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--------------- <br /> LDER <br /> Bright People.Right Solutio- <br /> Rain in November 2009 caused the 1-foot probe to read higher moisture concentrations. The l- <br /> and 3-foot probes were unaffected until heavy rains from January 2010 through the end of <br /> February, which appeared to provide enough pressure to travel through the soil profile. With <br /> time, the 3-foot probe showed the most moisture due to water from the top layer moving deeper. <br /> As rainfall decreased and temperatures increased in June, soil moisture concentrations began <br /> to fall as the soil dried out. <br /> Water year 2010/2011 brought higher than average rainfall, as well as more rain events <br /> throughout the year. Initially, the moisture curves follow a natural flow path as the 1-foot probe is <br /> dryer than the two deeper probes following the summer season. Early rainfall in October 2010 <br /> increased soil moisture concentrations in the 1-foot probe, but heavy rainfall in November raised <br /> soil moisture concentrations in the 2- and 3-foot probes at a faster rate than in previous years. <br /> Soil moistures remained steady throughout the year due to continuous rain events spread out <br /> over the season. Soil moisture concentrations at the 3-foot probe remain much higher than the <br /> 1 and 2-foot probes at the end of the season compared to previous years due to the extra 72.7 <br /> cubic feet of rainfall experienced. <br /> Water year 2011/2012 had a slow start, receiving notable rainfall in only three events from <br /> October, 2011 to February, 2012. As a result, the soil moisture continued to dry out well into <br /> spring, 2012. The 1-foot probe depicts the isolated rain events with spikes in soil moisture, but <br /> the 2- and 3-foot probes do not show much change due to the first foot of soil absorbing what <br /> little water it had received. Soil moisture at the 2-foot probe began to increase after the March <br /> 14 -16 rain event. By late spring, the upper soil zones were saturated enough to allow the April <br /> 13 rain event to penetrate to the 3-foot probe zone. The higher average air temperatures <br /> throughout the year are illustrated by the rapid decrease in soil moisture at the 1-foot probe after <br /> rain events. This is also the first year since the 2008/2009 water year that the 1-foot soil <br /> moisture has fallen below 0.400 (Chart 2). <br /> 2.7 CURRENT YEAR DISCUSSION <br /> Water year 2013 started the season off with significant precipitation. November and December <br /> saw near-record single-day rainfall events, but the latter half of the season has received lower <br /> rainfall than normal. The 2013 water year has also experienced unusually high temperatures <br /> earlier in the season than normal. This has contributed to a rapid drying of the vegetation in late <br /> r <br /> 47717.11/STO13R0532 Page 7 of 10 August 30, 2013 <br /> Copyright 2013 Kleinfelder <br />