Field Monitoring of Soil–Vegetation–Atmosphere Interaction in a Clayey Hillslope for Nature-Based Landslide Mitigation

1. Home
2. Publications
3. Online Library
4. Field Monitoring of Soil–Vegetation–Atmosphere Interaction in a Clayey Hillslope for Nature-Based Landslide Mitigation

The interaction between soil, vegetation, and the atmosphere (SVA), is governed by thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM), processes that control the soil cover state and strongly influence slope stability. To improve understanding of these processes, a comprehensive monitoring system was implemented at a clayey landslide-prone slope in Pisciolo (southern Apennines, Italy), where selected vegetation was seeded adjacent to a bare reference area, where only spare wild vegetation occurs.

Vertically instrumented profiles were equipped with sensors measuring soil temperature, suction, and volumetric water content (VWC), at depths between 15 and 250 cm, complemented by a meteorological station. Data collected over more than two years revealed marked differences between vegetated and bare profiles. Vegetation reduced daily soil temperature fluctuations within the upper 100 cm and promoted an increase in suction and water depletion in the root zone (0100 cm). Coupled suctionVWC data allowed reconstruction of in-situ soil water retention curves (SWRCs), which displayed a left-shifted air-entry values in the vegetated profile. Overall, the results demonstrate the role of vegetation in controlling energy-water fluxes and encourage its use as a nature-based strategy for landslide risk mitigation.

3rd International Workshop on Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Interaction (RootS2025)

1c. Monitoring evaporation and transpiration fluxes within the RootS environmental domain""