Temporal variability of soil temperature at different depths

Abstract

During the past decades there have been considerable studies on climate changes and its impact exchanges of energy and water between the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface. The rates of these exchanges depend on several climatic factors including soil temperature and moisture availability. The main cause for climate change is the continuous increase of the concentration of green house gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂0).

An analysis and projection of the global air temperature variation confirmed global warming trend in all parts of the world. Most of empirical researches, have found that developing countries are more vulnerable to climate change because of their reliance on low-capital agriculture. However, all studies with respect to climate change in Sri Lanka have been limited to rainfall and air temperature.

Investigation of soil temperature variation is very important for Sri Lanka. Soil temperature at various depths affects the atmospheric circulation, and it directly affects growth and yield of agricultural crops. Therefore the objectives of this study are investigate and analysis temporal variability of annual and seasonal variation of soil temperature at different depths.