A Novel Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensor for Soil
Moisture Estimation over Large Areas
A correct soil moisture estimation is a fundamental prerequisite for many applications:
agriculture, meteorological forecast, flood and drought prediction, and, in general, water accounting
and management. Traditional methods typically provide point-like measurements, but su
er from soil heterogeneity, which can produce significant misinterpretation of the hydrological scenarios. In
the last decade, cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) has emerged as a promising approach for the
detection of soil moisture content. CRNS can average soil moisture over a large volume (up to tens of
hectares) of terrain with only one probe, thus overcoming limitations arising from the heterogeneity
of the soil.
