National Soil Moisture Network for Drought Alerts

A national soil moisture monitoring network is currently being established in Switzerland. The project aims to detect and model drought periods at an early stage, supporting agriculture, forestry, energy management, and authorities in planning and decision-making. MeteoSwiss, the WSL, and ETH Zurich are installing sensors at approximately 20 sites in forests and grasslands across the country.

The sensors measure soil moisture every ten minutes at multiple depths providing a precise picture of soil water storage and infiltration. To ensure accurate interpretation, the soil composition at each station, including clay, sand, and humus content, is carefully analyzed.

For the first time, this network will generate a uniform, high-quality dataseton soil moisture in Switzerland. The data will significantly improve drought modeling and feed into early-warning systems. Furthermore, the network provides essential information for environmental and climate monitoring, as soil moisture is a key indicator of water balance, vegetation health, and natural hazards.

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Devices for soil moisture monitoring:
DL-TRS12, DL-SMTP, DL-SDD