Available water storage in a range of soils in north-eastern Queensland

1971 ◽  
Vol 11 (50) ◽  
pp. 343 ◽  
Author(s):  
RL McCown
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Total Porosity ◽  
Water Entry ◽  
Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Available Water ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Poorly Drained Soils

A comparative study of the available water storage capacity of three soils under Townsville stylograss vegetation is reported. Two of the soils were selected as representing solodized-solonetz and solodic soils typical of extensive areas of eastern Australia, yet differing greatly in their demonstrated productivity after fertilization. The third selection was a well-drained, highly productive soil. After fuli recharge, available soil water in the three soils above 1.5 m was 80, 150, 180f mm. Subsequent root density and soil water content profiles indicated that differences in water entry, and not in completeness of withdrawal, accounted for differences in storage. The difficulties of estimating the storage capacity of poorly drained soils is discussed. A technique is described which uses total porosity for estimation of the upper limit of the available water range and the distribution of total soluble salts as an indicator of the depth of water entry.

scholarly journals Effects of Earthworm Cast Application on Water Evaporation and Storage in Loess Soil Column Experiments

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanpei Li ◽  
Mingan Shao ◽  
Jiao Wang ◽  
Tongchuan Li
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Small Particle ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Water Movement ◽  
Soil Column ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Loess Soil ◽  
Soil Evaporation ◽  
Upward Movement ◽  
Water Storage Capacity

Earthworm cast is a common bio-organic fertiliser, which can effectively improve soil fertility and structure. However, only a few studies have focused on the effect of earthworm cast on soil water movement. In this study, loess soil was used to determine the effects of earthworm cast application on soil evaporation. The effects on water storage capacity and capillary upward movement were also investigated. A laboratory-based soil column experiment using earthworm cast with different particle sizes (1–3 × 1–2 cm and 3–5 × 2–4 cm) and three application doses (5%, 7.5%, and 10%) was carried out. The daily evaporation and volume of capillary ascension were monitored. The addition of earthworm cast clearly affected the soil evaporation by changing soil water storage capacity and capillary water upward movement. Compared with control soil, the application of 5% small-particle cast reduced the soil cumulative evaporation by 5.13%, while the cumulative evaporation was higher in all large-particle cast treatments. The upward capillary water movement increased with increasing dose of earthworm cast, but decreased with increasing particle size. Overall, the addition of earthworm cast clearly enhanced the water storage capacity of the soil, with the small-particle cast having greater effects than the large-particle cast. We concluded that the application of 5% small-particle earthworm cast can enhance soil water retention and reduce soil evaporation.

Field measurements of water storage capacity in a loess–gravel capillary barrier cover using rainfall simulation tests

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 1523-1536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang-tong Zhan ◽  
Guang-yao Li ◽  
Wei-guo Jiao ◽  
Tao Wu ◽  
Ji-wu Lan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Test Site ◽  
Water Entry ◽  
Rainfall Event ◽  
Capillary Barrier ◽  
Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Artificial Rainfall ◽  
Compacted Loess

A 30 m long × 20 m wide capillary barrier cover (CBC) test site was constructed at the Jiangcungou landfill in Xi’an, China. The cover consisted of a compacted loess layer with a thickness of 0.9 m underlain by a gravel layer. After the cover surface was kept bare and exposed to natural climate conditions for nearly 5 months, one artificial rainfall event was implemented at the site. Vegetation was established at the test site after the first rainfall event. Four months later, a second artificial rainfall event was applied to the surface of the vegetated site. The pore-water pressures (PWPs) and volumetric water contents (VWCs) of the cover were monitored using jet-filled tensiometers and time-domain reflectometry moisture probes, respectively. Surface runoff and percolation were measured using field collection devices. The field measurements demonstrated a more rapid response of PWPs to the rainfall compared to the response of the VWCs. Percolation was observed when the PWPs near the interface reached the water-entry value of the gravel at local points. At that moment, the measured VWC near the interface was less than the VWC according to the water-entry value. The observation indicated that preferential flows took place in the compacted loess during the rainfall. As a result, the maximum water storage capacity was not reached at the onset of percolation. When percolation ceased, the average PWP near the interface decreased below the water-entry value, while the VWC near the interface was higher than that at the onset of percolation. Water storage at the completion of percolation was approximately 5% greater than that at the onset of percolation. Compared with the monolithic loess cover, the loess–gravel CBC increased the available water storage capacity by 41% at the completion of percolation. Vegetation had an insignificant influence on water storage capacity.

scholarly journals Diagnosis toward predicting mean annual runoff in ungauged basins

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 945-956
Author(s):  
Yuan Gao ◽  
Lili Yao ◽  
Ni-Bin Chang ◽  
Dingbao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Annual Runoff ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Ungauged Basins ◽  
Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Soil Water Storage Capacity

Abstract. Prediction of mean annual runoff is of great interest but still poses a challenge in ungauged basins. The present work diagnoses the prediction in mean annual runoff affected by the uncertainty in estimated distribution of soil water storage capacity. Based on a distribution function, a water balance model for estimating mean annual runoff is developed, in which the effects of climate variability and the distribution of soil water storage capacity are explicitly represented. As such, the two parameters in the model have explicit physical meanings, and relationships between the parameters and controlling factors on mean annual runoff are established. The estimated parameters from the existing data of watershed characteristics are applied to 35 watersheds. The results showed that the model could capture 88.2 % of the actual mean annual runoff on average across the study watersheds, indicating that the proposed new water balance model is promising for estimating mean annual runoff in ungauged watersheds. The underestimation of mean annual runoff is mainly caused by the underestimation of the area percentage of low soil water storage capacity due to neglecting the effect of land surface and bedrock topography. Higher spatial variability of soil water storage capacity estimated through the height above the nearest drainage (HAND) and topographic wetness index (TWI) indicated that topography plays a crucial role in determining the actual soil water storage capacity. The performance of mean annual runoff prediction in ungauged basins can be improved by employing better estimation of soil water storage capacity including the effects of soil, topography, and bedrock. It leads to better diagnosis of the data requirement for predicting mean annual runoff in ungauged basins based on a newly developed process-based model finally.

scholarly journals A stochastic approach for the description of the water balance dynamics in a river basin

2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1189-1200 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Manfreda ◽  
M. Fiorentino
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Probability Density ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Soil Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Balance Dynamics

Abstract. The present paper introduces an analytical approach for the description of the soil water balance dynamics over a schematic river basin. The model is based on a stochastic differential equation where the rainfall forcing is interpreted as an additive noise in the soil water balance. This equation can be solved assuming known the spatial distribution of the soil moisture over the basin transforming the two-dimensional problem in space in a one dimensional one. This assumption is particularly true in the case of humid and semihumid environments, where spatial redistribution becomes dominant producing a well defined soil moisture pattern. The model allowed to derive the probability density function of the saturated portion of a basin and of its relative saturation. This theory is based on the assumption that the soil water storage capacity varies across the basin following a parabolic distribution and the basin has homogeneous soil texture and vegetation cover. The methodology outlined the role played by the soil water storage capacity distribution of the basin on soil water balance. In particular, the resulting probability density functions of the relative basin saturation were found to be strongly controlled by the maximum water storage capacity of the basin, while the probability density functions of the relative saturated portion of the basin are strongly influenced by the spatial heterogeneity of the soil water storage capacity. Moreover, the saturated areas reach their maximum variability when the mean rainfall rate is almost equal to the soil water loss coefficient given by the sum of the maximum rate of evapotranspiration and leakage loss in the soil water balance. The model was tested using the results of a continuous numerical simulation performed with a semi-distributed model in order to validate the proposed theoretical distributions.

scholarly journals Rhizophoraceae Mangrove Saplings Use Hypocotyl and Leaf Water Storage Capacity to Cope with Soil Water Salinity Changes

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Lechthaler ◽  
Elisabeth M. R. Robert ◽  
Nathalie Tonné ◽  
Alena Prusova ◽  
Edo Gerkema ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Leaf Water ◽  
Water Salinity ◽  
Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Salinity Changes

The hydrological response of soil water storage capacity to human activities: A case study in the upper Yangtze River Basin, China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojing Zhang ◽  
Pan Liu ◽  
Chong-Yu Xu
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Yangtze River Basin ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Upper Yangtze River ◽  
Soil Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Reservoir Construction

<p>The intensification of climate change and human activities can lead to non-stationarity of hydrological model parameters, which in turn affects the correctness of model simulation results. Previous studies mainly focus on impacts of climate change, while catchment hydrological responses to human activities require detailed investigation for sustainable water management. This study evaluates anthropogenic impacts on soil water storage capacity of the upper Yangtze River Basin by representing hydrological parameters as functions of human activity indicators. The Xinanjiang (XAJ) model is used since its parameter WM accounts for soil water storage capacity. In this study, time-variations of WM are identified by the split-sample calibration based on dynamic programming (SSC-DP). The variations are further related to ten indicators of human activities from five aspects: population, gross domestic product, farming, irrigation and reservoir construction. Then, the proposed WM functional form is selected by comparing the performance of a set of parameter functions of the identified human activity indicators during the validation period. The study shows that WM increases in 1976-2000, while a relatively high relationship is detected between WM and some indicators such as agricultural acreage, population and reservoir construction. It is further demonstrated that agricultural population has the greatest impact on soil water storage capacity and its linear functional form for WM is validated to be effective in 2001-2010 with best streamflow simulation, especially for low streamflow. These results can help understand the hydrological response to the increasing human development and contribute to adaptive development strategies for future water resource management.</p>

The relationship between soil water storage capacity and plant species diversity in high alpine vegetation

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 457-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Kammer ◽  
Christian Schöb ◽  
Gabriel Eberhard ◽  
Renzo Gallina ◽  
Remo Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Alpine Vegetation ◽  
Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Soil Water Storage Capacity ◽  
The Relationship

scholarly journals Diagnosis toward predicting mean annual runoff in ungauged basins

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Gao ◽  
Lili Yao ◽  
Ni-Bin Chang ◽  
Dingbao Wang
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Annual Runoff ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Ungauged Basins ◽  
Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Soil Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Soil Storage Capacity

Abstract. The present work diagnoses the prediction in mean annual runoff affected by the uncertainty in estimated distribution of soil water storage capacity. Based on a distribution function, a water balance model for estimating mean annual runoff is developed, in which the effects of climate variability and the distribution of soil water storage capacity are explicitly represented. As such, the two parameters in the model have explicit physical meanings, and relationships between the parameters and controlling factors on mean annual runoff are established. The estimated parameters from the existing data of watershed characteristics are applied to 35 watersheds. The results showed that the model could capture 88.2 % of the actual runoff on average, indicating that the proposed new water balance model is promising for estimating mean annual runoff in ungauged watersheds. The underestimation of runoff is mainly caused by the underestimation of the spatial heterogeneity of soil storage capacity due to neglecting the effect of land surface and bedrock topography. A higher spatial variability of soil storage capacity estimated through the Height Above the Nearest Drainage (HAND) indicated that topography plays a crucial role in determining the actual soil water storage capacity. The performance of mean annual runoff prediction in ungauged basins can be improved by employing better estimation of soil water storage capacity including the effects of soil, topography and bedrock. The purpose of this study is to diagnose the data requirement for predicting mean annual runoff in ungauged basins based on a newly developed process-based model.

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