{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,19]],"date-time":"2025-12-19T09:51:22Z","timestamp":1766137882240,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,8]],"date-time":"2022-01-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1641600000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003593","name":"National Council for Scientific and Technological Development","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["558135\/2009-9"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["558135\/2009-9"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003593","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sustainability"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The nonlinear dynamics of the determining factors of the morphometric characteristics of cracks in expansive soils make their typification a challenge, especially under field conditions. To overcome this difficulty, we used artificial neural networks to estimate crack characteristics in a Vertisol under field conditions. From July 2019 to June 2020, the morphometric characteristics of soil cracks (area, depth and volume), and environmental factors (soil moisture, rainfall, potential evapotranspiration and water balance) were monitored and evaluated in six experimental plots in a tropical semiarid region. Sixty-six events were measured in each plot to calibrate and validate two sets of inputs in the multilayer neural network model. One set was comprised of environmental factors with significant correlations with the morphometric characteristics of cracks in the soil. The other included only those with a significant high and very high correlation, reducing the number of variables by 35%. The set with the significant high and very high correlations showed greater accuracy in predicting crack characteristics, implying that it is preferable to have fewer variables with a higher correlation than to have more variables of lower correlation in the model. Both sets of data showed a good performance in predicting area and depth of cracks in the soils with a clay content above 30%. The highest dispersion of modeled over predicted values for all morphometric characteristics was in soils with a sand content above 40%. The model was successful in evaluating crack characteristics from environmental factors within its limitations and may support decisions on watershed management in view of climate-change scenarios.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/su14020675","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,9]],"date-time":"2022-01-09T23:35:09Z","timestamp":1641771309000},"page":"675","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Climate Data to Predict Geometry of Cracks in Expansive Soils in a Tropical Semiarid Region"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9544-009X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jacques Carvalho","family":"Ribeiro Filho","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Engenharia Agr\u00edcola, Campus do Pici, Universidade Federal do Cear\u00e1, Fortaleza 60455-760, CE, Brazil"}]},{"given":"Eunice Maia","family":"de Andrade","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Conserva\u00e7\u00e3o de Solo e \u00c1gua, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-\u00c1rido, Rua Francisco Mota, 572, Mossor\u00f3 59625-900, CE, Brazil"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6774-9348","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Simas","family":"Guerreiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"FP-ENAS, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Pra\u00e7a 9 Abril, 4249-004 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Helba Araujo","family":"de Queiroz Pal\u00e1cio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto Federal de Educa\u00e7\u00e3o, Ci\u00eancia e Tecnologia do Cear\u00e1, Rodovia Iguatu-V\u00e1rzea Alegre, km 5, Iguatu 63503-790, CE, Brazil"}]},{"given":"Jos\u00e9 Bandeira","family":"Brasil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Engenharia Agr\u00edcola, Campus do Pici, Universidade Federal do Cear\u00e1, Fortaleza 60455-760, CE, Brazil"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"USS Working Group WRB (2021, November 12). 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