Input data automation to model evaporation loss in an Argentinian vineyard using a coupled water, vapor and heat flow model

Water resources in arid regions around the world are under a lot of strain due to extremely low precipitation rates and very high evaporation. In addition to water scarcity, irrigation methods can be quite inefficient. For example, over-irrigation beyond soil saturation can cause many problems, such as increase in soil salinity and decrease in productive soil capacity.

This research aims to investigate evaporation losses in a vineyard in San Juan province, Argentina. Trucks are used to deliver irrigation water to the raisin-producing vineyard, which ends up being over-flooded due to poor irrigation schedules, making the process highly costly.
For the estimation of evaporation losses, we use a coupled water, vapor, and heat flow model implemented in DRUtES software, Kuraz and Blöcher (2020). The model’s top boundary condition solves the surface energy balance. For that we need the solar radiation as input, which we compute based on equations suggested in the FAO Irrigation and Drainage guideline No. 56 and by Saito et al. (2006).

Due to the lack of measurement data  on the study site, soil hydraulic and thermal properties are estimated. We neglect the effect of soil organic matter in the water retention model  and assume a homogenous type of soil for the thermodynamic model. While climatic data is available from a nearby meteorological station, access to backdated files is not possible. This limits our choice of simulation period. To solve this issue, we create Python codes that produce automated daily procedures to access the weather servers. This transcribed data record is then used as input for DRUtES configuration files. We also establish communication with sensors installed in the soil using Python-script automation, in order to rectify missing measurements and use them as the model’s initial conditions.

The result is output records that simulate pressure heads and water content distribution across the flow field over the simulated period. We present a system that describes the flow field allowing us to calculate evaporation rate changes with time, thereby optimizing the irrigation process according to soil and plant needs. This can be a helpful decision-making tool for farmers.