CAE has been implementing multi-risk monitoring and earlywarning systems for civil protection purposes for decades, in Italy and abroad, and has developed an integrated solution, optimized in terms of low electricity consumption and overall reliability in the field, in order to suggest the innovative probe for both new and existing remote measurement networks.

The data measured by the Finapp probe and integrated in this way with those of the other sensors become fundamental not only to estimate water availability in summer, thanks to the calculation of the equivalent of water present in the snow (SWE), but also to develop phytopathological models, therefore proving to be a truly strategic tool for the agricultural sector. These same measurements also provide important information for assessing the risk of triggering avalanches and landslides, the evolution of possible floods and the susceptibility to wildfire hazard. To sum up, it is a very versatile and innovative product, as demonstrated by the patent obtained.

To find out more, write to sales@cae.it or go to Finapp website page.


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