Soil moisture response to rainfall at different topographic positions along a mixed land-use hillslope

Zhu, Qing; Nie, Xiaofei; Zhou, Xiaobo; Liao, Kaihua; Li, Hengpeng

doi:10.1016/j.catena.2014.03.010

Cited by 100 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…These factors include land use, topography, soil properties, rainfall characteristics and preferential flow. It is difficult to understand the behavior of soil moisture response to rainfall and its controlling mechanism (Zhu et al, 2014). Many scholars have conducted relative researches on this topic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil moisture response to rainfall in forestland and vegetable plot in Taihu Lake Basin, China

Zhu

Zheng

et al. 2014

Chin. Geogr. Sci.

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Soil moisture and its spatial pattern are important for understanding various hydrological, pedological, ecological and agricultural processes. In this study, data of rainfall and soil moisture contents at different depths (10 cm, 20 cm, 40 cm and 60 cm) in forestland and vegetable plot in the Taihu Lake Basin, China were monitored and analyzed for characteristics of soil moisture variation and its response to several typical rainfall events. The following results were observed. First, great temporal variation of soil moisture was observed in the surface layer than in deeper layer in vegetable plot. In contrast, in forestland, soil moisture had similar variation pattern at different depths. Second, initial soil moisture was an important factor influencing the vertical movement of soil water during rainfall events. In vegetable plot, simultaneous response of soil moisture to rainfall was observed at 10-and 20-cm depths due to fast infiltration when initial soil was relatively dry. However, traditional downward response order occurred when initial soil was relatively wet. Third, critical soil horizon interface was an active zone of soil water accumulation and lateral movement. A less permeable W-B soil horizon interface (40-cm depth) in vegetable plot can create perched water table above it and elevate the soil water content at the corresponding depth. Fourth, the land cover was an effective control factor of soil moisture during small and moderate rainfall events. In the forestland, moderate and small rainfall events had tiny influences on soil moisture due to canopy and surface O horizon interception. Fifth, preferential flow and lateral subsurface interflow were important paths of soil water movement. During large and long duration rainfall events, lateral subsurface flow and preferential flow through surface crack or soil pipe occurred, which recharged the deep soil. However, in more concentrated large storm, surface crack or soil pipe connected by soil macropores was the main contributor to the occurrence of preferential flow. Findings of this study provide a theoretical foundation for sustainable water and fertilizer management and land use planning in the Taihu Lake Basin.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil moisture response to rainfall in forestland and vegetable plot in Taihu Lake Basin, China

Zhu

Zheng

et al. 2014

Chin. Geogr. Sci.

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“…Topography is another important factor that greatly affects the redistribution and consumption of DSM (Qiu et al, 2001;Zhu et al, 2014b). The slope position, altitude, and slope gradient mainly affect the lateral flow of soil moisture.…”

Section: Mechanisms Of Deep Soil Moisture Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Variations of deep soil moisture under different vegetation types and influencing factors in a watershed of the Loess Plateau, China

Fang

Zhao

Wang

et al. 2016

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Soil moisture in deep soil layers is a relatively stable water resource for vegetation growth in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China. Characterizing the variations in deep soil moisture and its influencing factors at a moderate watershed scale is important to ensure the sustainability of vegetation restoration efforts. In this study, we focus on analyzing the variations and factors that influence the deep soil moisture (DSM) in 80-500 cm soil layers based on a soil moisture survey of the Ansai watershed in Yan'an in Shanxi Province. Our results can be divided into four main findings.(1) At the watershed scale, higher variations in the DSM occurred at 120-140 and 480-500 cm in the vertical direction. At the comparable depths, the variation in the DSM under native vegetation was much lower than that in human-managed vegetation and introduced vegetation. (2) The DSM in native vegetation and human-managed vegetation was significantly higher than that in introduced vegetation, and different degrees of soil desiccation occurred under all the introduced vegetation types. Caragana korshinskii and black locust caused the most serious desiccation. (3) Taking the DSM conditions of native vegetation as a reference, the DSM in this watershed could be divided into three layers: (i) a rainfall transpiration layer (80-220 cm); (ii) a transition layer (220-400 cm); and (iii) a stable layer (400-500 cm). (4) The factors influencing DSM at the watershed scale varied with vegetation types. The main local controls of the DSM variations were the soil particle composition and mean annual rainfall; human agricultural management measures can alter the soil bulk density, which contributes to higher DSM in farmland and apple orchards. The plant growth conditions, planting density, and litter water holding capacity of introduced vegetation showed significant relationships with the DSM. The results of this study are of practical significance for vegetation restoration strategies, especially for the choice of vegetation types, planting zones, and proper human management measures.

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“…The installation depths were roughly 10-, 20-, 40-and 60-cm and corresponded to critical soil horizons and interfaces. Before installation, the EC-5 sensors were calibrated for different installation depths following the procedures in Zhu et al (2014). The fitted equations between original EC-5 readings and real soil water content (determined by oven drying method) were constructed for different depths.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…High antecedent moisture always means high percolation capacity in the upper layer of soil. Ochoa et al (2007) demonstrated that less DP occurred under drier antecedent moisture conditions; Zhu et al (2014) observed that deep soil at toe slope was recharged when rainfall amount > 35 mm and antecedent soil moisture > 0.30 m 3 ·m -3 . Besides, factors related to the season (e.g., evapotranspiration) influence the soil water storage, thus affect the DP (Allen et al, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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

Lai

Liao

Feng

et al. 2016

Journal of Hydrology

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Soil moisture response to rainfall at different topographic positions along a mixed land-use hillslope

Cited by 100 publications

References 41 publications

Soil moisture response to rainfall in forestland and vegetable plot in Taihu Lake Basin, China

Soil moisture response to rainfall in forestland and vegetable plot in Taihu Lake Basin, China

Variations of deep soil moisture under different vegetation types and influencing factors in a watershed of the Loess Plateau, China

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

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