Towards establishing an Irish National Soil Moisture Monitoring Network

The hydrologic cycle is currently being altered due to climate change and the potential impacts are diverse. Long-term monitoring of the components of this cycle will aid our understanding of these changes. Soil moisture is one of the components often neglected, with few long-term datasets available. It is an important variable, regulating the exchange of water and heat energy between the land surface and the atmosphere through evaporation and plant transpiration. Our understanding of soil moisture dynamics is often limited, and an expansion of the current monitoring network holds many benefits. Recently, a process was initiated to establish an effective Irish National Soil Moisture Monitoring Network. This network aims to be research question driven, consistent in its measurement approach and designed to be useful for ongoing research. Here we report on the consultation process that started in early 2020 within the Irish Agmet group, a working group on Agrometeorology. Specifically, we (1) provide background to the consultation process that showed widespread support for a long-term soil moisture monitoring network which led to funding applications to establish this network, (2) review initiatives underway to monitor soil moisture and other components of the hydrologic cycle and highlight the benefits of long-term widespread measurements to various initiatives and sectors, (3) suggest new and novel monitoring technologies that will be investigated and (4) provide an implementation strategy for what is anticipated to be an efficient and successful network. The paper should serve as a starting point to obtaining widespread support for a national hydro-climate monitoring network.