Understanding Preferential Flow in the Vadose Zone

CSA News ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 18-18
Keyword(s):  
Vadose Zone ◽  
Preferential Flow

scholarly journals Assessment of vadose zone sampling methods for detection of preferential herbicide transport

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 7247-7285 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. P. Peranginangin ◽  
B. K. Richards ◽  
T. S. Steenhuis
Keyword(s):  
Vadose Zone ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Sampling Methods ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Silty Clay ◽  
Water Sampling ◽  
Herbicide Transport ◽  
Flow Mechanisms ◽  
Ceramic Cups ◽  
Zone Sampling

Abstract. Accurate soil water sampling is needed for monitoring of pesticide leaching through the vadose zone, especially in soils with significant preferential flowpaths. We assessed the effectiveness of wick and gravity pan lysimeters as well as ceramic cups (installed 45–60 cm deep) in strongly-structured silty clay loam (Hudson series) and weakly-structured fine sandy loam (Arkport series) soils. Simulated rainfall (10–14 cm in 4 d, approximately equal to a 10-yr, 24 h storm) was applied following concurrent application of agronomic rates (0.2 g m−2) of atrazine (6-chloro-N2-ethyl-N4-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) and 2,4-D (2,4-dichloro-phenoxy-acetic acid) immediately following application of a chloride tracer (22–44 g m−2). Preferential flow mechanisms were observed in both soils, with herbicide and tracer mobility greater than would be predicted by uniform flow. Preferential flow was more dominant in the Hudson soil, with earlier breakthroughs observed. Mean wick and gravity pan sampler percolate concentrations at 60 cm depth ranged from 96 to 223 μg L−1 for atrazine and 54 to 78 μg L−1 for 2,4-D at the Hudson site, and from 7 to 22 μg L−1 for atrazine and 0.5 to 2.8 μg L−1 for 2,4-D at the Arkport site. Gravity and wick pan lysimeters had comparably good collection efficiencies at elevated soil moisture levels, whereas wick pan samplers performed better at lower moisture contents. Cup samplers performed poorly with wide variations in collections and solute concentrations.

Predicting preferential flow and water table fluctuations in karst systems using film-flow theory and source-responsive models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torsten Noffz ◽  
Jannes Kordilla ◽  
Alireza Kavousi ◽  
Thomas Reimann ◽  
Martin Sauter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Table ◽  
Vadose Zone ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Film Flow ◽  
Dry Valleys ◽  
Diffuse Infiltration ◽  
Water Table Fluctuations ◽  
Aquifer Systems ◽  
Karst Systems

<p>The locally focused dissolution of the rock material (e.g., below dolines and dry valleys) in karst systems and in general percolating clusters of fractures in consolidated aquifer systems trigger the development of preferential flow paths in the vadose zone. Rainfall events may initiate rapid mass fluxes via macropores and fractures (e.g., as gravitationally-driven films) that lead to source-responsive water table fluctuations and comparably short residence times within the vadose zone. The degree of partitioning into a slow diffuse infiltration component and a rapid localized part depends, amongst others, on the hydraulic interaction of porous matrix and fracture domain as well as the geometrical characteristics of the fracture systems (e.g., persistence, connectivity) that are often difficult to obtain or unknown under most field conditions. Given their importance in water-resource management, specifically in arid and semi-arid regions (e.g., Mediterranean), it is desirable to recover such infiltration dynamics in porous-fractured systems with physically-based yet not overparameterized models. Here, we simulate water table fluctuations in a karst catchment in southwest Germany (Gallusquelle) using a source-responsive film flow model based on borehole and precipitation data. The model takes into account interfacial connectivity between slow and fast domain as well as phreatic zone discharge via classical recession analysis. This case study shows the potential importance of preferential flows while modeling water table responses in karst systems and recognizes the need for formulations other than those applied for a diffuse bulk fractured domain where infiltration patterns are assumed to be homogeneous without formation of infiltration instabilities along preferential pathways.</p>

scholarly journals Hydrological Cycle and Lake Water Source Indicated by Microrelief-Evaporite-Vegetation-Runoff Assemblage of Badain Jaran Desert

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1350
Author(s):  
Yandong Ma ◽  
Jingbo Zhao ◽  
Tianjie Shao ◽  
Zhifeng Jia ◽  
Zhiqiang Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vadose Zone ◽  
Lake Water ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Fine Sand ◽  
Badain Jaran Desert ◽  
Sand Layer ◽  
Sandy Desert ◽  
Phreatic Water ◽  
Evaporite Minerals

The hydrologic process of the sandy desert remains a focus in research in arid areas. Three major natural phenomena that can indicate the hydrological cycle in the extremely dry Badain Jaran Desert were found, namely the assemblage of megadune microrelief and evaporite, megadune vegetation and microrelief, as well as lakeside runoff and vegetation. The microrelief sand layer water, evaporite minerals, and lakeside hydrogeological features were analyzed by the drying and weighing method, environmental scanning electron microscopy with energy spectrum analysis functions, and a hydrogeological borehole survey. The water content of the microrelief 0–0.5 m sand layer is between 4.7% and 9.3%. The evaporite minerals are mainly composed of calcite (CaCO3) and gypsum (CaSO4). The shallow groundwater system in the off-shore area of lakes consists of an aeolian sand layer, a peat layer, and a lacustrine sedimentary layer, and the phreatic water with a thickness of 20 cm to 40 cm is reserved in the bottom of aeolian sand layer with a peat layer as a waterproof baseboard. Based on these results, the above three natural phenomena can be explained as follows: (1) The assemblage of megadune microrelief and evaporite was caused by the outcropping of water from megadune vadose zone in the form of preferential flow for a long time. Its leading edge differential wind erosion and calcium cemented fine sand layer indicate that water from the megadune vadose zone moves to and recharges the microrelief water along the micro-scale fine sand layer, during which, it features a multiple layer as it is controlled by a vertical dune bedding structure. (2) The small-scale assemblage of megadune vegetation and microrelief indicates that the water from the megadune vadose zone moved laterally and led to vegetation development, and the assemblage of microrelief and vegetation at a slope scale indicates that the vadose zone water presented multilayer enrichment and runoff producing due, to a great extent, to the bedding structures of different spacial locations. (3) The assemblage of lakeside runoff and vegetation is related to the phreatic water recharged by precipitation surrounding the lake, which indicates that the megadune water recharged by precipitation moved to the bottom of the megadune and constituted supply to the lake water. The three assemblages fully demonstrate that the megadune water recharged by precipitation in this desert could recharge the groundwater water and even lake water in the form of preferential flow due to the control of the bedding structure of different scales within the megadune. The results of lake water balance and the occurrence conditions of phreatic water surrounding the lake imply that the precipitation in this desert plays an important role in sustaining the lake. This study provides reliable evidence for revealing the essence of the hydrological cycle and the source of lake water in the Badain Jaran Desert, which indicates that although precipitation is small, it cannot be ignored in arid sandy desert areas.

Preferential Flow and Transport of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts through the Vadose Zone: Experiments and Modeling

2004 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 736-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe J.G. Darnault ◽  
Tammo S. Steenhuis ◽  
Patricia Garnier ◽  
Young-Jin Kim ◽  
Michael Jenkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cryptosporidium Parvum ◽  
Vadose Zone ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Flow And Transport ◽  
Cryptosporidium Parvum Oocysts

Influence of the shape of inter-horizon boundary and size of soil tongues on preferential flow under shallow groundwater conditions: A simulation study

2011 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyantha B. Kulasekera ◽  
Gary W. Parkin
Keyword(s):  
Solute Transport ◽  
Vadose Zone ◽  
Simulation Study ◽  
Soil Profile ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Tongue Length ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Water And Solute Transport

Kulasekera, P. B. and Parkin, G. W. 2011. Influence of the shape of inter-horizon boundary and size of soil tongues on preferential flow under shallow groundwater conditions: A simulation study. Can. J. Soil Sci. 91: 211–221. Detailed studies of the impact of soil tongues at soil horizon interfaces are very important in understanding preferential flow processes through layered soils and in improving the accuracy of models predicting water and solute transport through the vadose zone. The implication of having soil tongues of different shapes and sizes created at the soil horizon interface on solute transport through a layered soil horizon was studied by simulating water and solute transport using the VS2DI model. This 2-D simulation study reconfirmed that soil tongues facilitate preferential flow, and the level of activeness of tongues may depend on the number of soil tongues, their spacing and distribution. Also, the size of the soil tongues (length and diameter at the interface between the soil horizons) and their shape influence the rate of preferential flow. Increasing tongue length consistently resulted in an increase in solute velocity across the entire soil profile regardless of the tongue shape; for example, a soil tongue of 0.25 m length increased solute velocity by about 1.5 times over a soil profile without tongues, but this increase might be different for soil types and groundwater conditions other than those considered in this study. Narrowing of tongues increased solute velocity, whereas increasing the number of tongues in a wider soil profile decreased the solute-front's velocity. As tongue length increased, the area containing solutes at prescribed elapsed times decreased. An implication of this study is that soil horizon tongue shape and spacing reduce pollutant residence times, hence inter-horizon boundary morphology should be considered when modelling transport through the vadose zone. As well, since the solute velocity behaviours of a triangular- and a wider rectangular-shaped tongue were nearly identical, simply measuring solute velocity in the field will reveal little information on the shape of a soil tongue.

Resistivity and percolation study of preferential flow in vadose zone at Bokhorst, Germany

Geophysics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 746-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. al Hagrey ◽  
Johannes Michaelsen
Keyword(s):  
Vadose Zone ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Time Domain Reflectometry ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Flow Process ◽  
Resistivity Method ◽  
Preferential Flow Paths ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Fast Flow

Traditional nondestructive resistivity techniques have been applied in combination with tracer displacement and conventional soil moisture recording methods [i.e., buried tensiometer and time domain reflectometry (TDR)] for studying flow processes at an arable site in Bokhorst, Germany. Three water infiltration experiments were carried out using tap water spiked with a nonreactive tracer at different concentrations. The study aimed at exploring the capabilities of these combined techniques for tracing the preferential movement of water in the uppermost 1.5 m of the highly heterogeneous vadose zone. The results illustrate that the applied tensiometer and TDR techniques can detect the relatively fast flow process at their position points and thus only tentatively trace the preferential flow. The additional application of the resistivity method can trace the preferential flow paths continuously along the plane of measurements. The results of the individual applied methods complement and confirm each other.

Preferential Flow and Transport of Oocysts through the Vadose Zone

2004 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe J. G. Darnault ◽  
Tammo S. Steenhuis ◽  
Patricia Garnier ◽  
Young-Jin Kim ◽  
Michael B. Jenkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vadose Zone ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Flow And Transport

Preferential Flow and Transport of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts through the Vadose Zone: Experiments and Modeling

2004 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 736-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J.G. Darnault ◽  
T. S. Steenhuis ◽  
P. Garnier ◽  
Y.-J. Kim ◽  
M. Jenkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cryptosporidium Parvum ◽  
Vadose Zone ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Flow And Transport ◽  
Cryptosporidium Parvum Oocysts
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