2013, 26(1): 107-112.
At present, field measurement is the main means of acquiring soil temperature data, which is spatially and temporally discontinuous. The prediction model of soil temperature should be built based on continuous measured data. Based on the soil temperature data of different layers (0 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm, and 20 cm) and the air temperature above and below the canopy, the data were measured continuously in a nearly 30-year-old Robinia pseudoacacia plantation in the hilly zone in Jiyuan City of He’nan Province in 2006 and 2007, the relationship between soil temperature and air temperature was analyzed, a mathematical model for predicting soil temperature was developed based on daily air temperature data in 2006, and the predictions were tested based on the data of 2007. The results show that:The variation trends of soil temperature of different layers and air temperature are basically the same; as soil depth increased, the impact of the soil increased, yet the correlation of soil temperature and air temperature decreased. According to the growth status of trees, a year can be divided into four phases of phenology. The correlation of soil temperature and air temperature was significant when the leaf area index was small. Therefore, the structure of forest canopy had obvious impact on the soil temperature. The model based on air temperature can provide a valuable and accurate tool for predicting temperature of shallow soil. However, to accurately predict deep soil temperature, more factors should be taken into account.