Effect of antecedent soil moisture on preferential flow in a texture-contrast soil

Hardie, M; Cotching, WE; Doyle, RB; Holz, Greg; Lisson, S; Mattern, Kathrin

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.12.008

Cited by 170 publications

(175 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…In more coarse-textured soils, they observed fuzzy dye patterns and deduced dispersive transport mechanisms. Preferential flow of BB solution in compact clay and loam soils has also been shown by Hardie et al (2011), Chyba et al (2013, and Etana et al (2013).…”

Section: ------------------------------------------------% --------mentioning

confidence: 65%

Visualization of Colloid Transport Pathways in Mineral Soils Using Titanium(IV) Oxide as a Tracer

2016

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In soils, colloidal transport has been identified as the most important pathway for strong adsorbing, environmental contaminants like pesticides, heavy metals, and phosphorus. We conducted a comparative dye tracer experiment using a Brilliant Blue (BB) solution and a Titanium(IV) oxide (TiO 2 ) colloid suspension (average particle size 0.3 mm), aiming to visualize and quantify colloid pathways in soils. Both dye tracers showed comparable general flow patterns with preferred transport over the deepest part of the soil profile, independent of clay content. The stained area was generally smaller for TiO 2 than for BB by a factor of ten, however, and there was no TiO 2 to be found at all in the low clay content soil. The travel distance was almost identical for the solution and the suspension (0.7 m) giving evidence that environmentally critical compounds bound to microparticles may be vertically transported over longer distances in soils, even within single rainfall events. The spatial variability of the dye patterns was large on a small scale with a range of 0.35 m for TiO 2 in the horizontal plane, which was taken as a general proof for a pronounced preferential transport situation. The study indicates that TiO 2 is transported exclusively through singular macropores of biogenetic nature, while BB passes also through the soil matrix of coarse-bedded soils, the secondary pore system or interaggregate pore space. The results emphasize the general suitability of TiO 2 for the visualization of colloid transport pathways in soils, opening up new research opportunities for contaminant transport in soils.

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Section: ------------------------------------------------% --------mentioning

confidence: 65%

Visualization of Colloid Transport Pathways in Mineral Soils Using Titanium(IV) Oxide as a Tracer

2016

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“…Sorption and degradation of contaminants is strongest in the topsoil and decrease with soil depth (Hendrickx and Flury, 2001). Thus, bypassing of the topsoil soil matrix foster early arrival times and high concentrations of contaminants in the groundwater, which was shown by several tracer field studies (e.g., Hendrickx and Flury, 2001;Ritsema et al, 1997;Hardie et al, 2011). Once formed, dry zones persist further wetting and additional water infiltrates through already existing preferential pathways, further stabilizing established flow paths Hagedorn and Bundt, 2002).…”

Section: Water Repellencymentioning

confidence: 90%

“…The drought-treated plots developed large areas with small volume densities and SPWs in the topsoil, while for deeper layers, broad stains (large SPWs) were observed, which cover the profiles for the most part (high VDs). This is typical for preferential flow that follows the shrinkage cracks of clayey soils or biopores of roots or soil fauna Hendrickx and Flury, 2001;Hardie et al, 2011). Water infiltrates quickly to deeper layers, bypassing a large proportion of the soil matrix.…”

Section: Infiltration Patterns and Influence Of Main Tree Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does drought alter hydrological functions in forest soils?

Gimbel¹,

Puhlmann²,

Weiler³

2016

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Climate change is expected to impact the water cycle and severely affect precipitation patterns across central Europe and in other parts of the world, leading to more frequent and severe droughts. Usually when projecting drought impacts on hydrological systems, it is assumed that system properties, like soil properties, remain stable and will not be affected by drought events. To study if this assumption is appropriate, we address the effects of drought on the infiltration behavior of forest soils using dye tracer experiments on six sites in three regions across Germany, which were forced into drought conditions. The sites cover clayey-, loamy-and sandy-textured soils. In each region, we compared a deciduous and a coniferous forest stand to address differences between the main tree species. The results of the dye tracer experiments show clear evidence for changes in infiltration behavior at the sites. The infiltration changed at the clayey plots from regular and homogeneous flow to fast preferential flow. Similar behavior was observed at the loamy plots, where large areas in the upper layers remained dry, displaying signs of strong water repellency. This was confirmed by water drop penetration time (WDPT) tests, which revealed, in all except one plot, moderate to severe water repellency. Water repellency was also accountable for the change of regular infiltration to fingered flow in the sandy soils. The results of this study suggest that the drought history or, more generally, the climatic conditions of a soil in the past are more important than the actual antecedent soil moisture status regarding hydrophobicity and infiltration behavior; furthermore, drought effects on infiltration need to be considered in hydrological models to obtain realistic predictions concerning water quality and quantity in runoff and groundwater recharge.

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“…They showed that infiltrating water passes first through the soil cracks and then into the soil matrix; they concluded that uniform flow through the soil cannot be used to describe the dye transport. A dye experiment in a soil column consisting of a sandy A horizon and a vertic clay B horizon showed preferential downward flow through the cracks in horizon B, bypassing more than 94 % of the matrix (Hardie et al, 2011).…”

Section: Preferential Transport In Vertisolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil–aquifer phenomena affecting groundwater under vertisols: a review

Kurtzman

Baram

Dahan

2016

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Vertisols are cracking clayey soils that (i) usually form in alluvial lowlands where, normally, groundwater pools into aquifers; (ii) have different types of voids (due to cracking), which make flow and transport of water, solutes and gas complex; and (iii) are regarded as fertile soils in many areas. The combination of these characteristics results in the unique soil-aquifer phenomena that are highlighted and summarized in this review. The review is divided into the following four sections: (1) soil cracks as preferential pathways for water and contaminants: in this section lysimeter-to basin-scale observations that show the significance of cracks as preferential-flow paths in vertisols, which bypass matrix blocks in the unsaturated zone, are summarized. Relatively fresh-water recharge and groundwater contamination from these fluxes and their modeling are reviewed; (2) soil cracks as deep evaporators and unsaturated-zone salinity: deep sediment samples under uncultivated vertisols in semiarid regions reveal a dry (immobile), saline matrix, partly due to enhanced evaporation through soil cracks. Observations of this phenomenon are compiled in this section and the mechanism of evapoconcentration due to air flow in the cracks is discussed; (3) impact of cultivation on flushing of the unsaturated zone and aquifer salinization: the third section examines studies reporting that land-use change of vertisols from native land to cropland promotes greater fluxes through the saline unsaturated-zone matrix, eventually flushing salts to the aquifer. Different degrees of salt flushing are assessed as well as aquifer salinization on different scales, and a comparison is made with aquifers under other soils; (4) relatively little nitrate contamination in aquifers under vertisols: in this section we turn the light on observations showing that aquifers under cultivated vertisols are somewhat resistant to groundwater contamination by nitrate (the major agriculturally related groundwater problem). Denitrification is probably the main mechanism supporting this resistance, whereas a certain degree of anion-exchange capacity may have a retarding effect as well.

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Effect of antecedent soil moisture on preferential flow in a texture-contrast soil

Cited by 170 publications

References 64 publications

Visualization of Colloid Transport Pathways in Mineral Soils Using Titanium(IV) Oxide as a Tracer

Visualization of Colloid Transport Pathways in Mineral Soils Using Titanium(IV) Oxide as a Tracer

Does drought alter hydrological functions in forest soils?

Soil–aquifer phenomena affecting groundwater under vertisols: a review

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