Assessing soil water repellency spatial variability using a thermographic technique: An exploratory study using a small-scale laboratory soil flume

Geoderma ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 287 ◽  
pp. 98-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
João R.C.B. Abrantes ◽  
João L.M.P. de Lima ◽  
Sérgio A. Prats ◽  
J. Jacob Keizer
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Bagarello ◽  
Giuseppe Basile ◽  
Gaetano Caltabellotta ◽  
Giuseppe Giordano ◽  
Massimo Iovino

The water drop penetration time (WDPT) technique was applied in 2018 to check persistence of soil water repellency (SWR) in a Sicilian mountain area affected by a wildfire on June 2016. A total of four sites, that were severely water repellent immediately after burning, were sampled. Depending on the site, wettable soil conditions, less SWR and maintenance of a noticeable SWR were detected two years later. At the site showing a near-constant SWR, WDPTs were particularly high in the top soil layer (0-0.03 m) and they appreciably decreased more in depth. Signs of decreasing SWR in drier soil conditions and in association with coarser soil particles were also detected at this site. High gradients of the WDPT can occur at very small vertical distances and a depth increment of approximately 0.01 m should be appropriate to capture small-scale vertical changes in SWR, especially close to the soil surface. Occurrence of SWR phenomena is easily perceivable and explainable if an inverse relationship between WDPTs and antecedent soil water content is obtained. A direct relationship between these two variables is more difficult to interpret because infiltration times that increase in wetter soil are expected according to the classical infiltration theory. A hypothesis that should be tested in the future is to verify if WDPTs that decrease in drier soil conditions signal less SWR as a consequence of a reduced biological activity of the soil. Finally, long-term monitoring projects on longevity of fire effects on SWR should be developed, even because an in depth knowledge of the involved processes is relevant for the civil protection system.


Soil Research ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark S. Johnson ◽  
Johannes Lehmann ◽  
Tammo S. Steenhuis ◽  
Luciélio Vargem de Oliveira ◽  
Erick C. M. Fernandes

Fire is commonly used to establish and maintain pastures in the Amazon. Fire is also known to induce soil water repellency but few published data exist for the humid tropics. The objectives of this study were to characterise the intensity and spatial variability of water repellency on previously burned pasture soils in the Amazon, and its effect on the nutrient status of the forage grass Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst.) Stapf. Surface soils of pastures and forests in north-western Mato Grosso, Brazil, were found to exhibit soil water repellency using MED and WDPT tests. Soil water repellency was found only within 0–0.01 m of the mineral soil surface, with soil below 0.01 m found to be hydrophilic in all cases. Spatial variability of repellency was high for both pasture and forest soils. For pasture soils, soil water repellency was strongest on recently burned pastures, which exhibited some extremely high values (MED > 8 m). Repellency decreased rapidly with time following burning. Increasing soil water repellency was associated with decreasing N: P ratios of B. brizantha above-ground biomass (r2 = 0.66, P = 0.004). These findings indicate that soil water repellency and pasture productivity are inversely related. Since pasture abandonment fuels continued deforestation, disrupting the processes causing pasture degradation may lead to more sustainable land use in the Amazon.


Geoderma ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 402 ◽  
pp. 115264
Author(s):  
Enoch V.S. Wong ◽  
Philip R. Ward ◽  
Daniel V. Murphy ◽  
Matthias Leopold ◽  
Louise Barton

2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 360-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Kim ◽  
R. R. Pullanagari ◽  
M. Deurer ◽  
R. Singh ◽  
K. Y. Huh ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naama Tessler ◽  
Lea Wittenberg ◽  
Noam Greenbaum

Variations in forest fires regime affect: (1) the natural patterns of community structure and vegetation; (2) the physico-chemical properties of soils and consequently (3) runoff, erosion and sediment yield. In recent decades the Mediterranean ecosystem of Mount Carmel, north-western Israel, is subjected to an increasing number of forest fires, thus, the objectives of the study were to evaluate the long-term effects of single and recurrent fires on soil water repellency (WR) and organic matter (OM) content. Water repellency was studied by applying water drop penetration time (WDPT) tests at sites burnt by single-fire, two fires, three fires and unburnt control sites. Water repellency in the burnt sites was significantly lower than in the unburnt control sites, and the soil maintained its wettability for more than 2 decades, whereas after recurrent fires, the rehabilitation was more complicated and protracted. The OM content was significantly lower after recurrent than after a single fire, causing a clear proportional decrease in WR. The rehabilitation of WR to natural values is highly dependent on restoration of organic matter and revegetation. Recurrent fires may cause a delay in recovery and reduced productivity of the soil for a long period.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 1413-1423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicasio T. Jiménez‐Morillo ◽  
José A. González‐Pérez ◽  
Antonio Jordán ◽  
Lorena M. Zavala ◽  
José María Rosa ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Jim J. Miller ◽  
Mallory Owen ◽  
Ben Ellert ◽  
Xueming Yang ◽  
Craig F. Drury ◽  
...  

Soil water repellency (SWR) was measured for a 28 yr field study under irrigation on a clay loam Dark Brown soil in southern Alberta. The objectives were to study the effect of legume-cereal crop rotations, feedlot manure, and phosphorus (P) fertilizer application on soil hydrophobicity (SH) and soil water repellency index (RI) under irrigation. Mean SH and RI were similar (P > 0.05) for a legume-cereal and cereal rotation, and were unaffected by P fertilization. However, P fertilization shifted the RI classification from slight to sub-critical. In contrast, SH was significantly greater for manured than non-manured treatments, while RI was unaffected. Soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) correlated with SH (r=0.74), but not with RI (r=-0.17). This suggested a closer association between the quantity of SOC and quantity of hydrophobic compounds (SH method) compared to the hydrophobic coatings inhibiting infiltration of water (RI method). No significant correlation between SH and RI (r=-0.09) suggests that SH is not a good predictor of SWR using the RI method. Overall, manure application increased SH and P fertilization shifted the RI classification from slight to sub-critical. In contrast, legume-cereal rotations had no influence on SH and SWR using RI method compared to continuous cereal.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document