Water tables and soil colour as an indicator of saturation in some soils of the Waikato, New Zealand

Soil Research ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
PL Singleton
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuation ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Alluvial Soils ◽  
Soil Series ◽  
Water Tables ◽  
Different Depths ◽  
Time Of Year ◽  
General Indicator

Seasonal fluctuation in water tables in some alluvial soils in the Waikato was determined to establish time, depth and duration of saturation. Duration of saturation could then be related to soil colour to test whether colour could be used as an indicator of saturated conditions in these soils. The results confirmed that there were different watertable regimes between soil series and that there could be different depths and durations of water-table within a series. In the soils studied, colour can be used as a general indicator of whether or not saturated conditions have occurred. However, soil colour did not give any indication as to the time of year or continuous duration of a water table, or whether or not soil wetness had changed as a result of improved drainage. The results of this study highlight the dynamic water-table relationships between and within Waikato soils. For detailed land-use interpretations based on depth to a water table it is advisable to take watertable measurements at the site itself rather than to rely on assessments based on soil colour. When measurement is not practical, the worst conditions indicated by soil colour should be used for interpretations and planning soil management.

Growth of subterranean clover when subirrigated from water tables at different depths

Soil Research ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
RL Stewart ◽  
AK Turner ◽  
JH Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Upward Movement ◽  
The Third ◽  
Water Tables ◽  
Different Depths ◽  
Active Root

Subterranean clover plants were grown in a glasshouse with sub-irrigation from water tables maintained at depths of 0.30 m, 0.60 m, and 0.90 m. The depth of water table had little effect on the weights of the above-ground parts; there was a non-significant trend towards greater weights with deeper water tables. However, there were striking effects of treatment on root growth. Active root extension occurred while soil moisture content of the soil was between about 25 and 15%. With the deeper water tables, the zones of active root growth moved downwards as the soils dried out, i.e. out of the zones where, through increasing plant intake of water, demand exceeded supply from the water table. By the third harvest (about flowering time of the clover plants) the greatest root density with all treatments was between 0.20 m and 0.30 m above the water table. For the soil type used, this was apparently the height above the water table at which plant intake and upward movement of water from the water table were in equilibrium.

Effects of Water Levels on the Overwintering Survival and Emergence of the Larch Sawfly in a Bog Habitat

1966 ◽  
Vol 98 (7) ◽  
pp. 768-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. G. H. Ives ◽  
L. D. Nairn
Keyword(s):  
Water Table ◽  
Adult Emergence ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Pristiphora Erichsonii ◽  
Late Fall ◽  
Water Tables ◽  
Larch Sawfly ◽  
Maximum Water ◽  
Different Depths ◽  
Overwintering Survival

AbstractThe effects of fluctuating water tables on the survival of the larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichsonii (Hartig) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae), were studied by burying cocoons at different depths in a tamarack bog. Most larvae in cocoons flooded during August or September died before winter. The percentage of overwintering survival of unflooded cocoons remained constant from late fall until development began in the spring. The higher the cocoons were above the maximum water table during August and September, the greater was the percentage of overwintering survival and subsequent adult emergence.

scholarly journals Topographic Position, Land Use and Soil Management Effects on Soil Organic Carbon (Vineyard Region of Niš, Serbia)

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1438
Author(s):  
Snežana Jakšić ◽  
Jordana Ninkov ◽  
Stanko Milić ◽  
Jovica Vasin ◽  
Milorad Živanov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Surface Layer ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Forest Land ◽  
Topographic Position

Spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) is the result of a combination of various factors related to both the natural environment and anthropogenic activities. The aim of this study was to examine (i) the state of SOC in topsoil and subsoil of vineyards compared to the nearest forest, (ii) the influence of soil management on SOC, (iii) the variation in SOC content with topographic position, (iv) the intensity of soil erosion in order to estimate the leaching of SOC from upper to lower topographic positions, and (v) the significance of SOC for the reduction of soil’s susceptibility to compaction. The study area was the vineyard region of Niš, which represents a medium-sized vineyard region in Serbia. About 32% of the total land area is affected, to some degree, by soil erosion. However, according to the mean annual soil loss rate, the total area is classified as having tolerable erosion risk. Land use was shown to be an important factor that controls SOC content. The vineyards contained less SOC than forest land. The SOC content was affected by topographic position. The interactive effect of topographic position and land use on SOC was significant. The SOC of forest land was significantly higher at the upper position than at the middle and lower positions. Spatial distribution of organic carbon in vineyards was not influenced by altitude, but occurred as a consequence of different soil management practices. The deep tillage at 60–80 cm, along with application of organic amendments, showed the potential to preserve SOC in the subsoil and prevent carbon loss from the surface layer. Penetrometric resistance values indicated optimum soil compaction in the surface layer of the soil, while low permeability was observed in deeper layers. Increases in SOC content reduce soil compaction and thus the risk of erosion and landslides. Knowledge of soil carbon distribution as a function of topographic position, land use and soil management is important for sustainable production and climate change mitigation.

Ancient Settlement, Urban Gardening, and Environment in the Gulf Lowlands of Mexico

2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara L. Stark ◽  
Alanna Ossa
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Agricultural Intensification ◽  
Urban Settlement ◽  
Settlement Density ◽  
Urban Gardening ◽  
Agrarian Societies ◽  
Seasonally Flooded ◽  
Flooded Areas

Urban settlement in the western lower Papaloapan River basin in the Gulf lowlands was dispersed and likely employed intensive gardening near domiciles. Land surrounding homes also may have played a symbolic role in these agrarian societies. Water works—formal ponds associated with temple platforms and other prominent structures as well as with many residential mounds—support the idea of symbolic as well as practical functions in land use around buildings. Dispersed occupation occurs in low elevations suited to recessional planting, a technique that takes advantage of dry season ground moisture in low areas where rain and flood waters recede as the water table drops. We analyze elevational zones to show greater settlement density in the low-lying Blanco River delta than in higher elevations upriver. Analysis of distances between archaeological residences and wetlands and drainages shows that residences generally were close to seasonally flooded areas. We also highlight anthropogenic qualities in the alluvial landscape, offering a land use perspective distinct from other views of agricultural intensification. The settlement pattern is compatible with Mesoamerican forms of urbanism.

THE EFFECT OF GROUNDWATER ON SOIL FORMATION IN A MORAINAL LANDSCAPE IN SASKATCHEWAN

1985 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. MILLER ◽  
D. F. ACTON ◽  
R. J. ST. ARNAUD
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Flow ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Lateral Flow ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Slope Position ◽  
Soluble Salts ◽  
Runoff Water ◽  
Depth To Water Table ◽  
Water Tables

The results of this study indicate the importance of groundwater flow and water table depth on the genesis, characteristics and distribution of soils within a hummocky morainal landscape. Non-saline and non-carbonated soils in upland depressions can be attributed to "depression-focused" recharge by snowmelt and snowmelt runoff in the spring, as evidenced by deep sola and/or eluvial horizons. Non-saline and carbonated soils on lower slopes adjacent to depressions are associated with local discharge and/or lateral flow from the adjacent groundwater mounds under the depressions in spring, as well as upward flow in the summer resulting from water use by phreatophytes such as willows, creating a water table depression around the slough fringes. Saline and carbonated soils at low elevations are associated with shallow and rather stable water tables, and local discharge from surrounding uplands. Soil types on uplands are more dependent on slope position and infiltration than on depth to water table or groundwater flow. Non-saline soils of different profile types occur on mid- and upper slope positions. These areas have a deep water table with mainly recharge or lateral flow occurring in the saturated zone. The infiltration of surface runoff water in upland depressions is the dominant factor influencing the distribution of soluble salts in this hummocky landscape. Key words: Water table, landscape position, recharge, discharge, soluble salts, soil genesis, morphology, carbonate soil

Modelling the Hydrologic Regime of Arid Inland Wetlands: Non-linear Relationship Between Root-uptakes of Water and Underground Water Table

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Li ◽  
Hu Liu ◽  
Yang Yu ◽  
Wenzhi Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
Wetland Ecosystem ◽  
Soil Moisture Dynamics ◽  
Inland Wetlands ◽  
Moisture Dynamics

<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Wetlands remaining in the arid inland river landscapes of northwestern China suffer degradation and their resilience and ability to continue functioning under hydrologic and land use changes resulting from climate change may be significantly inhibited. Information on the desert-oasis wetlands, however, is sparse and knowledge of how ecological functioning and resilience may change under climate change and water-resource management is still lacking. Research in oasis wetland areas of the Northwestern China identified linkages between subsurface flow, plant transpiration, and water levels. In this study, we present an ecohydrological analysis of the energy and water balance in the wetland ecosystem. A process-based stochastic soil moisture model developed for groundwater-dependent ecosystems was employed to modelling the interactions between rainfall, water table fluctuations, soil moisture dynamics, and vegetation, and to investigate the ecohydrology of arid inland wetlands system. Field measured groundwater levels, vertical soil moisture profiles, soil water potentials, and root biomass allocation and transpiration of pioneer species in the wetlands were used to calibrate and validate the stochastic model. The parameterized model was then running to simulate the probability distributions of soil moisture and root water uptake, and quantitative descript the vegetation–water table–soil moisture interplay in the hypothesized scenarios of future. Our analysis suggested the increasing rates of water extraction and regulation of hydrologic processes, coupled with destruction of natural vegetation, and climate change, are jeopardizing the future persistence of wetlands and the ecological and socio-economic functions they support. To understand how climate change will impact on the ecohydrological functioning of wetlands, both hydrological and land use changes need to be considered in future works.</p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong>Wetland ecosystem, groundwater, soil moisture dynamics, water balances, Heihe River Basin</p>

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