scholarly journals A Comparative Study of Water and Bromide Transport in a Bare Loam Soil Using Lysimeters and Field Plots

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaud Isch ◽  
Denis Montenach ◽  
Frederic Hammel ◽  
Philippe Ackerer ◽  
Yves Coquet

The purpose of this methodological study was to test whether similar soil hydraulic and solute transport properties could be estimated from field plots and lysimeter measurements. The transport of water and bromide (as an inert conservative solute tracer) in three bare field plots and in six bare soil lysimeters were compared. Daily readings of matric head and volumetric water content in the lysimeters showed a profile that was increasingly humid with depth. The hydrodynamic parameters optimized with HYDRUS-1D provided an accurate description of the experimental data for both the field plots and the lysimeters. However, bromide transport in the lysimeters was influenced by preferential transport, which required the use of the mobile/immobile water (MIM) model to suitably describe the experimental data. Water and solute transport observed in the field plots was not accurately described when using parameters optimized with lysimeter data (cross-simulation), and vice versa. The soil’s return to atmospheric pressure at the bottom of the lysimeter and differences in tillage practices between the two set-ups had a strong impact on soil water dynamics. The preferential flow of bromide observed in the lysimeters prevented an accurate simulation of solute transport in field plots using the mean optimized parameters on lysimeters and vice versa.

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1358
Author(s):  
Lorenzo De Carlo ◽  
Kimberlie Perkins ◽  
Maria Clementina Caputo

Preferential pathways allow rapid and non-uniform water movement in the subsurface due to strong heterogeneity of texture, composition, and hydraulic properties. Understanding the importance of preferential pathways is crucial, because they have strong impact on flow and transport hydrodynamics in the unsaturated zone. Particularly, improving knowledge of the water dynamics is essential for estimating travel time through soil to quantify hazards for groundwater, assess aquifer recharge rates, improve agricultural water management, and prevent surface stormflow and flooding hazards. Small scale field heterogeneities cannot be always captured by the limited number of point scale measurements collected. In order to overcome these limitations, noninvasive geophysical techniques have been widely used in the last decade to predict hydrodynamic processes, due to their capability to spatialize hydrogeophysical properties with high resolution. In the test site located in Bari, Southern Italy, the geophysical approach, based on electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) monitoring, has been implemented to detect preferential pathways triggered by an artificial rainfall event. ERT-derived soil moisture estimations were obtained in order to quantitatively predict the water storage (m3m−3), water velocity (ms−1), and spread (m2) through preferential pathways by using spatial moments analysis.


HortScience ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 857e-857
Author(s):  
C. Stevens ◽  
V. A. Khan ◽  
A. Y. Tang ◽  
R. M. Cody

Field plots on Norfolk sandy loam soil at Tuskegee and Eufaula, AL were treated by soil solarization (SS). Samples rhizsosphere (R) and nonrhizosphere soil from cole crop and strawberry plots were collected and assayed with selective media for population densities of microbes involved in organic decomposition and mineralization. Microflora population densities of bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi increased 2-7 folds in the solarized compared to the bare soil (BS). Microflora population densities in the soils involved in cellulose and protein decomposition, ammonification, nitrification, phosphate mineralization were greater in solarized soil compared to BS. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in R soil 7 months after SS was higher when compared to BS at Tuskegee, but was reduced 50 folds 18 months after SS.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Radolinski ◽  
Hanh Le ◽  
Sheldon S. Hilaire ◽  
Kang Xia ◽  
Durelle Scott ◽  
...  

Abstract Preferential flow reduces water residence times and allows rapid transport of pollutants such as organic contaminants. Conventional understanding of solute transport implies that preferential flow reduces the influence of soil matrix-solute interactions; however, this assumption lacks robust validation in the field. To better understand how physicochemical properties affect solute transport across a range of preferential flow conditions, we applied deuterium-labeled rainfall to field plots containing manure spiked with eight common antibiotics with a range of affinity for the soil. We then quantified preferential flow and solute transport using 48 soil pore water samplers spread along a hillslope. Based on >700 measurements, our data showed that solute transport to lysimeters was similar – regardless of antibiotic affinity for soil – when preferential flow represented less than 15% of the total water flow. When preferential flow exceeded 15%, however, concentrations were higher for compounds with relatively low affinity for soil. These results suggest that bypassing water flow can select for compounds that are more easily released from the soil matrix, thus providing fundamental insight into how flow heterogeneity affects pollutant mobility in soils. Moreover, because these data do not fully align with existing solute transport theory, they may be useful for building improved process-based transport models.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Sternagel ◽  
Ralf Loritz ◽  
Wolfgang Wilcke ◽  
Erwin Zehe

<p>Recently, we proposed an alternative model concept to represent rainfall-driven soil water dynamics and especially preferential water flow and solute transport in the vadose zone. Our LAST-Model is based on a Lagrangian perspective on the movement of water particles (Zehe and Jackisch, 2016) carrying solute masses through the subsurface which is separated into a soil matrix domain and a preferential flow domain (Sternagel et al., 2019). The preferential flow domain relies on observable field data like the average number of macropores of a given diameter, their hydraulic properties and their vertical length distribution. These data may either be derived from field observations or by inverse modelling using tracer data. Parameterization of the soil matrix domain requires soil hydraulic functions which determine the parameters of the water particle movement and particularly the distribution of flow velocities in different pores sizes. Infiltration into the matrix and the macropores depends on their respective moisture state and subsequently macropores are gradually filled. Macropores and matrix interact through diffusive mixing of water and solutes between the two flow domains which again depends on their water content and matric potential at the considered depths.</p><p>The LAST-Model was evaluated using tracer profiles and macropore data obtained at four different study sites in the Weiherbach catchment in south Germany and additionally compared against simulations using HYDRUS 1-D as benchmark model. The results generally corroborated the feasibility of the model concept and particularly the implemented representation of macropore flow and macropore-matrix exchange. We thus concluded that the LAST-Model approach provides a useful and alternative framework for simulating rainfall-driven soil water and solute dynamics and fingerprints of preferential flow.</p><p>This study presents an extension of the model allowing for the simulation of reactive solute transport. Transformation kinetics are considered by transferring mass from the parent to the child components in each water particle according to the corresponding reaction rates, which is limited by the compound solubility. A retardation coefficient is not helpful in the particle-based framework, as the solute mass is carried by the water particles and travels thus by default at the same velocity. Ad- and desorption are explicit represented through transfer of dissolved mass from the water particles at a given depth to surrounding adsorption sites of the soil solid phase and vice versa. This may either operate under rate-limited or non-limited conditions. Adsorbed solute masses will be considered to be degraded following first-order reaction kinetics. The retardation process delays the solute displacement and enables a suitable time scale for the degradation process, which must be smaller than the time scale for the re-mobilization of the solutes. The proposed extension will be benchmarked against observations of pesticide transport in soil profiles and at tile-drained field sites.</p><p> </p><p>Zehe, E., Jackisch, C.: A Lagrangian model for soil water dynamics during rainfall-driven conditions, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3511–3526, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3511-2016, 2016.</p><p> </p><p>Sternagel, A., Loritz, R., Wilcke, W., and Zehe, E.: Simulating preferential soil water flow and tracer transport using the Lagrangian Soil Water and Solute Transport Model, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 4249–4267, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4249-2019, 2019.</p>


Author(s):  
Mohammed S. Shamkhi ◽  
Jasim Mohammed Ridha Azee ◽  
Ali A. Abdul-Sahib

The Al-Shewicha Trough represents a serious flood hazard to Kut City (the capital of Wasit Province, Iraq) and to the other cities along the Tigris River downstream Kut Barrage, especially in heavy monsoon years. In this study, The Geographic Information System software ArcGIS was used in the morphologic analysis of six river basins that represent the main feeding sources for the Al-Shewicha Trough. The results revealed that the high values for the greatest length of Basins 1, 5, and 6 meant that these watersheds had high concentration time (tc) values, which delay peak flow. All basins consisted of very coarse and permeable subsurface strata that were of coarse texture. Circularity ratio form factor and elongation ratio suggested an elongated shape for all basins with lower peak flow and long duration. Analyses of soil data demonstrated that the soil type that covered a large area was loam soil (classified as hydrologic soil group B), which indicates that all basins had low permeability and high runoff. The predominant land use was bare soil, and all basins had a covering of poor vegetation, which highlighted the fact that basins were highly susceptible to erosion, thus resulting in the generation of higher sedimentation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Jin Kim ◽  
Christophe J. G. Darnault ◽  
Nathan O. Bailey ◽  
J.-Yves Parlange ◽  
Tammo S. Steenhuis

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 85-98
Author(s):  
Dohnal Michal ◽  
Dušek Jaromír ◽  
Vogel Tomáš ◽  
Herza Jiří

This paper focuses on numerical modelling of soil water movement in response to the root water uptake that is driven by transpiration. The flow of water in a lysimeter, installed at a grass covered hillslope site in a small headwater catchment, is analysed by means of numerical simulation. The lysimeter system provides a well defined control volume with boundary fluxes measured and soil water pressure continuously monitored. The evapotranspiration intensity is estimated by the Penman-Monteith method and compared with the measured lysimeter soil water loss and the simulated root water uptake. Variably saturated flow of water in the lysimeter is simulated using one-dimensional dual-permeability model based on the numerical solution of the Richards’ equation. The availability of water for the root water uptake is determined by the evaluation of the plant water stress function, integrated in the soil water flow model. Different lower boundary conditions are tested to compare the soil water dynamics inside and outside the lysimeter. Special attention is paid to the possible influence of the preferential flow effects on the lysimeter soil water balance. The adopted modelling approach provides a useful and flexible framework for numerical analysis of soil water dynamics in response to the plant transpiration.


Soil Research ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Müller ◽  
M. Trolove ◽  
T. K. James ◽  
A. Rahman

Runoff potential of 5 herbicides (acetochlor, atrazine, hexazinone, pendimethalin, and terbuthylazine) was evaluated in a small-scale study under simulated rainfall on a cultivated Hamilton clay loam soil. At 24 h after herbicide application, rainfall events of different intensities were simulated to 0.5-m2 field plots with 20% (70, 88, and 111 mm/h) and 30% (60, 70, and 80 mm/h) slope, respectively. The objective of this study was to compare the behaviour of pesticides covering a range of properties under identical hydrodynamic conditions. Sediment amounts and herbicide concentrations were determined in the runoff samples. As the transported sediment amounts were not sufficient for chemical analyses, herbicide residues attached to sediment were estimated using Kd values determined locally for the soil. Whereas pendimethalin concentrations followed no noticeable pattern, the concentrations for the other herbicides were highest in the first runoff samples, and decreased exponentially with further rain. Results show that herbicides were primarily transported in their dissolved form with the exception of pendimethalin. Slope affected cumulative runoff, sediment, and herbicide losses significantly (P < 0.05). The impact of increased rainfall intensity on runoff initiation followed a similar trend, but herbicide losses from plots exposed to different intensities were not always significant. Losses dissolved in runoff from plots with 20% slope were ≤1% of the applied herbicide, whereas on plots with 30% slope the maximum recorded loss was 65%. Here, losses for all herbicides ranged between 1 and 7% at 60 mm/h and 8 and 65% at 80 mm/h. Exports of herbicides with moderate solubility were negatively correlated with their Kd values and their water solubility.


2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 935-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Anderson ◽  
M. Weiler ◽  
Y. Alila ◽  
R. O. Hudson

Abstract. Preferential flow paths have been found to be important for runoff generation, solute transport, and slope stability in many areas around the world. Although many studies have identified the particular characteristics of individual features and measured the runoff generation and solute transport within hillslopes, very few studies have determined how individual features are hydraulically connected at a hillslope scale. In this study, we used dye staining and excavation to determine the morphology and spatial pattern of a preferential flow network over a large scale (30 m). We explore the feasibility of extending small-scale dye staining techniques to the hillslope scale. We determine the lateral preferential flow paths that are active during the steady-state flow conditions and their interaction with the surrounding soil matrix. We also calculate the velocities of the flow through each cross-section of the hillslope and compare them to hillslope scale applied tracer measurements. Finally, we investigate the relationship between the contributing area and the characteristics of the preferential flow paths. The experiment revealed that larger contributing areas coincided with highly developed and hydraulically connected preferential flow paths that had flow with little interaction with the surrounding soil matrix. We found evidence of subsurface erosion and deposition of soil and organic material laterally and vertically within the soil. These results are important because they add to the understanding of the runoff generation, solute transport, and slope stability of preferential flow-dominated hillslopes.


Soil Research ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 549 ◽  
Author(s):  
KY Chan ◽  
JA Mead

The infiltration behaviour and physical properties of a hardsetting sandy loam soil at Cowra, N.S.W., following 2 years of different tillage treatments are reported. Soil that had not been cultivated for 25 years was also investigated at an adjacent pasture site. Infiltration of simulated rainfall at the end of the wheat-growing season gave moisture profiles that were quite different for cultivated, direct drilled and pasture soils. The moisture profile for the cultivated soil suggested the presence of an impeded layer which retarded the movement of infiltrated rain to the subsoil. Porosity measurements confirmed the presence of a layer with significantly fewer macropores (> 300 �m diameter) at the 50-100 mm depth in the cultivated soil, when compared with the direct drilled soil. The old pasture soil had significantly higher porosity (> 300 �m diameter) in the top 100 mm. Aggregate stabilities and organic carbon contents were measured in narrow increments to 150 mm depth for the three different soils, and revealed that a surface 25 mm layer of high organic carbon and highly stable macro-aggregates was present in the pasture and direct drilled soils but absent in the cultivated soil. The unstable surface layer in the conventionally cultivated soil was a consequence of the mixing and inverting action of cultivation and was not due to a net loss of organic carbon from the profile. The organic carbon content of the pasture soil was not significantly different from the direct drilled soil below 50 mm; however, it was significantly lower than the conventionally cultivated soil between 50 and 150 mm depth. These results indicate a need to adopt tillage practices that can preserve the top 25 mm layer of such fragile soils.


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