The lateral pressure coefficient at rest of expansive soils in landfill at various vertical stresses and moisture contents

When expansive soils in the original location are artificially transferred to landfill in different seasons,and subject to engineering activities afterwards,the corresponding deformation and stability of retaining structures become unpredictable.This necessitates the determination of lateral pressure coefficient at rest(k_(0) value)for expansive soils in landfill.Considering compaction,excavation of expansive soils,as well as construction of landfill in different seasons,series of stepwise loading and unloading consolidation tests at various moisture contents were carried out in this work to explore the evolution characteristics of k_(0) value and assess the dependence of k_(0) value on vertical stress and moisture content.Besides,scanning electron microscope(SEM)was used to track the change in microstructural features with vertical stresses.The results indicated that the k_(0) value of expansive soil shows a pronounced nonlinearity and is inextricably linked with vertical stress and moisture content,based on which a prediction formula to estimate the variation in k_(0) value with vertical stress during loading stage was proposed;there is a significant exponential increase in k_(0) value with overconsolidation ratio(OCR)during unloading stage,and OCR dominates the release of horizontal stress of expansive soil;SEM results revealed that with an increase in vertical stress,the anisotropy of expansive soil microstructure increases dramatically,causing a significant directional readjustment,which is macroscopically manifested as an initially rapid increase in k_(0) value;but when vertical stress increases to a critical value,the anisotropy of microstructure increases marginally,indicating a stable orientation occurring in the soil microstructure,which causes the k_(0) value to maintain a relatively stable value.

Effects of Fertilization on Moisture Content of Soils in the Loess Hilly-gully Region

[Objective] The aim of this study was to study the influence of plants on the soil moisture content under different fertilization.[Method] Using sainfoin,sweet clover,Astragalus adsurgens,alfalfa,ryegrass,little flower,white clover as experimental material,this study explored the effects of soil moisture on the improvement of soil quality.[Result] Results showed that the soil moisture content of different plants follows as：sainfoin 〉sweet clover 〉Astragalus adsurgens 〉alfalfa perennial ryegrass 〉small crown 〉white clover,and the average moisture content reached 24.13% which was 2.45% higher than that of control group.At planting white clover,sweet clover,under the condition of 7 kinds of crops,in the treatments without fertilizer and with organic fertilizer,soil moisture content of soil in 0-20 cm grew significantly.[Conclusion] The application of organic fertilizer and growing of plants would improve soil moisture in abandoned fields,enhance the ability of soil water supply,and improve soil fertility.

The Impacts of Supplemental Irrigation Based on Soil Moisture Measurement and Nitrogen Use on Winter Wheat Yield and Nitrogen Absorption and Distribution

Based on split plot design method of field test,the impacts of supplemental irrigation based on soil moisture measurement and nitrogen use on winter wheat yield and nitrogen absorption and distribution were studied.Supplemental irrigation had three levels: 60%(W_1),70%(W_2) and 80%(W3) of the targeted relative water content at 0-40 cm of soil layer during jointing period of winter wheat.Nitrogen fertilization had three levels: not using nitrogen(N_0),using pure nitrogen of 195 kg/hm^2(N_(195)) and 255 kg/hm^2(N_(255)).Results showed that:(i)different supplemental irrigation and nitrogen fertilization significantly affected plant height and leaf area of winter wheat during key growth period.Under the same supplemental irrigation treatment,both plant height and leaf area of winter wheat showed as N_(255)> N_(195)> N_0(P <0.05).Plant height in N_(195) and N_(255)treatments was significantly higher than that in N_0 treatment,but there was not significant difference between N_(195) and N_(255)(P >0.05).Under the same nitrogen fertilization,plant height in W_2(569.4 m^3/hm^2) and W3(873.45 m^3/hm^2) treatments was significant higher than that in W_1(265.2 m^3/hm^2),but there was not significant difference between W_2 and W3(P >0.05).It illustrated that excessive nitrogen fertilization and supplemental irrigation did not significantly affect plant height and leaf area of winter wheat.(ii) Under the same nitrogen fertilization level,yield increase effect of winter wheat by supplemental irrigation showed a declining trend with nitrogen application amount increased.It illustrated that nitrogen fertilization and supplemental irrigation had certain critical values on the yield of winter wheat.When surpassing the critical value,the yield declined.When nitrogen fertilization amount was 195 kg/hm^2,and supplemental irrigation amount was 70% of field moisture capacity(569.4 m^3/hm^2),the highest yield 8500 kg/hm^2 could be obtained.(iii) During mature period of winter wheat,nitrogen accumulation amount of plant treated by nitrogen was significantly higher than that not treated by nitrogen(P <0.05).But under the treatments of W_2 and W3,nitrogen accumulation amount in N_(255) significantly declined when compared with N_(195)(P <0.05).Especially under W3(873.45 m^3/hm^2) level,nitrogen accumulation amount in N_(255) was even lower than N_0.Under the treatments of N_0 and N_(195),nitrogen accumulation amount of plant significantly increased with supplemental irrigation increased(P < 0.05).But under N_(255) treatment,there was not significant difference(P > 0.05).It illustrated that moderate supplemental irrigation and nitrogen fertilization could improve nitrogen absorption ability of winter wheat,but excessive supplemental irrigation and nitrogen fertilization were not favorable for plant's nitrogen absorption.(iv) Although the increase of supplemental irrigation during jointing period improved nitrogen absorption ability of winter wheat and promoted winter wheat absorbing more nitrogen,it inhibited nitrogen transferring and distributing to seed.Comprehensively considering growth condition of winter wheat and nitrogen risk condition,it is suggested that nitrogen application amount was 195 kg/hm^2,and supplemental irrigation reached 70% of field moisture capacity(569.4 m^3/hm^2),which could be as the suitable water and fertilizer use amounts in the region.

Investigating spatial and temporal variations of soil moisture content in an arid mining area using an improved thermal inertia model

Mining operations can usually lead to environmental deteriorations. Underground mining activities could cause an extensive decrease in groundwater level and thus a dramatic variation in soil moisture content（SMC）. In this study, the spatial and temporal variations of SMC from 2001 to 2015 at two spatial scales（i.e., the Shendong coal mining area and the Daliuta Coal Mine） were analyzed using an improved thermal inertia model with a long-term series of Landsat TM/OLI（TM=Thematic Mapper and OLI=Operational Land Imager） data. Our results show that at large spatial scale（the Shendong coal mining area）, underground mining activities had insignificant negative impacts on SMC and that at small spatial scale（the Daliuta Coal Mine）, underground mining activities had significant negative impacts on SMC. Trend analysis of SMC demonstrated that areas with decreasing trend of SMC were mainly distributed in the mined area, indicating that underground mining is a primary cause for the drying trend in the mining region in this arid environment.

Effects of the Dicranopteris linearis root system and initial moisture content on the soil disintegration characteristics of gully erosion

Benggang erosion is caused by a special type of gully erosion in southern China that seriously endangers the local ecology and environment.In this study,typical Benggang collapsing-wall soils were used as the study area to investigate the effects of different initial moisture contents and dicranopteris linearis root weight densities,as well as their interactions on disintegration in orthogonal test method.The results showed that the rate of soil disintegration decreased as a linear function of the initial moisture content.The soil disintegration rate tended to rise and then fall as the root weight density increased,reflecting an optimum root weight density of 0.75-1.00 g/100 cm3.The incorporation of dicranopteris linearis roots was most effective for soil consolidation in the shallow layers of soil.In addition,the disintegration rate of the collapsing-wall soils increases as the soil layer deepened.The dicranopteris linearis root system and initial moisture content had an interactive effect that was more pronounced in deeper soils.However,the combined effect of these processes was always dominated by the initial moisture content.Moderate initial soil moisture content(0.20-0.24 g/g)and the addition of a high root density in dicranopteris linearis(0.75-1.00 g/100 cm3)were the optimal combinations that reduced the disintegration rate.In conclusion,maintaining a suitable natural moisture content in collapsing-wall soils and taking measures that use plants to consolidate soil can effectively prevent and control the occurrence of Benggang erosion.The results of this study provided further insight into the factors that influence soil disintegration and offered a scientific basis for soil erosion management in the southern China.

Distribution prediction of moisture content of dead fuel on the forest floor of Maoershan national forest, China using a LoRa wireless network

The moisture content of dead forest fuel is an important indicator of risk levels of forest fires and prediction of fire spread. Moisture distribution is important to determine wild fire rating. However, it is often difficult to predict moisture distribution because of a complex terrain, changeable environments and low cover of commercial communication signals inside the forest. This study proposes a moisture content prediction system composed of environmental data collected using a long range radio frequency band 433 MHz wireless sensor network and data processing for moisture prediction based on a BP (back-propagation) neural network. In the fall of 2019, twenty nodes for the collection of environmental data were placed in four forest stands of Maoershan National Forest for a month;7440 sets of data including temperature, humidity, wind speed and air pressure were obtained. Half the data were used as a training set, the other as a testing set for a BP neural network. The results show that the average absolute error between the predicted value and the real value of moisture content of fuels of Larix gmelini, Betula platyphylla, Juglans mandshurica, and Quercus mongolica stands was 0.94%, 0.21%, 0.86%, 0.97%, respectively. The prediction accuracy was relatively high. The proposed distributed moisture content prediction method has the advantages of wide coverage and good real-time performance;at the same time, it is not limited by commercial signals and so it is especially suitable for forest fire prediction in remote mountainous areas.

Research on the Estimation Model of Soil Moisture Content Based on the Characteristics of Thermal Infrared Data

With the portable Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), the reflectance spectra of soil samples with different moisture content are measured in laboratory for expounding the characteristic of radiation in the thermal infrared part of the spectrum with different soil moisture content. A model of estimating the moisture content in soil is attempted to make based on Moisture Diagnostic Index (MDI). In general,the spectral characteristic of soil emissivity in laboratory includes the following aspects.Firstly,in the region of 8.0-9.5 μm,along with the increase of soil moisture content,the emissivity of soil increases to varying degrees. The spectral curves are parallel relatively and have a tendency to become horizontal and the absorbed characteristic of reststrahlen is also weakened relatively with the increase of soil moisture in this region.Secondly,in the region of 11.0-14.0 μm,the emissivity of soil has a tendency of increasing.There is an absorption value near about 12.7 μm. As the soil moisture content increases,the depth of absorption also increases. This phenomenon may be caused by soil moisture absorption. Methods as derivative, difference and standardized ratio transformation may weaken the background noise effectively to the spectrum data. Especially using the ratio of the emissivity to the average of 8-14 μm may obviously enhance the correlation between soil moisture and soil emissivity. According to the result of correlation analysis, the 8.237 μm is regarded as the best detecting band for soil moisture content. Moreover,based on the Moisture Diagnostic Index ( MDI) in the 8.194-8.279 μm, the logarithmic model of estimating soil moisture is made.

CONTENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN SOILS OF THE DAM RIVER AND TUOTUO RIVER BASINS

Natural contents and distribution of trace elements in soils of the Dam River and Tuotuo River basins are demonstrated in this paper. By using contrasting methods. it is found that the content of trace elements of soil in the region is at the lower limit of the world's soil content level, that the tendency of the average trace element content in the four main types of soil is shown as: alpine mountain meadow soil>marsh soil>alpine mountain steppe soil> alpine mountain cryogenic soil. the average content of trace elements such as Cr. Co, Zn, Cu, Hg, Pb, Mo, Mn and Ni in the Dam River basin is higher than that of the Tuotuo River basin except that of the elements Ba and Sr. In addition. through correlation analysis. the relationship of intergrowth and association among soil elements are revealed.

The Distribution of Cu Content of Soil in Different Land Use Types in the Suburbs of Changchun City

In order to understand the heavy metal contamination of Cu in the farmland soil in the suburbs of Changchun City,and reveal the distribution of Cu content of soil in different farmland types,we use the methods field survey and laboratory analysis,to analyze the Cu content of soil in different farmland types in the suburbs of Changchun City. Using SPSS statistical analysis software and ORING mapping software,we process the data of Cu content in 60 sampling points and draw the normal distribution map,and then analyze the distribution of Cu content of soil in different land use types. The results show that the Cu content of the farmland soil in the suburbs of Changchun City is between 41. 71 mg /kg and 116. 77 mg /kg,with an average of 53. 35 mg /kg,and the content in all sampling points is higher than the background value; in terms of the Cu content of soil,different land use types are sequenced in descending order(vegetable field > paddy > dry land).

Effects of Ground Mulching Treatments on Soil Moisture Content in Second-generation Seed Garden of Pinus elliottii

Different ground mulching treatments were designed to observe the effects on soil moisture content in a second-generation seed orchard of Pinus elliottii. The results showed that： （1） there were extreme differences in soil moisture content Ⅰ and soil moisture content Ⅲ, but no obvious difference in soil moisture content II was observed; and （2） the high-to-low order of soil moisture content Ⅰ under different ground mulching treatments was white film〉sawdust〉black film〉the control, and the highest value was higher than the lowest one by 26.69%; the high-to-low order of soil moisture content Ⅱ under different ground mulching treatments was white film〉black film〉sawdust〉the control, and the highest value was higher than the lowest one by 20.64%; and the high-to-low order of soil moisture content Ⅲ under different ground mulching treatments was black film〉white film〉sawdust〉the control, and the highest value was higher than the lowest one by 26.61%.

Effects of Soil Moisture Content and p H on Residual Dynamics of Chlorothalonil in Acidified Soil

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the residual dynamics of chlorothalonil in acidified soil under different conditions of soil moisture content and pH. [Method] By simulation tests, the effects of different soil moisture content and pH on chlorothalonil residues in acidified soil were analyzed. [Result] Under different conditions of soil moisture content and pH, the residual quantity of chlorothalonil in acidified soil was reduced gradually with the extension of incubation time. To be specific, the reduction rate of chlorothalonil residues in soil was extremely high within the first three days and slightly declined at 3-7 d; after 7 d, the residual quantity of chlorothalonil in soil was reduced slowly and steadily. [Conclusion] This study provides the reference for soil environmental remediation and maintenance of a health cultivation system.

Real-time Monitoring Scheme of Soil Moisture Content in Paddy Field

The monitoring of soil moisture content in paddy field is one of important parts and contents of regional soil moisture monitoring. But a good monitoring scheme hasn’t been established. A real-time monitoring scheme of soil moisture content in paddy field was put forward from two key links of soil moisture content monitoring and field water-layer monitoring. This scheme could meet the alternative monitoring requirements of soil moisture content in water layer and none-water layer. It had a good maneuverability and could provide references for practical work.

Performance evaluation of two types of heated cables for distributedtemperature sensing-based measurement of soil moisture content

Distributed temperature sensing(DTS)using heated cables has been recently developed for distributed monitoring of in-situ soil moisture content.In this method,the thermal and electrical properties of heated cables have a significant influence on the measurement accuracy of soil moisture content.In this paper,the performances of two heated cables,i.e.the carbon-fiber heated cable(CFHC)and the metalnet heated cable(MNHC),are studied in the laboratory.Their structures,uniformity in the axial direction,measurement accuracy and suitability are evaluated.The test results indicate that the MNHC has a better uniformity in the axial direction than CFHC.Both CFHC and MNHC have high measurement accuracy.The CFHC is more suitable for short-distance measurement(500 m),while the MNHC can be used for longdistance measurement(>500 m).

The effects of soil moisture and salinity as functions of groundwater depth on wheat growth and yield in coastal saline soils

In the coastal saline soils,moisture and salinity are the functions of groundwater depth affecting crop growth and yield.Accordingly,the objectives of this study were to:1)investigate the combined effects of moisture and salinity stresses on wheat growth as affected by groundwater depth,and 2)find the optimal groundwater depth for wheat growth in coastal saline soils.The groundwater depths(0.7,1.1,1.5,1.9,2.3,and 2.7 m during 2013-2014(Y1)and 0.6,1.0,1.4,1.8,2.2,and 2.6 m during 2014-2015(Y2))of the field experiment were maintained by soil columns.There was a positive correlation between soil moisture and salinity.Water logging with high salinity(groundwater depth at 0.7 m in Y1 and 0.6 m in Y2)showed a greater decline towards wheat growth than that of slight drought with medium(2.3 m in Y1)or low salinity(2.7 m in Y1,2.2 and 2.6 m in Y2).The booting stage was the most sensitive stage of wheat crop under moisture and salinity stresses.Data showed the most optimal rate of photosynthesis,grain yield,and flour quality were obtained under the groundwater depth(ditch depth)of 1.9 m(standard soil moisture with medium salinity)and 2.3 m(slight drought with medium salinity)in Y1 and 1.8 m(standard soil moisture with medium salinity)and 2.2 m(slight drought with low salinity)in Y2.The corresponding optimal soil relative moisture content and conductivity with the 1:5 distilled water/soil dilution,in the depth of 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm in coastal saline soils,were equal to 58.67-63.07%and 65.51-72.66%in Y1,63.09-66.70%and 69.75-74.72%in Y2;0.86-1.01 dS m^-1 and 0.63-0.77 dS m^-1 in Y1,0.57-0.93 dS m^-1 and 0.40-0.63 dS m^-1 in Y2,respectively.

PRIMARY ANALYSIS ON GROUNDWATER,SOIL MOISTURE AND SALINITY IN FUKANG OASIS OF SOUTHERN JUNGGAR BASIN

Soil salinity is the most important factor affecting vegetation distribution,and the secondary salinization has affected the development of oasis agriculture.In arid areas the spatial variation of soil moisture and sa lt content is marked-ly affected by groundwater,irratio nal irrigation in artificial oasis.By analyzing the soil moisture,salt content and groundwa-ter table in different areas of old oasis,new oasis and desert in Fukang Oa sis,it is shown that topography and l and use are main factors affecting the change of groundwater table,the redistribution of soil moisture and salt cont ent.When undis-turbed by human,the groundwater tab le rises from mountain to belt of grou nd water spillage,the groundwater t able rises mightily in plain because of the artificial irrigation,and the secondary salinization of soil is very seriou s.In oasis the ground-water table raises compared with that in the natural desert at the same latitude.In old oasis of upper reaches o f river salt has not been concentrated too much in rhizosphere because this area is the belt of groundwater drainage,soil t exture is coarse,the groundwater table is very low,and the salt in soil is drained i nto the groundwater.The new oasis has been the areas of salt accumulation becau se of the artificial irrigation,the salt content in soil is higher than th at in old oasis,so some cultivated fields here had to be thrown out because of the serious s econdary salinization.

Influence of soil moisture content on pullout properties of Hippophae rhamnoides Linn. roots

Plant root system plays an important role in preventing soil erosion and improving slope stability.However,its performance is significantly affected by soil moisture content,and the role of soil moisture in root reinforcement is not fully understood.In this study,the influence of soil moisture on root pullout properties was studied by experiments.Vertical in-situ pullout tests under four different levels of soil matric suction(12 kPa,18 kPa,24 kPa,30 kPa)were carried out on roots of sea buckthorn plants(Hippophae rhamnoides Linn.)which were artificially cultivated for 7 months.Diameter and length of the root system of sea buckthorn were investigated.The results showed that a very significant correlation was observed between root diameter(D)and root length(L)(P<0.01),and root diameter decreased with soil depth.When soil bulk density was constant,peak pullout force(F)and friction coefficient of root-soil interface(μ)decreased with increasing gravimetric soil moisture content in power functions.Soil moisture content significantly affected root pullout resistance because the increase of soil moisture content decreased the friction coefficient between the roots and soil.Root diameter at breakage point(Db)and length of root segment left in soil(Lb)were increased with soil moisture content.In addition,peak pullout force of the roots increased in a power function with root diameter at the soil surface(D0)and in a linear function with total root length(L).The results provided an experimental basis for quantifying the effects of soil moisture content on soil reinforcement by plant roots.

Untangling the influence of soil moisture on root pullout property of alfafa plant

Root pullout property of plants was of key importance to the soil reinforcement and the improvement of slope stability. To investigate the influence of soil moisture on root pullout resistance and failure modes in soil reinforcement process, we conducted pullout tests on alfalfa(Medicago sativa L.) roots at five levels(40, 30, 20, 10 and 6 kPa) of soil matric suction, corresponding to respectively 7.84%, 9.66%, 13.02%, 19.35% and 27.06% gravimetric soil moisture contents. Results showed that the maximal root pullout force of M. sativa decreased in a power function with increasing soil moisture content from 7.84% to 27.06%. Root slippage rate increased and breakage rate decreased with increasing soil moisture content. At 9.66% soil moisture content, root slippage rate and breakage rate was 56.41% and 43.58%, respectively. The threshold value of soil moisture content was about 9.00% for alfalfa roots in the loess soil. The maximal pullout force of M. sativa increased with root diameter in a power function. The threshold value of root diameter was 1.15 mm, because root slipping force was greater than root breaking force when diameter >1.15 mm, while diameter ≤1.15 mm, root slipping force tended to be less than root breaking force. No significant difference in pullout forces was observed between slipping roots and breaking roots when they had similar diameters. More easily obtained root tensile force(strength) is suggested to be used in root reinforcement models under the condition that the effect of root diameter is excluded as the pullout force of breaking roots measured in pullout tests is similar to the root tensile force obtained by tensile tests.

Research on the effect of straw mulching on the soil moisture by field experiment in the piedmont plain of the Taihang Mountains

To reveal the influencing effect of the long-term straw mulching on the soil moisture, this paper employed the field experiment data in 2010 of a typical area of Taihang Mountains plain, observed the soil moisture dynamic regularities under different mulching patterns by virtue of depressimeter and neutron probe, analyzed the characteristics of soil water content and storage in different depths and seasons under the long-term straw mulching. The results showed that the long-term straw mulching can keep the soil moisture conservation of the deep, while decreased the shallow.(1) The long-term straw mulching can changed the type of soil water movement. If no straw mulching, the type is mainly evaporation-infiltration. And with straw mantle the type would change into infiltration. The number of zero flux plane would be reduced or absent.(2) The long-term straw mulching can increase the soil water reserves of the whole soil profile with the depth between 0 cm and 220 cm. But the soil water content of the layer from 30 cm to 80 cm decreased and the soil water content of the layer from 80 cm to 220 cm increased instead., The effect of soil moisture conservation on winter wheat is not obvious;(3) With no straw mulching, the depth of infiltration recharge by rainfall or irrigation is shallower than 80 cm. In a straw mulching, the influence depth is can extend to 120 cm;(4) With no straw mulching, there is a deep layer on the depth of 220 cm between March and June, while this layer will disappear with a long-term straw mulching.

Development of Steel Slag-Based Solidification/Stabilization Materials for High Moisture Content Soil

To solve the problems of high moisture content,high viscosity,and poor engineering mechanical properties of soil,this paper using with steel slag(SS)and desulfurization ash(DS)as initial raw materials,realizing the coop-erative treatment of solid waste and solidification of silt soil.The synergistic utilization of SS and DS can reduce the production cost of curing agent and promote its own consumption.According to blended cement of various SS contents and inspected compressive strength performances,the most suitable raw materials ratio was selected.The best formula for this curing agent is cement:steel slag=3:7 with 5%DS,and its 28-day compressive strength can reach 30 MPa.The experiment shows that the effect of DS and Na_(2)SO_(4) reagent with the same quality on early compressive strength improvement of cement and SS system is not much different.In this study,the mineral composition and microstructure of different gel system blocks were characterized by XRD,SEM and EDX,and a large number of webbed structures were found in the SEM test,which was not seen in previous studies.Besides,unconfined compressive strength(UCS),water resistance,and toxic characteristic leaching procedure(TCLP)were used to evaluate silt solidified soil properties.The results demonstrated that the solidified silt could meet not only the standard of general subgrade;but also has a partial stabilization effect of heavy metal ions.

Utilizing a new soil effective temperature scheme and archived satellite microwave brightness temperature data to estimate surface soil moisture in the Nagqu region, Tibetan Plateau of China

Since the early 2000s, many satellite passive microwave brightness temperature （BT） archives, such as the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System （AMSR-E） BTs, have become the useful resources for assessing the changes in the surface and deep soil moistures over both arid and semi-arid regions. In this study, we used a new soil effective temperature （T scheme and the archived AMSR-E BTs to estimate surface soil moisture （SM） over the Nagqu region in the central Tibetan Plateau, China. The surface and deep soil temperatures required for the calculation of regional-scale T were obtained from outputs of the Community Land Model version 4.5 （CLM4.5）. In situ SM measurements at the CEOP-CAMP/Tibet （Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period Asia-Australia Monsoon Project on the Tibetan Plateau） experimental sites were used to validate the AMSR-E-based SM estimations at regional and single-site scales. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of monthly mean surface SM over the Nagqu region was obtained from 16 daytime AMSR-E BT observations in July 2004 over the Nagqu region. Results revealed that the AMSR-E-based surface SM estimations agreed well with the in situ-based surface SM measurements, with the root mean square error （RMSE） ranging from 0.042 to 0.066 m3/m3 and the coefficient of determination （R2） ranging from 0.71 to 0.92 during the nighttime and daytime. The regional surface soil water state map showed a clear spatial pattern related to the terrain. It indicated that the lower surface SM values occurred in the mountainous areas of the northern, mid-western and southeastern parts of Nagqu region, while the higher surface SM values appeared in the low elevation areas such as the Tongtian River Basin, Namco Lake and bog meadows in the central part of Nagqu region. Our analysis also showed that the new T^scheme does not require special fitting parameters or additional assumptions, which simplifies the data requirements for regional-scale applications. This scheme combined with the archived satellite passive microwave BT observations can be used to estimate the historical surface SM for hydrological process studies over the Tibetan Plateau regions.