API and AWBI calculation based on precipitation data between 2017 – 2022 in the Hidegvíz Valley experimental catchment, Hungary

Hydro-meteorological data collection has started with automated data loggers and manual devices in the Hidegvíz Valley experimental catchment in the early 1990s. The automated instruments have been operating daily, and mostly measured three important factors: precipitation, air temperature, and air humidity. We used for calibration manual devices: a Hellmann-type ombrometer for measuring the precipitation, and a Fieldscout TDR 300 for the surface soil moisture. For further statistical analyses and future modeling, we compared daily precipitation, daily temperature, and weekly surface soil moisture datasets of two different surface covers (a riparian forest and a wet meadow) in the last five years. After pre-processing and correcting, daily precipitation and daily temperature data has been used for calculating antecedent precipitation index (API), and antecedent water balance index (AWBI), and they were compared to the surface soil moisture data. Our goal with these calculations was to determine, which index is more accurate for soil moisture estimation in case of different surface covers.

key words: data processing, tipping bucket rain gauge, API, AWBI, soil moisture

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This article was made in frame of the project TKP2021-NKTA-43 which has been implemented with the support provided by the Ministry of Innovation and Technology of Hungary (successor: Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary) from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund, financed under the TKP2021-NKTA funding scheme.