Using repeat electrical resistivity surveys to assess heterogeneity in soil moisture dynamics under contrasting vegetation types

Dick, Jonathan; Tetzlaff, Doerthe; Bradford, John H.; Soulsby, Chris

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.02.062

Cited by 38 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…It was notable that the forest top soil showed much greater variability in moisture content than the heather site, probably due to more root water uptake by pines and faster drainage through the shallower organic layer to dry the soils. It is also noticeable that soil moisture contents were lower and less variable at the forest site than the heather site, reflecting the much coarser subsoil characteristics (Dick et al, 2017). Whilst at the heather site there was a tendency to slightly overestimate moisture content in wet periods, for the forest site the model over-anticipated the wetup following summer 2015 and exaggerated the dry-down following very large rainfall inputs in December 2015/January 2016.…”

Section: 1model Test Against Soil Moisture and Transpirationmentioning

confidence: 91%

Modelling the effects of land cover and climate change on soil water partitioning in a boreal headwater catchment

Wang

Tetzlaff

Soulsby

2018

Journal of Hydrology

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Section: 1model Test Against Soil Moisture and Transpirationmentioning

confidence: 91%

Modelling the effects of land cover and climate change on soil water partitioning in a boreal headwater catchment

Wang

Tetzlaff

Soulsby

2018

Journal of Hydrology

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“…Water age estimates are challenged by the natural multiscale heterogeneity of hydraulic conductivity (e.g., soil matrix vs. macropores in the subsurface) (Bachmair & Weiler, ; Troch et al, ), which can lead to long tails of the water age distribution functions (Kirchner et al, ). Additionally, heterogeneity in infiltration and percolation results from vegetation (e.g., interception and throughfall—e.g., Molina et al, —and root water uptake volumes and depths—e.g., Dick et al, ), snow accumulation and melt patterns (e.g., Garvelmann et al, ), and other spatially variable environmental characteristics.…”

Section: Quantifying Water Ages In the Critical Zonementioning

confidence: 99%

The Demographics of Water: A Review of Water Ages in the Critical Zone

Sprenger

Stumpp

Weiler

et al. 2019

Reviews of Geophysics

239

214

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The time that water takes to travel through the terrestrial hydrological cycle and the critical zone is of great interest in Earth system sciences with broad implications for water quality and quantity. Most water age studies to date have focused on individual compartments (or subdisciplines) of the hydrological cycle such as the unsaturated or saturated zone, vegetation, atmosphere, or rivers. However, recent studies have shown that processes at the interfaces between the hydrological compartments (e.g., soil‐atmosphere or soil‐groundwater) govern the age distribution of the water fluxes between these compartments and thus can greatly affect water travel times. The broad variation from complete to nearly absent mixing of water at these interfaces affects the water ages in the compartments. This is especially the case for the highly heterogeneous critical zone between the top of the vegetation and the bottom of the groundwater storage. Here, we review a wide variety of studies about water ages in the critical zone and provide (1) an overview of new prospects and challenges in the use of hydrological tracers to study water ages, (2) a discussion of the limiting assumptions linked to our lack of process understanding and methodological transfer of water age estimations to individual disciplines or compartments, and (3) a vision for how to improve future interdisciplinary efforts to better understand the feedbacks between the atmosphere, vegetation, soil, groundwater, and surface water that control water ages in the critical zone.

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“…Geophysical properties can be related to soil state variables (e.g., soil moisture content, salt concentration), soil properties (e.g., clay content, cation exchange capacity), and root properties (e.g., root mass, root surface area) as summarized by Vanderborght et al (2013). Geophysical methods have been widely used in the past two decades to monitor moisture patterns associated with water flow (Deiana et al, 2007;Huisman, Snepvangers, Bouten, & Heuvelink, 2002;Looms, Jensen, Binley, & Nielsen, 2008;Lu & Sabatier, 2009;Oberdörster, Vanderborght, Kemna, & Vereecken, 2010;Weihermüller, Huisman, Lambot, Herbst, & Vereecken, 2007;Zhou, Shimada, & Sato, 2001) and root water uptake (Beff, Günther, Vandoorne, Couvreur, & Javaux, 2013;Cassiani, Boaga, Vanella, Perri, & Consoli, 2015;Dick, Tetzlaff, Bradford, & Soulsby, 2018;Garré, Javaux, Vanderborght, Pages, & Vereecken, 2011;Jayawickreme, Van Dam, & Hyndman, 2008;Mares, Barnard, Mao, Revil, & Singha, 2016;Michot et al, 2003;Srayeddin & Dousssan, 2009;Vanella et al, 2018). The application of geophysical techniques in an agricultural context to study how agricultural production is affected by environmental variables (e.g., water availability, salinity) and agricultural management (e.g., impact of fertilizer and irrigation application), as well as to study fundamental soil-root interactions, is now referred to as…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensing the electrical properties of roots: A review

Ehosioke

Nguyen

Rao

et al. 2020

Vadose Zone Journal

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Thorough knowledge of root system functioning is essential to understand the feedback loops between plants, soil, and climate. In situ characterization of root systems is challenging due to the inaccessibility of roots and the complexity of root zone processes. Electrical methods have been proposed to overcome these difficulties. Electrical conduction and polarization occur in and around roots, but the mechanisms are not yet fully understood. We review the potential and limitations of low‐frequency electrical techniques for root zone investigation, discuss the mechanisms behind electrical conduction and polarization in the soil–root continuum, and address knowledge gaps. A range of electrical methods for root investigation is available. Reported methods using current injection in the plant stem to assess the extension of the root system lack robustness. Multi‐electrode measurements are increasingly used to quantify root zone processes through soil moisture changes. They often neglect the influence of root biomass on the electrical signal, probably because it is yet to be well understood. Recent research highlights the potential of frequency‐dependent impedance measurements. These methods target both surface and volumetric properties by activating and quantifying polarization mechanisms occurring at the root segment and cell scale at specific frequencies. The spectroscopic approach opens up a range of applications. Nevertheless, understanding electrical signatures at the field scale requires significant understanding of small‐scale polarization and conduction mechanisms. Improved mechanistic soil–root electrical models, validated with small‐scale electrical measurements on root systems, are necessary to make further progress in ramping up the precision and accuracy of multi‐electrode tomographic techniques for root zone investigation.

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Using repeat electrical resistivity surveys to assess heterogeneity in soil moisture dynamics under contrasting vegetation types

Abstract: The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of the record. Please see the repository URL above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription.

Cited by 38 publications

References 87 publications

Modelling the effects of land cover and climate change on soil water partitioning in a boreal headwater catchment

Modelling the effects of land cover and climate change on soil water partitioning in a boreal headwater catchment

The Demographics of Water: A Review of Water Ages in the Critical Zone

Sensing the electrical properties of roots: A review

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