Influence of soil texture on snowmelt infiltration into frozen soils

Abstract

Zhao, L., Gray, D. M. and Toth, B. 2002. Influence of soil texture on snowmelt infiltration into frozen soils. Can. J. Soil Sci. 82: 75-83. This paper describes the influence of soil texture on snowmelt infiltration into frozen soils. Field data collected on frozen, unsaturated agricultural soils of the Canadian Prairies during snow ablation demonstrate: (a) poor association between the amount of infiltration of meltwater released by the seasonal snowcover and soil texture, and (b) small differences in cumulative amounts among soils of widely different textures. A physics-based numerical simulation of heat and mass transfers with phase changes in frozen soils is used to study the mechanics of the infiltration process in representative clay, silty clay loam, silt loam and sandy loam soils. The results of the simulations show that the differences among cumulative snowmelt infiltration into clay, silty clay loam and silt loam soils after 24 h of continuous infiltration are small. Infiltration into a lighter-textured sandy loam after 24 h was on average 23% higher than in the other three soils with most of the increase occurring in the first 5 h of the simulation. In the northern hemisphere, a large part of the annual precipitation occurs as snow, and melting of the seasonal snowcover in the spring is one of the most important hydrological events of the water year. Reliable methods for partitioning the meltwater released during snow ablation to runoff and infiltration are requisite for efficient management of the water resources of these regions.The infiltrability of frozen ground is affected by the thermal and hydrophysical properties of the soil, the soil temperature and moisture regimes, and the quantity and rate of release of meltwater from the snowcover. Many field studies of snowmelt infiltration into frozen soils are reported in the literature (e.g., Willis et al. 1961;Kane 1980;Kane and Stein 1983;Granger et al. 1984;Gray et al. 1985;Burn 1990;Woo and Marsh 1990). These studies show that the cumulative infiltration of meltwater released by a seasonal snowcover (seasonal infiltration) varies directly with the snow water equivalent and inversely with the total water

Effects of moisture limitation on tree growth in upland and floodplain forest ecosystems in interior Alaska

“…Kane and Stein (1983a) found that soil moisture formed an ice lens close to the soil surface during winter that limited water infiltration. In addition (Zhao et al, 2002) suggested that with most soil textures, water infiltration during snow-melt was limited to the top 10 cm of soil even if ice lenses are not present. The limitation for the upland sites was closer to the 20 cm depth based on soil moisture content estimates.…”

“…This was measured to be in the range of 30-70 mm of the snowpack water at Palmer, Alaska (Branton et al, 1971) and simulated at 21% of the precipitation input in Arctic Alaska (Liston and Sturm, 2002). During the snowmelt period the infiltration of water into the surface soil will be controlled by the quantity of ice in the profile (Kane and Stein, 1983a,c;Gray et al, 2001;Zhao et al, 2002). Kane and Stein (1983a) found that soil moisture formed an ice lens close to the soil surface during winter that limited water infiltration.…”

The Integration of Spring and Winter Wheat Genetics With Agronomy for Ultra-Early Planting Into Cold Soils

“…However, once sites north of 51°N reached 0°C they warmed faster than the sites south of 51°N, meaning planting dates were closer together at the sites north of 51°N (Table 3). This is due to the later disappearance of snow cover, increased available solar radiation when sites north of 51°N reached 0°C, and greater heat holding capacity of heavier texture clay loam soils relative to the sites south of 51°N (Zhao et al, 2002). The trial sites north of 51°N include soils classified as gray wooded Luvisols, orthic black chernozems, and orthic dark brown chernozems.…”

Responses of soil water percolation to dynamic interactions among rainfall, antecedent moisture and season in a forest site

“…For example, in the study by Zhao et al (2002), infiltration into a lighter-textured sandy loam after 24 h was on average 23% higher than into the clay, silty clay loam and silt loam soils. Hardie et al (2011) also pointed out the importance of macropores on DP.…”