Mir, Farhan Ul Haq ， Apurv, Tushar
2025-08-18 HYDROLOGICAL SCIENCES JOURNAL 2025 70(卷), 11(期), (1950-1964页)
Wet and dry spells are common features of monsoon rainfall systems worldwide. In this study, we quantify the control of rainfall intensity and dry spell length on daily surface soil moisture (SSM) variability in India during the monsoon season using conditional transfer entropy. We also analyse the role of evaporation and drainage losses in modulating the control of rainfall characteristics on SSM variability across different regions. We find that the dry spell length has a stronger control over SSM variability in arid regions of northwest and south India, where rainfall is infrequent. On the other hand, daily rainfall intensity has a stronger control over SSM in humid regions with frequent rainy days such as Western Ghats, eastern and northeastern India. In semi-arid regions of central and northern India, daily rainfall intensity and dry spell length have comparable control on SSM variability.