scholarly journals Response of Soil Water Dynamics to Rainfall on A Collapsing Gully Slope: Based on Continuous Multi-Depth Measurements

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2272
Author(s):  
Zhi-Yun Jiang ◽  
Xue-Dan Wang ◽  
Si-Yi Zhang ◽  
Bin He ◽  
Xiao-Li Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Dynamics ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Middle Slope ◽  
Collapsing Gully ◽  
Upper Slope

Soil water conditions play an important role in the formation of a collapsing gully, but we are still at the early stages of understanding how the soil water changes on the slope after different rainfall events due to a lack of high-frequency continuous field observations. This study aimed to reveal the response of soil water dynamics to rainfall events for different slope aspects and positions based on continuous multi-depth observations of soil water on a typical collapsing gully slope from 2017 to 2019 in Wuhua County, Guangdong Province, China. The vegetation characteristics and soil properties were investigated, and the storage of soil water was also calculated. The results showed that the dynamics and storage of soil water varied with the slope aspect, slope position and vegetation cover. The response time of the soil water to intensive rainfall events on the sunny slope was shorter than that on the shady slope, while soil water storage in the sunny slope was significantly lower than in the shady slope (p < 0.01). For the different slope positions, the soil water response time to the intensive rainfall events on the upper slope was shorter than that in the middle slope, while the soil water storage in the middle slope was significantly higher than on the upper slope. This was mainly due to the redistribution runoff from the upper slope to middle slope, delaying the process by which rainwater infiltrated into the soil layers. Moreover, vegetation significantly allayed the response of soil water dynamics to an intensive rainfall event but increased the storage of soil water, owing to the protection of soil surface from rain and conservation of high soil clay content. The bare area in the middle position of the sunny slope was speculated to be the potential source of the collapsing gully because it lacked the cover of vegetation. Our findings highlight the importance of soil water dynamics on the formation of a collapsing gully and provided valuable insights for the optimization of soil conservation and management practices for collapsing erosion.

scholarly journals Soil-water dynamics and unsaturated storage during snowmelt following wildfire

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 441-483
Author(s):  
B. A. Ebel ◽  
E. S. Hinckley ◽  
D. A. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Dynamics ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Snowmelt Period

Abstract. Many forested watersheds with a substantial fraction of precipitation delivered as snow have the potential for landscape disturbance by wildfire. Little is known about the immediate effects of wildfire on snowmelt and near-surface hydrologic responses, including soil-water storage. Montane systems at the rain-snow transition have soil-water dynamics that are further complicated during the snowmelt period by strong aspect controls on snowmelt and soil thawing. Here we present data and analysis from field measurements of snow hydrology and subsurface hydrologic and temperature responses during the first winter and spring after the September 2010 Fourmile Canyon Fire in Colorado, USA. Our observations of soil-water content and soil temperature show sharp contrasts in hydrologic and thermal conditions between north- and south-facing slopes. South-facing burned soils were ~1–2 °C warmer on average than north-facing burned soils and ~1.5 °C warmer than south-facing unburned soils, which affected soil thawing during the snowmelt period. Soil-water dynamics also differed by aspect: in response to soil thawing, soil-water content increased approximately one month earlier on south-facing burned slopes than on north-facing burned slopes. While aspect and wildfire affect soil-water dynamics during snowmelt, soil-water storage at the end of the snowmelt period reached the value at field capacity for each plot, suggesting that post-snowmelt unsaturated storage was not substantially influenced by aspect in wildfire-affected areas. Our data and analysis indicate that snowmelt-driven groundwater recharge may be larger in wildfire-impacted areas, especially on south-facing slopes, because of earlier soil thaw and longer durations of soil-water contents above field capacity in those areas.

scholarly journals Soil-water dynamics and unsaturated storage during snowmelt following wildfire

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1401-1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. Ebel ◽  
E. S. Hinckley ◽  
D. A. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Water Content ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Dynamics ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Snowmelt Period

Abstract. Many forested watersheds with a substantial fraction of precipitation delivered as snow have the potential for landscape disturbance by wildfire. Little is known about the immediate effects of wildfire on snowmelt and near-surface hydrologic responses, including soil-water storage. Montane systems at the rain-snow transition have soil-water dynamics that are further complicated during the snowmelt period by strong aspect controls on snowmelt and soil thawing. Here we present data from field measurements of snow hydrology and subsurface hydrologic and temperature responses during the first winter and spring after the September 2010 Fourmile Canyon Fire in Colorado, USA. Our observations of soil-water content and soil temperature show sharp contrasts in hydrologic and thermal conditions between north- and south-facing slopes. South-facing burned soils were ∼1–2 °C warmer on average than north-facing burned soils and ∼1.5 °C warmer than south-facing unburned soils, which affected soil thawing during the snowmelt period. Soil-water dynamics also differed by aspect: in response to soil thawing, soil-water content increased approximately one month earlier on south-facing burned slopes than on north-facing burned slopes. While aspect and wildfire affect soil-water dynamics during snowmelt, soil-water storage at the end of the snowmelt period reached the value at field capacity for each plot, suggesting that post-snowmelt unsaturated storage was not substantially influenced by aspect in wildfire-affected areas. Our data and analysis indicate that the amount of snowmelt-driven groundwater recharge may be larger in wildfire-impacted areas, especially on south-facing slopes, because of earlier soil thaw and longer durations of soil-water contents above field capacity in those areas.

scholarly journals The influence of stony soil properties on water dynamics modeled by the HYDRUS model

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hana Hlaváčiková ◽  
Viliam Novák ◽  
Zdeněk Kostka ◽  
Michal Danko ◽  
Jozef Hlavčo
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Rock Fragments ◽  
Soil Fraction ◽  
Fine Soil ◽  
Stony Soil ◽  
Water Retention Properties

AbstractStony soils are composed of two fractions (rock fragments and fine soil) with different hydrophysical characteristics. Although stony soils are abundant in many catchments, their properties are still not well understood. This manuscript presents an application of the simple methodology for deriving water retention properties of stony soils, taking into account a correction for the soil stoniness. Variations in the water retention of the fine soil fraction and its impact on both the soil water storage and the bottom boundary fluxes are studied as well. The deterministic water flow model HYDRUS-1D is used in the study. The results indicate that the presence of rock fragments in a moderate-to-high stony soil can decrease the soil water storage by 23% or more and affect the soil water dynamics. Simulated bottom fluxes increased or decreased faster, and their maxima during the wet period were larger in the stony soil compared to the non-stony one.

scholarly journals Simulation of Soil Water Dynamics in a Black Locust Plantation on the Loess Plateau, Western Shanxi Province, China

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1213
Author(s):  
Yuting Li ◽  
Yang Yu ◽  
Ruoxiu Sun ◽  
Mingshuang Shen ◽  
Jianjun Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Black Locust ◽  
Robinia Pseudoacacia ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
Vegetation Restoration ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Soil Water Dynamics ◽  
Deep Soil ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Annual Water

Soil moisture plays an important role in vegetation restoration and ecosystem rehabilitation in fragile regions. Therefore, understanding the soil water dynamics and water budget in soil is a key target for vegetation restoration and watershed management. In this study, to quantitatively estimate the water budget of the GFGP forests in a dry year and a wet year and to explore the recharge in deep profiles, the vertical and temporal soil moisture variations in a black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) plantation were simulated under typical rainfall events and two-year cycles in a loess area between April 2014 and March 2016. We calibrated and tested the HYDRUS-1D (Salinity Laboratory of the USDA, California, USA) model using the data collected during in situ field observations. The model’s performance was satisfactory, the R2, Nash efficiency coefficient (NSE), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE) were 0.82, 0.80, 0.021, and 0.030, respectively. For the four rainfall events of 9.1 mm, 25 mm, 71.1 mm, and 123.6 mm, the infiltration amounts were 8.1 mm, 19.3 mm, 65.2 mm, and 95.3 mm, respectively. Moreover, the maximum infiltration depths were 30 cm, 100 cm, 160 cm, and >200 cm, respectively. Additionally, in the two-year model cycles, the upward average water flux was 1.4 mm/d and the downward water flux was 1.69 mm/d in the first-year cycle; the upward average annual water flux was 1.0 mm/d and the downward water flux was 1.1 mm/d in the second-year cycle. The annual water consumption amounts in the two-year cycles were 524.6 mm and 374.2 mm, and the annual replenishment amounts were 616.8 mm and 401 mm. The amounts of percolation that recharged the deep soil were only 28.1 mm and 2.04 mm. A lower annual rainfall would cause a water deficit in the deep soil, which was not conducive to the growth of Robinia pseudoacacia vegetation. To ensure the high-quality sustainable development of the forest land, it is suggested to adjust the stand density in a timely manner and to implement horizontal terraces to increase the infiltration and supply of precipitation. Our study provides an improved understanding of the soil water movement in Robinia pseudoacacia plantations and a simulated temporal moisture variation under different time scales. The results of our study provide a feasible approach for the sustainable management of Robinia pseudoacacia plantations during vegetation restoration.

scholarly journals Fractal behavior of soil water storage at multiple depths

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjun Ji ◽  
Mi Lin ◽  
Asim Biswas ◽  
Bing C. Si ◽  
Henry W. Chau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Layer ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Surface Soil ◽  
Fractal Theory ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Scaling Properties ◽  
Deep Layers

Abstract. Spatio-temporal behavior of soil water is essential to understand the science of hydrodynamics. Data intensive measurement of surface soil water using remote sensing has established that the spatial variability of soil water can be described using the principle of self-similarity (scaling properties) or fractal theory. This information can be used in determining land management practices provided the surface scaling properties hold at deep layer. Current study examined the scaling properties of sub-surface soil water and its relationship to surface soil water, thereby serving as the supporting information for the plant root and vadose zone models. Soil water storage (SWS) down to 1.4 m depth at seven equal intervals was measured along a transect of 576 m for 5 years. The surface SWS showed multifractal nature only during the wet period (from snowmelt until mid to late June with large SWS) indicating the need of multiple scaling indices in transferring soil water variability information over multiple scales. However, with increasing depth, the SWS became monofractal in nature indicating the need of single scaling index to upscale/downscale soil water variability information. The dynamic nature made the surface layer soil water in the wet period highly variable compared to the deep layers. In contrast, all soil layers during the dry period (from late June to the end of the growing season with low SWS) were monofractal in nature, probably resulting from the high evapotranspirative demand of the growing vegetation that surpassed other effects. This strong similarity between the scaling properties at the surface layer and deep layers provides the possibility of inferring about the whole profile soil water dynamics using the scaling properties of the easy-to-measure surface SWS data.

scholarly journals Numerical Analysis of Soil Water Dynamics during Spinach Cultivation in a Soil Column with an Artificial Capillary Barrier under Different Irrigation Managements

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2176
Author(s):  
Davy Sao ◽  
Hirotaka Saito ◽  
Tasuku Kato ◽  
Jirka Šimůnek
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Analysis ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Soil Column ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Dynamics ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Artificial Capillary

Artificial capillary barriers (CBs) are used to improve root zone conditions as they can keep water and nutrients in the root zone by limiting downward percolation. Numerical analysis is one of the promising tools for evaluating CB systems’ performance during the cultivation of leafy vegetables. This study aims to investigate the effects of the CB system on soil water dynamics during spinach cultivation in a soil column under different irrigation scenarios using HYDRUS (2D/3D) by comparing uniform (UNI), line-source (LSI), and plant-targeted (PTI) irrigations combined with alternative irrigation schedules. Simulation results of volumetric soil water contents were generally corresponding to measured data. Simulation results with various hypothetical irrigation scenarios exhibited that the CB was an effective system to diminish percolation losses and improve the root zone’s soil water storage capacity. On the other hand, evaporation loss can be increased as more water is maintained near the surface. While this loss can be significantly minimized by reducing the water application area, the irrigation amount must be carefully defined because applying water in a smaller area may accelerate downward water movement so that the water content at the CB interface can reach close to saturation. In addition to the malfunction of the CB layer, it may also cause a reduction of plant root water uptake (RWU) because the root zone is too wet. Among evaluated irrigation scenarios, irrigating every two days with PTI was the best scenario for the spinach as water use efficiency was greatly improved.

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