Simulating Preferential Flow by A Multi-dimensional Process-based HYDRUS Model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Multiscale Model ◽  
Hierarchical Organization ◽  
Slope Position ◽  
Hydrological Process ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Order Stream ◽  
Fractured Bedrock ◽  
Local Soil

<p>Preferential flow<strong> </strong>(PF) processes are controlled by subsurface structures with a hierarchical organization across scales, but there is a lack of multiscale model validation using field data. In this study, a comprehensive dataset collected in the forested Shale Hills catchment was used to test and validate PF simulations with the 2-dimensional HYDRUS-2D model at the hillslope scale. The simulations were also compared with the 1-dimensional results at the pedon scale (HYDRUS-1D) and 3-dimensional results at the catchment scale (HYDRUS-3D). There was a good agreement between the 1D simulations and soil moisture measurements, which were mainly affected by the vertical change in porosity/permeability with depth and precipitation characteristics. However, short-term fluctuations due to PF were poorly captured. Notably, 2D and 3D simulations, accounting for PF controlled by slope position and shallow fractured bedrock, provided better results than the 1D simulations. The dual-porosity or anisotropic model provided more accurate soil moisture predictions than the single-porosity or isotropic model due to the more realistic representation of local soil and fractured shale. Consequently, our study shows the importance of multi-dimensional model approaches and the need to adequately represent the bedrocks' soil structure and fractured nature for the PF simulation. The multi-dimensional modeling approaches can represent PF pathways to the first-order stream and shows the benefits of the 3D simulation with detailed information to identify the dominant hydrological process.</p>

scholarly journals Improved horizontal installation of large soil moisture content sensors and interpretation of their readings in terms of preferential flow / Zlepšená vodorovná instalace velkých čidel půdní vlhkosti a interpretace jejich čtení ve smyslu preferenčního proudění

2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
František Doležal ◽  
Svatopluk Matula ◽  
João Manuel Moreira Barradas
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Quantitative Estimation ◽  
Field Calibration ◽  
Native Soil ◽  
Local Soil ◽  
Typical Event ◽  
Large Soil

Soil moisture content was measured by TDR sensors Aqua-Tel-TDR (Automata, Inc., today McCrometer CONNECT) in a loamy Chernozem on carbonate-rich loess substrate. The sensors, wrapped in slurry made of local soil and water, were installed horizontally into pre-made holes. The bias caused by imperfectly filled gaps between the wall of the hole and the sensor surface was reduced by field calibration. The same gaps made it possible to detect the preferential flow in soil macropores, due to which the reflectometric readings were perceivably higher than analogous readings before percolation events and sometimes higher than the native soil porosity. One typical event is presented. It is envisaged that sensors of this type can be used for semi-quantitative estimation of the preferential flux density, e.g. with the help of dual or multiple porous medium models or the momentum dissipation theory.

scholarly journals Effects of preferential flow on snowmelt partitioning and groundwater recharge in frozen soils

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 5017-5031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron A. Mohammed ◽  
Igor Pavlovskii ◽  
Edwin E. Cey ◽  
Masaki Hayashi
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Frozen Soil ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Runoff Generation ◽  
Frozen Ground ◽  
Soil Matrix ◽  
Frozen Soils ◽  
Flow Through

Abstract. Snowmelt is a major source of groundwater recharge in cold regions. Throughout many landscapes snowmelt occurs when the ground is still frozen; thus frozen soil processes play an important role in snowmelt routing, and, by extension, the timing and magnitude of recharge. This study investigated the vadose zone dynamics governing snowmelt infiltration and groundwater recharge at three grassland sites in the Canadian Prairies over the winter and spring of 2017. The region is characterized by numerous topographic depressions where the ponding of snowmelt runoff results in focused infiltration and recharge. Water balance estimates showed infiltration was the dominant sink (35 %–85 %) of snowmelt under uplands (i.e. areas outside of depressions), even when the ground was frozen, with soil moisture responses indicating flow through the frozen layer. The refreezing of infiltrated meltwater during winter melt events enhanced runoff generation in subsequent melt events. At one site, time lags of up to 3 d between snow cover depletion on uplands and ponding in depressions demonstrated the role of a shallow subsurface transmission pathway or interflow through frozen soil in routing snowmelt from uplands to depressions. At all sites, depression-focused infiltration and recharge began before complete ground thaw and a significant portion (45 %–100 %) occurred while the ground was partially frozen. Relatively rapid infiltration rates and non-sequential soil moisture and groundwater responses, observed prior to ground thaw, indicated preferential flow through frozen soils. The preferential flow dynamics are attributed to macropore networks within the grassland soils, which allow infiltrated meltwater to bypass portions of the frozen soil matrix and facilitate both the lateral transport of meltwater between topographic positions and groundwater recharge through frozen ground. Both of these flow paths may facilitate preferential mass transport to groundwater.

scholarly journals Representation of Soil Moisture Feedbacks during Drought in NASA Unified WRF (NU-WRF)

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 360-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin F. Zaitchik ◽  
Joseph A. Santanello ◽  
Sujay V. Kumar ◽  
Christa D. Peters-Lidard
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Models ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Dynamic Surface ◽  
Seasonal Drought ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
Local Soil

Abstract Positive soil moisture–precipitation feedbacks can intensify heat and prolong drought under conditions of precipitation deficit. Adequate representation of these processes in regional climate models is, therefore, important for extended weather forecasts, seasonal drought analysis, and downscaled climate change projections. This paper presents the first application of the NASA Unified Weather Research and Forecasting Model (NU-WRF) to simulation of seasonal drought. Simulations of the 2006 southern Great Plains drought performed with and without soil moisture memory indicate that local soil moisture feedbacks had the potential to concentrate precipitation in wet areas relative to dry areas in summer drought months. Introduction of a simple dynamic surface albedo scheme that models albedo as a function of soil moisture intensified the simulated feedback pattern at local scale—dry, brighter areas received even less precipitation while wet, whereas darker areas received more—but did not significantly change the total amount of precipitation simulated across the drought-affected region. This soil-moisture-mediated albedo land–atmosphere coupling pathway is structurally excluded from standard versions of WRF.

scholarly journals Computation Approach for Quantitative Dielectric Constant from Time Sequential Data Observed by CYGNSS Satellites

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2032
Author(s):  
Junchan Lee ◽  
Sunil Bisnath ◽  
Regina S.K. Lee ◽  
Narin Gavili Kilane
Keyword(s):  
Dielectric Constant ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite System ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Computation Method ◽  
Navigation Satellite ◽  
Local Soil ◽  
Global Navigation ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

This paper describes a computation method for obtaining dielectric constant using Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry (GNSS-R) products. Dielectric constant is a crucial component in the soil moisture retrieval process using reflected GNSS signals. The reflectivity for circular polarized signals is combined with the dielectric constant equation that is used for radiometer observations. Data from the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission, an eight-nanosatellite constellation for GNSS-R, are used for computing dielectric constant. Data from the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission are used to measure the soil moisture through its radiometer, and they are considered as a reference to confirm the accuracy of the new dielectric constant calculation method. The analyzed locations have been chosen that correspond to sites used for the calibration and validation of the SMAP soil moisture product using in-situ measurement data. The retrieved results, especially in the case of a specular point around Yanco, Australia, show that the estimated results track closely to the soil moisture results, and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) in the estimated dielectric constant is approximately 5.73. Similar results can be obtained when the specular point is located near the Texas Soil Moisture Network (TxSON), USA. These results indicate that the analysis procedure is well-defined, and it lays the foundation for obtaining quantitative soil moisture content using the GNSS reflectometry results. Future work will include applying the computation product to determine the characteristics that will allow for the separation of coherent and incoherent signals in delay Doppler maps, as well as to develop local soil moisture models.

scholarly journals Form and function in hillslope hydrology: characterization of subsurface flow based on response observations

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 3727-3748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Angermann ◽  
Conrad Jackisch ◽  
Niklas Allroggen ◽  
Matthias Sprenger ◽  
Erwin Zehe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Subsurface Flow ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Storm Event ◽  
Monitoring Methods ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Flow Paths ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
And Function

Abstract. The phrase form and function was established in architecture and biology and refers to the idea that form and functionality are closely correlated, influence each other, and co-evolve. We suggest transferring this idea to hydrological systems to separate and analyze their two main characteristics: their form, which is equivalent to the spatial structure and static properties, and their function, equivalent to internal responses and hydrological behavior. While this approach is not particularly new to hydrological field research, we want to employ this concept to explicitly pursue the question of what information is most advantageous to understand a hydrological system. We applied this concept to subsurface flow within a hillslope, with a methodological focus on function: we conducted observations during a natural storm event and followed this with a hillslope-scale irrigation experiment. The results are used to infer hydrological processes of the monitored system. Based on these findings, the explanatory power and conclusiveness of the data are discussed. The measurements included basic hydrological monitoring methods, like piezometers, soil moisture, and discharge measurements. These were accompanied by isotope sampling and a novel application of 2-D time-lapse GPR (ground-penetrating radar). The main finding regarding the processes in the hillslope was that preferential flow paths were established quickly, despite unsaturated conditions. These flow paths also caused a detectable signal in the catchment response following a natural rainfall event, showing that these processes are relevant also at the catchment scale. Thus, we conclude that response observations (dynamics and patterns, i.e., indicators of function) were well suited to describing processes at the observational scale. Especially the use of 2-D time-lapse GPR measurements, providing detailed subsurface response patterns, as well as the combination of stream-centered and hillslope-centered approaches, allowed us to link processes and put them in a larger context. Transfer to other scales beyond observational scale and generalizations, however, rely on the knowledge of structures (form) and remain speculative. The complementary approach with a methodological focus on form (i.e., structure exploration) is presented and discussed in the companion paper by Jackisch et al.(2017).

scholarly journals Soil Water Characteristics of Gleysols in the Bamenda (Cameroon) Wetlands and Implications for Agricultural Management Strategies

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Alice Mufur Magha ◽  
Primus Azinwi Tamfuh ◽  
Lionelle Estelle Mamdem ◽  
Marie Christy Shey Yefon ◽  
Bertrand Kenzong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Total Variance ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Available Water ◽  
High Soil ◽  
Local Soil ◽  
Very High

Water budgeting in agriculture requires local soil moisture information as crops depend mainly on moisture available at root level. The present paper aims to evaluate the soil moisture characteristics of Gleysols in the Bamenda (Cameroon) wetlands and to evaluate the link between soil moisture content and selected soil characteristics affecting crop production. The work was conducted in the field and laboratory, and data were analyzed by simple descriptive statistics. The main results showed that the soils had a silty clayey to clayey texture, high bulk density, high soil organic carbon content, and high soil organic carbon stocks. The big difference between moisture contents at wilting point and at field capacity testified to very high plant-available water content. Also, the soils displayed very high contents of readily available water and water storage contents. The soil moisture characteristics give sigmoid curves and enabled noting that the Gleysols attain their full water saturation at a range of 57.68 to 91.70% of dry soil. Clay and SOC contents show a significant positive correlation with most of the soil moisture characteristics, indicating that these soil properties are important for soil water retention. Particle density, coarse fragments, and sand contents correlated negatively with the soil moisture characteristics, suggesting that they decrease soil water-holding capacity. The principal component analysis (PCA) enabled reducing 17 variables described to only three principal components (PCs) explaining 73.73% of the total variance; the first PC alone expressed 45.12% of the total variance, associating clay, SOC, and six soil moisture characteristics, thus portraying a deep correlation between these eight variables. Construction of contoured ditches, deep tillage, and raised ridges management techniques during the rainy season while channeling water from nearby water bodies into the farmland, opportunity cropping, and usage of water cans and other irrigation strategies are used during the dry season to combat water constraints.

scholarly journals Spatially variable soil water repellency enhances soil respiration rates (CO<sub>2</sub> efflux)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Urbanek ◽  
Stefan H. Doerr
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Water Repellency ◽  
Water Repellent ◽  
Co2 Efflux ◽  
Soil Co2 ◽  
Soil Water Repellency

Abstract. Soil CO2 emissions are strongly dependent on water distribution in soil pores, which in turn can be affected by soil water repellency (SWR; hydrophobicity). SWR restricts infiltration and movement of water, affecting soil hydrology as well as biological and chemical processes. Effects of SWR on soil carbon dynamics and specifically on soil respiration (CO2 efflux) have been studied in a few laboratory experiments but they remain poorly understood. Existing studies suggest that soil respiration is reduced in water repellent soils, but the responses of soil CO2 efflux to varying water distribution created by SWR are not yet known. Here we report on the first field-based study that tests whether soil water repellency indeed reduces soil respiration, based on in situ field measurements carried out over three consecutive years at a grassland and pine forest site under the humid temperate climate of the UK. CO2 efflux was reduced on occasions when soil exhibited consistently high SWR and low soil moisture following long dry spells. However, the highest respiration rates occurred not when SWR was absent, but when SWR, and thus soil moisture, was spatially patchy, a pattern observed for the majority of the measurement period. This somewhat surprising phenomenon can be explained by SWR-induced preferential flow, directing water and nutrients to microorganisms decomposing organic matter concentrated in hot spots near preferential flow paths. Water repellent zones provide air-filled pathways through the soil, which facilitate soil-atmosphere O2 and CO2 exchanges. This study demonstrates that SWR have contrasting effects on CO2 fluxes and, when spatially-variable, can enhance CO2 efflux. Spatial variability in SWR and associated soil moisture distribution needs to be considered when evaluating the effects of SWR on soil carbon dynamics under current and predicted future climatic conditions.

scholarly journals Impacts of Local Soil Moisture Anomalies on the Atmospheric Circulation and on Remote Surface Meteorological Fields during Boreal Summer: A Comprehensive Analysis over North America

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (20) ◽  
pp. 7345-7364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randal D. Koster ◽  
Yehui Chang ◽  
Hailan Wang ◽  
Siegfried D. Schubert
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
North America ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Local Soil ◽  
Lower Mississippi River ◽  
Continental Interior ◽  
The U.S

Abstract A series of stationary wave model (SWM) experiments are performed in which the boreal summer atmosphere is forced, over a number of locations in the continental United States, with an idealized diabatic heating anomaly that mimics the atmospheric heating associated with a dry land surface. For localized heating within a large portion of the continental interior, regardless of the specific location of this heating, the spatial pattern of the forced atmospheric circulation anomaly (in terms of 250-hPa eddy streamfunction) is largely the same: a high anomaly forms over west-central North America and a low anomaly forms to the east. In supplemental atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) experiments, similar results are found; imposing soil moisture dryness in the AGCM in different locations within the U.S. interior tends to produce the aforementioned pattern, along with an associated near-surface warming and precipitation deficit in the center of the continent. The SWM-based and AGCM-based patterns generally agree with composites generated using reanalysis and precipitation gauge data. The AGCM experiments also suggest that dry anomalies imposed in the lower Mississippi River valley have remote surface impacts of particularly large spatial extent, and a region along the eastern half of the U.S.–Canadian border is particularly sensitive to dry anomalies in a number of remote areas. Overall, the SWM and AGCM experiments support the idea of a positive feedback loop operating over the continent: dry surface conditions in many interior locations lead to changes in atmospheric circulation that act to enhance further the overall dryness of the continental interior.

Dominant drivers of runoff in a slash-and-burn affected catchment in upland Eastern Madagascar

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bob W. Zwartendijk ◽  
H.J. (Ilja) van Meerveld ◽  
Ryan J. Teuling ◽  
Chandra P. Ghimire ◽  
L. Adrian Bruijnzeel
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Overland Flow ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Runoff Generation ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Valley Bottom ◽  
Antecedent Soil Moisture ◽  
Slash And Burn ◽  
Slash And Burn Agriculture

&lt;p&gt;In many tropical areas slash-and-burn agriculture is an important driver of forest loss. In areas where slash-and-burn agriculture has been practiced for decades, land cover is typically a mosaic of patches of remnant forest, fields under active cultivation, fallows in various stages of regrowth (ranging from young shrub to semi-mature), and degraded fire-climax grasslands. Although runoff generation mechanisms are expected to be different for these different patches, little quantitative information is available in this regard, particularly at the catchment scale and over longer time-scales (i.e., multiple slash-and-burn cycles).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We re-instrumented a 31&amp;#160;ha catchment in upland Eastern Madagascar, where slash-and-burn agriculture has been practiced for more than 70&amp;#160;years in 2015; it had been monitored between 1963 and 1972 as well&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;. We measured streamflow at two locations and overland flow and soil moisture for four hillside plots (0.05 &amp;#8211; 1.93&amp;#160;ha): one plot under repeatedly coppiced and burned &lt;em&gt;Eucalyptus&lt;/em&gt; and three plots under young shrub and tree fallows. One of the plots underwent rudimentary terracing in the past. We analysed the rainfall-runoff dynamics for 50&amp;#160;rainfall events (median 12&amp;#160;mm, maximum 71&amp;#160;mm).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For 60% of the events, the stormflow coefficient (minimum contributing area) was &lt;3%, which is the proportion of valley-bottom wetlands and rice paddies in the catchment. Stable isotope sampling for five storm runoff events indicate a maximum total event-water contribution of 16%. However, instantaneous event-water contributions were as high as 66%. The hillside plot runoff response was dominated by saturation-excess overland flow and showed strong threshold behaviour in terms of the antecedent soil moisture storage in the upper 30 cm of the soil plus the event total rainfall amount (ASI + P). Average threshold values for overland flow occurrence ranged from 87 mm for the coppiced &lt;em&gt;Eucalyptus&lt;/em&gt; to 137&amp;#160;mm for the young fallow plots (regardless of terrace presence). Stormflow also increased after an ASI+P-threshold was exceeded (100&amp;#160;mm based on the soil moisture sensors for the &lt;em&gt;Eucalyptus&lt;/em&gt; plot and 150&amp;#160;mm for the sensors at the tree fallow plots).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These results indicate an increased hydrological connectivity between hillslopes and valley bottom under wetter conditions and that stormflow in the study catchment is strongly affected by variations in seasonal rainfall. The results will be used to validate a hydrological model to determine the net effect of concurrent changes in soil infiltrability and vegetation water use associated with forest loss and recovery on stormflow totals and the seasonal flow regime.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;Bailly, C., de Coignac, G.B., Malvos, C., Ningre, J.M., and Sarrailh, J.M. (1974). &amp;#201;tude de l'influence du couvert naturel et de ses modifications &amp;#225; Madagascar. Exp&amp;#233;rimentations en bassins versants &amp;#233;l&amp;#233;mentaires. Cahiers Scientifiques, 4. Centre Scientifique Forestier Tropical, Nogent-sur-Marne, France, 114 pp.&lt;/p&gt;

Agricultural hillslope soil heterogeneity challenges: first experimental results from SUPREHILL critical zone observatory

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vedran Krevh ◽  
Jasmina Defterdarović ◽  
Lana Filipović ◽  
Zoran Kovač ◽  
Steffen Beck-Broichsitter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Modeling ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Solute Transport ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Flow ◽  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Soil Heterogeneity ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Soil Water Flow ◽  
Critical Zone Observatory

&lt;p&gt;SUPREHILL is a new (2020) and first Croatian critical zone observatory (CZO), focused on local scale agricultural e.g., vineyard hillslope processes. The experimental setup includes an extensive sensor-based network accompanied by weighing lysimeters and instruments for surface and subsurface hydrology measurement. The field measurements are supported by novel laboratory and numerical quantification methods for the determination of water flow and solute transport. This combined approach will allow the research team to accurately determine soil water balance components (soil water flow, preferential flow/transport pathways, surface runoff, evapotranspiration), the temporal origin of water in hillslope hydrology (isotopes), transport of agrochemicals, and to calibrate and validate numerical modeling procedures for describing and predicting soil water flow and solute transport. First results from sensors indicate increased soil moisture on the hilltop, which is supported by precipitation data from rain gauges and weighing lysimeters. The presence of a compacted soil horizon and compacted inter-row parts (due to trafficking) of the vineyard seems to be highly relevant in regulating water dynamics. Wick lysimeters confirm the sensor soil moisture data, while showing a significant difference in its repetitions which suggests a possibility of a preferential flow imposed by local scale soil heterogeneity. Measured values of surface and subsurface runoff suggest a crucial role of these processes in the hillslope hydrology, while slope and structure dynamics additionally influence soil hydraulic properties. We are confident that the CZO will give us new insights in the landscape heterogeneity and substantially increase our understanding regarding preferential flow and nonlinear solute transport, with results directly applicable in agricultural (sloped agricultural soil management) and environmental (soil and water) systems. Challenges remain in characterizing local scale soil heterogeneity, dynamic properties quantification and scaling issues for which we will rely on combining CZO focused measurements and numerical modeling after substantial data is collected.&lt;/p&gt;

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