A field, laboratory, and literature review evaluation of the water retention curve of volcanic ash soils: How well do standard laboratory methods reflect field conditions?

Mosquera, Giovanny M.; Marín, Franklin; Feyen, Jan; Célleri, Rolando; Windhorst, David; Crespo, Patricio

doi:10.1002/hyp.14011

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Although we recognize that soil water retention measured in laboratory conditions might vary from field conditions (e.g. Pachepsky, Rawls, & Giménez, 2001; Mosquera et al, 2021), we preferred to stick to the established laboratory methods to facilitate regional comparison.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation effects on soil pore structure and hydraulic properties in volcanic ash soils of the high Andes

Páez‐Bimos

Villacís

Morales

et al. 2022

Hydrological Processes

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Soil hydraulic properties control the provision of hydrological services. Vegetation and topography influence these properties by altering soil structure and porosity. The underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood for the high Andean region. In this study, we examined how vegetation and topographic attributes are related to soil hydraulic properties and soil pore structure in young volcanic ash soils, and further correlated them to soil texture, organic carbon, and root characteristics to explain these relationships. In a 0.7 km 2 study site located in the Andean páramo of northern Ecuador, we measured soil water retention, saturated hydraulic conductivity, bulk density (BD), and pore size distribution parameters on eight soil profiles with contrasting vegetation types (cushion-forming plants vs. tussock grasses) and topographic positions (summit vs. hillslope). We observed significant differences in soil hydraulic properties and soil pore structure in the uppermost horizons by vegetation type, whereas topography had a minor effect. In the A horizons, we found higher water retention at saturation and field capacity (10%-14%), higher total available water (8%-15%), and higher saturated hydraulic conductivity (4-12 times) under cushion-forming plants compared to tussock grasses. The elevated values under cushion plants were attributed to the presence of larger pores, lower soil BD, and higher soil organic carbon content as a result of coarser root systems. Total available water was generally high (0.34-0.40 cm 3 cm À3 ), and locally not associated with any soil property. The higher water retention in soils under cushion vegetation can enhance soil water storage for plants and the regulation of water flows during prolonged

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation effects on soil pore structure and hydraulic properties in volcanic ash soils of the high Andes

Páez‐Bimos

Villacís

Morales

et al. 2022

Hydrological Processes

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“…Soil water content can be measured by direct (gravimetric) method in the laboratory. To obtain matric potential, most laboratory methods impose a target matric potential on an undisturbed soil sample using an apparatus (Sand box, Sand/Kaolinite box, Suction plate, Pressure plate) (Klute, 1986;Dane and Hopmans, 2002;Mosquera et al, 2021). The sample is drained until its matric potential reaches equilibrium with the target matric potential.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The determination of the SWRC over the full tension range (between saturation and wilting point or beyond) requires a combination of these methods. The comparison of these methods shows that they can lead to systematically different SWRCs for samples from the same soil (Bittelli and Flury, 2009;Schelle et al, 2013;Mosquera et al, 2021). The sources of errors are various and may relate to procedural factors, such as sample size (Ghanbarian et al, 2015;Silva et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproducibility of the Wet Part of the Soil Water Retention Curve: A European Interlaboratory Comparison

Guillaume

Boukbida²,

Bakker

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Abstract. The soil water retention curve (SWRC) is a key soil property required for predicting basic hydrological processes. SWRC is often obtained in laboratory with non-harmonized methods. Moreover, procedures associated to each method are not standardized. This can induce a lack of reproducibility between laboratories using different methods and procedures or using the same methods with different procedures. The goal of this study was to estimate the inter/intralaboratory variability of the measurement of the wet part (from 10 to 300 hPa) of the SWRC. An interlaboratory comparison was conducted between 14 laboratories, using artificially constructed, porous and structured samples as references. The bulk densities of samples were different at the very beginning of the experiment. This resulted in a variability of retention properties between the samples, which was estimated by a linear mixed model with a "sample" random effect. Our estimate of inter/intralaboratory variability was therefore not affected by intrinsic differences between samples. The greatest portion of the differences in the measurement of SWRCs was due to interlaboratory variability. The intralaboratory variability was highly variable depending on the laboratory. Some laboratories successfully reproduced the same SWRC on the same sample, while others did not. The mean intralaboratory variability over all laboratories was smaller than the mean interlaboratory variability. A possible explanation for these results is that all laboratories used slightly different methods and procedures. We believe that this result may be of great importance regarding the quality of SWRC databases built by pooling SWRCs obtained in different laboratories. The quality of pedotransfer functions or maps that might be derived is probably hampered by this inter-/intralaboratory variability. The way forward is that measurement procedures of the SWRC need to be harmonized and standardized.

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“…Headwater catchments influenced by volcanism in the tropical Andes provide many ecosystem services including erosion control, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, food provisioning, and production of high‐quality water (Aparecido et al, 2017; Mosquera et al, 2021; Wright et al, 2017). The latter is favoured by relatively low physical erosion rates (i.e., below 30 t km −2 year −1 , Tenorio et al, 2018, Vanacker et al, 2022) and sustained rainfall input throughout the year, often presenting no rain periods shorter than 2 weeks (Célleri et al, 2007), in combination with unique properties of soils formed from volcanic ash accumulation such as high organic matter content (i.e., up to above 53.6%, Nierop et al, 2007; Molina et al, 2019), and high‐water retention and infiltration capacities (Buytaert et al, 2005; Mosquera, Marín, et al, 2020). This water resource is crucial to support the development of urban centers such as Mérida, Bogotá, Cuenca, and Quito (Buytaert & De Bièvre, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…and sustained rainfall input throughout the year, often presenting no rain periods shorter than 2 weeks (Célleri et al, 2007), in combination with unique properties of soils formed from volcanic ash accumulation such as high organic matter content (i.e., up to above 53.6%, Nierop et al, 2007;Molina et al, 2019), and high-water retention and infiltration capacities (Buytaert et al, 2005;Mosquera, Marín, et al, 2020). This water resource is crucial to support the development of urban centers such as Mérida, Bogotá, Cuenca, and Quito (Buytaert & De Bièvre, 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

Delineation of water flow paths in a tropical Andean headwater catchment with deep soils and permeable bedrock

Lahuatte

Mosquera

Páez‐Bimos

et al. 2022

Hydrological Processes

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Traditional hydrometric data combined with environmental tracers such as water stable isotopes contributes to improve the understanding of catchment hydrology. Nevertheless, the application of isotopic tracers in headwater catchments of the tropical Andes with deep soils and permeable parent material influenced by recent volcanism remains limited. In this study, the stable isotopic composition of precipitation, soil water, wetlands, and streamflow was studied to provide insights into the hydrology of a small tropical Andean catchment with deep and permeable volcanic soils, ash layers, and fractured bedrock resulting from Holocene volcanic activity. Although local precipitation forms under isotopic equilibrium conditions, the stable isotopic composition of precipitation is influenced by atmospheric moisture recycling processes. The spatial and temporal variability of isotopic signals and the analysis of inverse transit time proxies (ITTPs) of surface (streamflow) and subsurface (soil and wetlands) waters indicate that vertical flow paths through the deep volcanic ash soils are dominant across the catchment. The strongly damped isotopic composition of these waters points to high soil and wetlands water storage, increasing the transit time or age of stream water in the hydrological system. These findings indicate that water mobilizing through subsurface flow paths–that is, volcanic soils, ash layers, and cracks in the fractured bedrock resulting from Holocene volcanism–is the main contributor to streamflow generation. Comparison with previously published work from Andean catchments and other volcanic areas shows the diversity of hydrological conditions that can be found as a result of pedological and lithological differences shaped by volcanic activity. Therefore, site‐specific strategies may be needed to improve water resources management.

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A field, laboratory, and literature review evaluation of the water retention curve of volcanic ash soils: How well do standard laboratory methods reflect field conditions?

Cited by 9 publications

References 80 publications

Vegetation effects on soil pore structure and hydraulic properties in volcanic ash soils of the high Andes

Vegetation effects on soil pore structure and hydraulic properties in volcanic ash soils of the high Andes

Reproducibility of the Wet Part of the Soil Water Retention Curve: A European Interlaboratory Comparison

Delineation of water flow paths in a tropical Andean headwater catchment with deep soils and permeable bedrock

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