Measuring Surface Soil Moisture, Water Properties, and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in the UAE Dryland Ecosystems

Seasonal dynamics and inter-annual variations of ecosystem productivity are closely linked to temperature variations in most terrestrial biomes, but soil moisture can also affect the regional carbon cycle in the water-limited regions. Studies using in-situ observation and remote sensing have been widely used to monitor the trends and variability of soil moisture (SM) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, there are few studies on measuring the seasonal variations of SM, GHG (CO
2
, CH
4
, N
2
O) emissions, and water properties on a plot scale in hyper-arid areas. For the first time in the Arabian desert, we used portable devices to monitor temporal patterns of surface soil moisture (SFSM), soil GHG emissions, and water pH and temperatures in a dryland site surrounding an ephemeral water body for 9 months in 2023. The employed instruments include Delta-T WET-2-K4 sensor for SFSM, Orion Star A121 pH meter for water pH and temperatures, and a static chamber for GHG emissions. For monitoring multi-year SM over the study site, SMAP soil moisture data records were also used for 2016-2021.