R/estimateSoilMoistureState.R

In sharpshootR: A Soil Survey Toolkit

#' @title A very simple estimation of soil moisture state based on volumetric water content
#' 
#' @description This is a very simple classification of volumetric water content (VWC) into 5 "moisture states", based on an interpretation of water retention thresholds. Classification is performed using VWC at satiation, field capacity (typically 1/3 bar suction), permanent wilting point (typically 15 bar suction), and water surplus in mm. The inputs to this function are closely aligned with the assumptions and output from `hydromad::hydromad(sma = 'bucket', ...)`.
#' 
#' Soil moisture classification rules are as follows:
#'   * VWC <= `pwp`: "very dry"
#'   * VWC > `pwp` AND <= (mid-point between `fc` and `pwp`): "dry"
#'   * VWC > (mid-point between `fc` and `pwp`) AND <= `fc`: "moist"
#'   * VWC > `fc`: "very moist"
#'   * VWC > `fc` AND `U` (surplus) > 4mm: "wet"
#'
#' @param VWC vector of volumetric water content (VWC), range is 0-1
#' @param U vector of surplus water (mm)
#' @param sat satiation water content, range is 0-1
#' @param fc field capacity water content, range is 0-1
#' @param pwp permanent wilting point water content, range is 0-1
#' 
#' @param style VWC classification style
#'
#' @author D.E. Beaudette
#'
#' @return vector of moisture states (ordered factor)
#' 
#' @export
#'
#' @examples
#' 
#' # "very moist"
#' estimateSoilMoistureState(VWC = 0.3, U = 0, sat = 0.35, fc = 0.25, pwp = 0.15)
#' estimateSoilMoistureState(VWC = 0.3, U = 2, sat = 0.35, fc = 0.25, pwp = 0.15)
#' 
#' "wet"
#' estimateSoilMoistureState(VWC = 0.3, U = 5, sat = 0.35, fc = 0.25, pwp = 0.15)
#' 
#' # "very dry"
#' estimateSoilMoistureState(VWC = 0.15, U = 0, sat = 0.35, fc = 0.25, pwp = 0.15)
#' 
#' # "dry" 
#' estimateSoilMoistureState(VWC = 0.18, U = 0, sat = 0.35, fc = 0.25, pwp = 0.15)
#' 
estimateSoilMoistureState <- function(VWC, U, sat, fc, pwp, style = c('default', 'newhall')) {
  
  # sanity check
  style <- match.arg(style)
  
  if(style == 'default') {
    
    # vector of results
    ms <- rep(NA, times = length(VWC))
    
    # dry = midpoint between fc and pwp
    dry.thresh <- (fc + pwp) / 2
    
    # at or below PWP
    ms[VWC <= pwp] <- 'very dry'
    
    # dry
    ms[VWC <= dry.thresh & VWC > pwp] <- 'dry'
    
    # between dry and FC
    ms[VWC <= fc & VWC > dry.thresh] <- 'moist'
    
    # between FC and saturation
    ms[VWC > fc] <- 'very moist'
    
    # above FC AND surplus > 4mm 
    # ---> saturation + flooding / runoff / deep-percolation
    ms[VWC > fc & U > 4] <- 'wet'
    
    # set levels
    ms <- factor(
      ms, 
      levels = c('very dry', 'dry', 'moist', 'very moist', 'wet'), 
      ordered = TRUE
    )
    
  }
  
  # 3 states used by Newhall model
  if(style == 'newhall') {
    
    # baseline: moist
    # vector of results
    ms <- rep('moist', times = length(VWC))
    
    # below PWP
    ms[VWC < pwp] <- 'dry'
    
    # at or above FC
    ms[VWC >= fc] <- 'saturated'
    
    # set levels
    ms <- factor(
      ms, 
      levels = c('dry', 'moist', 'saturated'), 
      ordered = TRUE
    )
    
  }
  
  return(ms)
}