of dense forests (overstory + understory) to be in equilibrium with SWC, due to the
relationship between the local water balance and total leaf area index (Grier and
Running 1977). A level of equilibrium should be maintained provided that plant
growth is unaffected by disturbance agents such as disease, insect infestation,
physiological drought caused by soil water-logging or disruption of root-to-shoot
Fig. 15.4 Variations of WI and SWC at the measurement sites, i.e., two in dense forests at the
NWL (a) and CL sites (b); one in a bare field at CFB Gagetown (c); and three in sparsely-vegetated
forests at three different locations at CFB Gagetown (d–f), for the image-acquisition dates of
15 July, 08 August, and 01 September, 2005
Table 15.2 Rainfall conditions at the sites, where volumetric soil water content was either
observed or modeled
Acquisition dates
(2005)
Rainfall (in mm)
Dense
forest
Dense
forest
Sparse forests and bare
field
Potato-production
area
NWL site CL site
CFB gagetown sites
Black brook
watershed site
14 July
14.1
12.2
20.6
11
15 July
2.1
8.0
0.0
0.0
07 August
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
08 August
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
31 August
34.9
22.0
29.2
52.4
01 September
17.0
12.2
7.6
10.2
310
Q.K. Hassan and C.P.-A. Bourque