scholarly journals Quantifying Soil Moisture Distribution at a Watershed Scale

10.5772/29990 ◽  
2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoj K.
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Distribution ◽  
Watershed Scale ◽  
Soil Moisture Distribution

Distribution of soil moisture content and its effect on the potential growth of the over-story species in North-East Chalkidiki

2001 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aslanidou ◽  
P. Smiris
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Moisture Distribution ◽  
Taxus Baccata ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
Potential Growth ◽  
North East ◽  
Soil Moisture Distribution

This  study deals with the soil moisture distribution and its effect on the  potential growth and    adaptation of the over-story species in north-east Chalkidiki. These  species are: Quercus    dalechampii Ten, Quercus  conferta Kit, Quercus  pubescens Willd, Castanea  sativa Mill, Fagus    moesiaca Maly-Domin and also Taxus baccata L. in mixed stands  with Fagus moesiaca.    Samples of soil, 1-2 kg per 20cm depth, were taken and the moisture content  of each sample    was measured in order to determine soil moisture distribution and its  contribution to the growth    of the forest species. The most important results are: i) available water  is influenced by the soil    depth. During the summer, at a soil depth of 10 cm a significant  restriction was observed. ii) the    large duration of the dry period in the deep soil layers has less adverse  effect on stands growth than in the case of the soil surface layers, due to the fact that the root system mainly spreads out    at a soil depth of 40 cm iii) in the beginning of the growing season, the  soil moisture content is    greater than 30 % at a soil depth of 60 cm, in beech and mixed beech-yew  stands, is 10-15 % in    the Q. pubescens  stands and it's more than 30 % at a soil depth of 60 cm in Q. dalechampii    stands.

Vegetation controls on soil moisture distribution in the Valles Caldera, New Mexico, during the North American monsoon

Ecohydrology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique R. Vivoni ◽  
Alex J. Rinehart ◽  
Luis A. Méndez-Barroso ◽  
Carlos A. Aragón ◽  
Gautam Bisht ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
New Mexico ◽  
North American ◽  
Moisture Distribution ◽  
North American Monsoon ◽  
Valles Caldera ◽  
The North ◽  
Soil Moisture Distribution

scholarly journals Modified Richards’ Equation to Improve Estimates of Soil Moisture in Two-Layered Soils after Infiltration

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Honglin Zhu ◽  
Tingxi Liu ◽  
Baolin Xue ◽  
Yinglan A. ◽  
Guoqiang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Controlling Factors ◽  
Moisture Distribution ◽  
Richards Equation ◽  
Infiltration Process ◽  
Soil Moisture Distribution

Soil moisture distribution plays a significant role in soil erosion, evapotranspiration, and overland flow. Infiltration is a main component of the hydrological cycle, and simulations of soil moisture can improve infiltration process modeling. Different environmental factors affect soil moisture distribution in different soil layers. Soil moisture distribution is influenced mainly by soil properties (e.g., porosity) in the upper layer (10 cm), but by gravity-related factors (e.g., slope) in the deeper layer (50 cm). Richards’ equation is a widely used infiltration equation in hydrological models, but its homogeneous assumptions simplify the pattern of soil moisture distribution, leading to overestimates. Here, we present a modified Richards’ equation to predict soil moisture distribution in different layers along vertical infiltration. Two formulae considering different controlling factors were used to estimate soil moisture distribution at a given time and depth. Data for factors including slope, soil depth, porosity, and hydraulic conductivity were obtained from the literature and in situ measurements and used as prior information. Simulations were compared between the modified and the original Richards’ equations and with measurements taken at different times and depths. Comparisons with soil moisture data measured in situ indicated that the modified Richards’ equation still had limitations in terms of reproducing soil moisture in different slope positions and rainfall periods. However, compared with the original Richards’ equation, the modified equation estimated soil moisture with spatial diversity in the infiltration process more accurately. The equation may benefit from further solutions that consider various controlling factors in layers. Our results show that the proposed modified Richards’ equation provides a more effective approach to predict soil moisture in the vertical infiltration process.

scholarly journals Development of an 1D Water and Energy Flow Model for Estimation of Soil Moisture Distribution in Permafrost Region

1999 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 103-108
Author(s):  
Nozomu HIROSE ◽  
Toshio KOIKE ◽  
Hiroshi ISHIDAIRA ◽  
Takeo TADONO ◽  
Wang Shaoling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Energy Flow ◽  
Flow Model ◽  
Moisture Distribution ◽  
Permafrost Region ◽  
Soil Moisture Distribution

scholarly journals A quasi-three-dimensional model for predicting rainfall-runoff processes in a forested catchment in Southern Finland

2000 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Koivusalo ◽  
T. Karvonen ◽  
A. Lepistö
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Unsaturated Soil ◽  
Water Movement ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Moisture Distribution ◽  
Richards Equation ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Forested Catchment ◽  
Soil Moisture Distribution

Abstract. Runoff generation in a forested catchment (0.18 km2) was simulated using a quasi-three-dimensional rainfall-runoff model. The model was formulated over a finite grid where water movement was assumed to be dominantly vertical in the unsaturated soil zone and horizontal in the saturated soil. The vertical soil moisture distribution at each grid cell was calculated using a conceptual approximation to the one-dimensional Richards equation. The approximation allowed the use of a simple soil surface boundary condition and an efficient solution to the water table elevation over the finite grid. The approximation was coupled with a two-dimensional ground water model to calculate lateral soil water movement between the grid cells and exfiltration over saturated areas, where runoff was produced by the saturation-excess mechanism. Runoff was an input to a channel network, which was modelled as a nonlinear reservoir. The proposed approximation for the vertical soil moisture distribution in unsaturated soil compared well to a numerical solution of the Richards equation during shallow water table conditions, but was less satisfactory during prolonged dry periods. The simulation of daily catchment outflow was successful with the exception of underprediction of extremely high peak flows. The calculated water table depth compared satisfactorily with the measurements. An overall comparison with the earlier results of tracer studies indicated that the modelled contribution of direct rainfall/snowmelt in streamflow was higher than the isotopically traced fraction of event-water in runoff. The seasonal variation in the modelled runoff-contributing areas was similar to that in the event-water-contributing areas from the tracer analysis.

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