Soil moisture and texture controls of selected parameters of needle ice growth

Needle ice was grown in the laboratory to determine the limits of soil moisture and texture on the growth of needle ice. As the percentage of fines in the soil increases the lower limit of soil moisture required for growth decreases and may be defined by a linear boundary. The efficiency of conversion of soil water to needle ice in soil samples used, peaked at about 16 per cent soil fines. Contrary to expectations the finer textured soils produced significantly thicker ice crystals. Quantity of soil lifted by needle ice was related to ice height, the ice mass to atmospheric void ratio, soil texture and moisture and soil surface roughness. However, no definite, quantitative relationships could be determined. A test to determine if needle ice is selective in the grain sizes of particles lifted suggested no selectivity.     

Laboratory study of infiltration into two frozen engineered (sandy) soils recommended for bioretention

Infiltration of water into two frozen engineered soils of different gradation was studied in laboratory soil columns 1.2 m long and 0.1 m in diameter. Prior to testing, the soil moisture was adjusted to two levels, described by the gravimetric water content of 5% or 10%, and soils were compacted to about 80–90% of the maximum dry density and refrigerated to temperatures ranging from ?8 to ?2 °C. Water with temperatures 8–9 °C was thereafter fed on the top of columns at a constant head, and the times of water breakthrough in the column and reaching a steady percolation rate, as well as the percolation rate, were recorded. The soil water content was a critical factor affecting the thawing process; during freezing, soil moisture was converted into ice, which blocked pores, and its melting required high amounts of energy supplied by infiltrating water. Hence, the thawing of soils with higher initial water content was much slower than in lower moisture soils, and water breakthrough and the attainment of steady percolation required much longer times in higher moisture soils. Heat transfer between infiltrating water, soil ice, and frozen soil particles was well described by the energy budget equations, which constitute a parsimonious model of the observed processes. The finer grained soil and more compacted soil columns exhibited reduced porosity and required longer times for soil thawing. Practical implications of study results for design of bioretention facilities (BFs) in cold climate include the use of coarse engineered soils and fitting bioretention facilities with a drain facilitating soil drainage before the onset of freezing weather. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of antecedent moisture and macroporosity on infiltration and water flow in frozen soil

Infiltration into frozen soil plays an important role in soil freeze–thaw and snowmelt-driven hydrological processes. To better understand the complex thermal energy and water transport mechanisms involved, the influence of antecedent moisture content and macroporosity on infiltration into frozen soil was investigated. Ponded infiltration experiments on frozen macroporous and non-macroporous soil columns revealed that dry macroporous soil produced infiltration rates reaching 10³ to 10⁴ mm day⁻¹, two to three orders of magnitude larger than dry non-macroporous soil. Results suggest that rapid infiltration and drainage were a result of preferential flow through initially air-filled macropores. Using recorded flow rates and measured macropore characteristics, calculations indicated that a combination of both saturated flow and unsaturated film flow likely occurred within macropores. Under wet conditions, regardless of the presence of macropores, infiltration was restricted by the slow thawing rate of pore ice, producing infiltration rates of 2.8 to 5.0 mm day⁻¹. Reduced preferential flow under wet conditions was attributed to a combination of soil swelling, due to smectite-rich clay (that reduced macropore volume), and pore ice blockage within macropores. In comparison, dry soil column experiments demonstrated that macropores provided conduits for water and thermal energy to bypass the frozen matrix during infiltration, reducing thaw rates compared with non-macroporous soils. Overall, results showed the dominant control of antecedent moisture content on the initiation, timing, and magnitude of infiltration and flow in frozen macroporous soils, as well as the important role of macropore connectivity. The study provides an important data set that can aid the development of hydrological models that consider the interacting effects of soil freeze–thaw and preferential flow on snowmelt partitioning in cold regions.     

Physical modelling of gelifluction and frost creep: Some results of a large-scale laboratory experiment

An experimental slope was constructed in a 5 m × 5 m square refrigerated tank. The slope was formed of four sections, each consisting of regolith (soil) collected from a distinct bedrock lithology. The four lithologies utilized were granite, limestone, mudstone and slate. The slope was subjected to freezing and thawing from the surface downwards. Water was supplied at the base of the soil during freezing. Frost heaving and surface downslope soil movement were determined after each of 15 freezing cycles, and the profiles of soil movement with depth for each soil type were measured at the end of the 15th cycle. The experimental soils were non-cohesive; those derived from granite and limestone were respectively sandy and gravelly in texture, while those derived from mudstone and slate were silt-rich. Mass movement in the granite and limestone soils was due mainly to frost creep and was associated with the growth of needle ice. In the mudstone and slate soils, gelifluction was dominant as a result of high moisture contents caused by the melting of segregation ice. Mean per cycle rates of downslope soil transport for the granite, limestone, mudstone and slate soils were 5·8 cm³ cm^?1, 6·9 cm³ cm^?1, 21·2 cm³ cm^?1 and 31·2 cm³ cm^?1 respectively, units referring to the volume of soil passing a unit width of slope per cycle. Mass movement rates were shown to be strongly related to the silt content of the soils.     

Improvement of TOPLATS‐based discharge predictions through assimilation of ERS‐based remotely sensed soil moisture values

In this paper, we investigate the possibility to improve discharge predictions from a lumped hydrological model through assimilation of remotely sensed soil moisture values. Therefore, an algorithm to estimate surface soil moisture values through active microwave remote sensing is developed, bypassing the need to collect in situ ground parameters. The algorithm to estimate soil moisture by use of radar data combines a physically based and an empirical back‐scatter model. This method estimates effective soil roughness parameters, and good estimates of surface soil moisture are provided for bare soils. These remotely sensed soil moisture values over bare soils are then assimilated into a hydrological model using the statistical correction method. The results suggest that it is possible to determine soil moisture values over bare soils from remote sensing observations without the need to collect ground truth data, and that there is potential to improve model‐based discharge predictions through assimilation of these remotely sensed soil moisture values. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Integrating observations and models to determine the effect of seasonally frozen ground on hydrologic partitioning in alpine hillslopes in the Colorado Rocky Mountains,USA

This study integrated spatially distributed field observations and soil thermal models to constrain the impact of frozen ground on snowmelt partitioning and streamflow generation in an alpine catchment within the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research site, Colorado, USA. The study area was comprised of two contrasting hillslopes with notable differences in topography, snow depth and plant community composition. Time-lapse electrical resistivity surveys and soil thermal models enabled extension of discrete soil moisture and temperature measurements to incorporate landscape variability at scales and depths not possible with point measurements alone. Specifically, heterogenous snowpack thickness (~0–4 m) and soil volumetric water content between hillslopes (~0.1–0.45) strongly influenced the depths of seasonal frost, and the antecedent soil moisture available to form pore ice prior to freezing. Variable frost depths and antecedent soil moisture conditions were expected to create a patchwork of differing snowmelt infiltration rates and flowpaths. However, spikes in soil temperature and volumetric water content, as well as decreases in subsurface electrical resistivity revealed snowmelt infiltration across both hillslopes that coincided with initial decreases in snow water equivalent and early increases in streamflow. Soil temperature, soil moisture and electrical resistivity data from both wet and dry hillslopes showed that initial increases in streamflow occurred prior to deep soil water flux. Temporal lags between snowmelt infiltration and deeper percolation suggested that the lateral movement of water through the unsaturated zone was an important driver of early streamflow generation. These findings provide the type of process-based information needed to bridge gaps in scale and populate physically based cryohydrologic models to investigate subsurface hydrology and biogeochemical transport in soils that freeze seasonally.     

Evaporative losses from soils covered by physical and different types of biological soil crusts

Evaporation of soil moisture is one of the most important processes affecting water availability in semiarid ecosystems. Biological soil crusts, which are widely distributed ground cover in these ecosystems, play a recognized role on water processes. Where they roughen surfaces, water residence time and thus infiltration can be greatly enhanced, whereas their ability to clog soil pores or cap the soil surface when wetted can greatly decrease infiltration rate, thus affecting evaporative losses. In this work, we compared evaporation in soils covered by physical crusts, biological crusts in different developmental stages and in the soils underlying the different biological crust types. Our results show that during the time of the highest evaporation (Day 1), there was no difference among any of the crust types or the soils underlying them. On Day 2, when soil moisture was moderately low (11%), evaporation was slightly higher in well‐developed biological soil crusts than in physical or poorly developed biological soil crusts. However, crust removal did not cause significant changes in evaporation compared with the respective soil crust type. These results suggest that the small differences we observed in evaporation among crust types could be caused by differences in the properties of the soil underneath the biological crusts. At low soil moisture (<6%), there was no difference in evaporation among crust types or the underlying soils. Water loss for the complete evaporative cycle (from saturation to dry soil) was similar in both crusted and scraped soils. Therefore, we conclude that for the specific crust and soil types tested, the presence or the type of biological soil crust did not greatly modify evaporation with respect to physical crusts or scraped soils. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the interrelations between topography,soil depth,soil moisture,transpiration rates and species distribution at the hillslope scale

Relations between the spatial patterns of soil moisture, soil depth, and transpiration and their influence on the hillslope water balance are not well understood. When determining a water balance for a hillslope, small scale variations in soil depth are often ignored. In this study we found that these variations in soil depth can lead to distinct patterns in transpiration rates across a hillslope. We measured soil moisture content at 0.05 and 0.10 m depth intervals between the soil surface and the soil–bedrock boundary on 64 locations across the trenched hillslope in the Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Georgia, USA. We related these soil moisture data to transpiration rates measured in 14 trees across the hillslope using 28 constant heat sapflow sensors. Results showed a lack of spatial structure in soil moisture across the hillslope and with depth when the hillslope was in either the wet or the dry state. However, during the short transition period between the wet and dry state, soil moisture did become spatially organized with depth and across the hillslope. Variations in soil depth and thus total soil water stored in the soil profile at the end of the wet season caused differences in soil moisture content and transpiration rates between upslope and midslope sections at the end of the summer. In the upslope section, which has shallower soils, transpiration became limited by soil moisture while in the midslope section with deeper soils, transpiration was not limited by soil moisture. These spatial differences in soil depth, total water available at the end of the wet season and soil moisture content during the summer appear responsible for the observed spatial differences in basal area and species distribution between the upslope and midslope sections of the hillslope.     

Geostatistics of near-surface moisture in bare cultivated organic soils

The aim of this study was to characterise fine scale patterns of organic soil moisture content in the top 5 cm by means of semi-variogram modelling. Soil moisture content was observed along a transect on 2 occasions, early in the 1999 growing season to avoid any influences originating from vegetation and cultural practices. Soil moisture values were found to be normally distributed and were not significantly correlated with the soil organic matter content. Many similarities were depicted between the exponential semi-variograms characteristics of this study and another one in mineral soils, reported in the literature, except for the much higher sills associated with organic soils. Of particular interest were similar correlation lengths, indicating that a correlation range of the order of 100 m should be expected for mineral soils and for the level of moisture and organic matter contents found in this study.     

An overview of hydrometeorological datasets from a small agricultural catchment (Nučice) in the Czech Republic

We introduce the freely available web-based Water in an Agricultural Landscape—NUčice Database (WALNUD) dataset that includes both hydrological and meteorological records at the Nučice experimental catchment (0.53 km²), which is representative of an intensively farmed landscape in the Czech Republic. The Nučice experimental catchment was established in 2011 for the observation of rainfall–runoff processes, soil erosion processes, and water balance of a cultivated landscape. The average altitude is 401 m a.s.l., the mean land slope is 3.9%, and the climate is humid continental (mean annual temperature 7.9°C, annual precipitation 630 mm). The catchment is drained by an artificially straightened stream and consists of three fields covering over 95% of the area which are managed by two different farmers. The typical crops are winter wheat, rapeseed, and alfalfa. The installed equipment includes a standard meteorological station, several rain gauges distributed across the basin, and a flume with an H-type facing that is used to monitor stream discharge, water turbidity, and basic water quality indicators. Additionally, the groundwater level and soil water content at various depths near the stream are recorded. Recently, large-scale soil moisture monitoring efforts have been introduced with the installation of two cosmic-ray neutron sensors for soil moisture monitoring. The datasets consist of observed variables (e.g. measured precipitation, air temperature, stream discharge, and soil moisture) and are available online for public use. The cross-seasonal, open access datasets at this small-scale agricultural catchment will benefit not only hydrologists but also local farmers.     

Characteristics of soil moisture in permafrost observed in East Siberian taiga with stable isotopes of water

Soil moisture and its isotopic composition were observed at Spasskaya Pad experimental forest near Yakutsk, Russia, during summer in 1998, 1999, and 2000. The amount of soil water (plus ice) was estimated from volumetric soil water content obtained with time domain reflectometry. Soil moisture and its δ¹⁸O showed large interannual variation depending on the amount of summer rainfall. The soil water δ¹⁸O decreased with soil moisture during a dry summer (1998), indicating that ice meltwater from a deeper soil layer was transported upward. On the other hand, during a wet summer (1999), the δ¹⁸O of soil water increased due to percolation of summer rain with high δ¹⁸O values. Infiltration after spring snowmelt can be traced down to 15 cm by the increase in the amount of soil water and decrease in the δ¹⁸O because of the low δ¹⁸O of deposited snow. About half of the snow water equivalent (about 50 mm) recharged the surface soil. The pulse of the snow meltwater was, however, less important than the amount of summer rainfall for intra‐annual variation of soil moisture. Excess water at the time just before soil freezing, which is controlled by the amount of summer rainfall, was stored as ice during winter. This water storage stabilizes the rate of evapotranspiration. Soil water stored in the upper part of the active layer (surface to about 120 cm) can be a water source for transpiration in the following summer. On the other hand, once water was stored in the lower part of the active layer (deeper than about 120 cm), it would not be used by plants in the following summer, because the lower part of the active layer thaws in late summer after the plant growing season is over. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

青藏高原北部活动层土壤热力特性的研究

利用2003年10月～2004年9月期间高原北部可可西里(QT01)、北麓河(QT02)、开心岭(QT05)、通天河(QT06)等地活动层土壤温度梯度、土壤热通量及土壤水分的观测资料,计算了高原北部活动层土壤的导热率、土壤容积热容量、导温率等土壤热力参数.结果显示,QT02、QT05、QT06三站导热率、导温率夏秋季节较大而冬季较小,容积热容量则相反,表现为秋冬季节大而夏季较小;QT01站导热率表现为春季大,夏季较小;表层土壤粒度较小及较低的土壤湿度是冬季导热率较小的可能原因;冻土的热力特征参量可描述为相应深度的温度、体积含冰量及土壤盐度的函数,土壤含水量是融土热特征参数的主要影响因子;土壤水分含量小于某一临界值时,导温率随土壤水分含量的增大而增大,反之则减小.     

Laboratory soil piping and internal erosion experiments: evaluation of a soil piping model for low‐compacted soils

Mechanistic models have been proposed for soil piping and internal erosion on well‐compacted levees and dams, but limited research has evaluated these models in less compacted (more erodible) soils typical of hillslopes and streambanks. This study utilized a soil box (50 cm long, 50 cm wide and 20 cm tall) to conduct constant‐head, soil pipe and internal erosion experiments for two soils (clay loam from Dry Creek and sandy loam from Cow Creek streambanks) packed at uniform bulk densities. Initial gravimetric moisture contents prior to packing were 10, 12 and 14% for Dry Creek soil and 8, 12, and 14% for Cow Creek soil. A 1‐cm diameter rod was placed horizontally along the length of the soil bed during packing and carefully removed after packing to create a continuous soil pipe. A constant head was maintained at the inflow end. Flow rates and sediment concentrations were measured from the pipe outlet. Replicate submerged jet erosion tests (JETs) were conducted to derive erodibility parameters for repacked samples at the same moisture contents. Flow rates from the box experiments were used to calibrate the mechanistic model. The influence of the initial moisture content was apparent, with some pipes (8% moisture content) expanding so fast that limited data was collected. The mechanistic model was able to estimate equivalent flow rates to those observed in the experiments, but had difficulty matching observed sediment concentrations when the pipes rapidly expanded. The JETs predicted similar erodibility coefficients compared to the mechanistic model for the more erodible cases but not for the less erodible cases (14% moisture content). Improved models are needed that better define the changing soil pipe cross‐section during supply‐ and transport‐limited internal erosion, especially for piping through lower compacted (more erodible) soils as opposed to more well‐compacted soils resulting from constructing levees and dams. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Subsurface lateral flow generation in aspen and conifer‐dominated hillslopes of a first order catchment in northern Utah

Mountain headwater catchments in the semi‐arid Intermountain West are important sources of surface water because these high elevations receive more precipitation than neighboring lowlands. This study examined subsurface runoff in two hillslopes, one aspen dominated, the other conifer dominated, adjacent to a first order stream in snow‐driven northern Utah. Snow accumulation, soil moisture, trenchflow and streamflow were examined in hillslopes and their adjacent stream. Snow water equivalents (SWEs) were greater under aspen stands compared to conifer, the difference increasing with higher annual precipitation. Semi‐variograms of shallow spatial soil moisture patterns and transects of continuous soil moisture showed no increase in soil moisture downslope, suggesting the absence of subsurface flow in shallow (～12 cm) soil layers of either vegetation type. However, a clear threshold relationship between soil moisture and streamflow indicated hillslope–stream connectivity, deeper within the soil profile. Subsurface flow was detected at ～50 cm depth, which was sustained for longer in the conifer hillslope. Soil profiles under the two vegetation types varied, with deep aspen soils having greater water storage capacity than shallow rocky conifer soils. Though SWEs were less under the conifers, the soil profile had less water storage capacity and produced more subsurface lateral flow during the spring snowmelt. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lateral flow thresholds for aspen forested hillslopes on the Western Boreal Plain,Alberta, Canada

To predict the long‐term sustainability of water resources on the Boreal Plain region of northern Alberta, it is critical to understand when hillslopes generate runoff and connect with surface waters. The sub‐humid climate (P ≤ ET) and deep glacial sediments of this region result in large available soil storage capacity relative to moisture surpluses or deficits, leading to threshold‐dependent rainfall‐runoff relationships. Rainfall simulation experiments were conducted using large magnitude and high intensity applications to examine the thresholds in precipitation and soil moisture that are necessary to generate lateral flow from hillslope runoff plots representative of Luvisolic soils and an aspen canopy. Two adjacent plots (areas of 2·95 and 3·4 m²) of contrasting antecedent moisture conditions were examined; one had tree root uptake excluded for two months to increase soil moisture content, while the second plot allowed tree uptake over the growing season resulting in drier soils. Vertical flow as drainage and soil moisture storage dominated the water balances of both plots. Greater lateral flow occurred from the plot with higher antecedent moisture content. Results indicate that a minimum of 15–20 mm of rainfall is required to generate lateral flow, and only after the soils have been wetted to a depth of 0·75 m (C‐horizon). The depth and intensity of rainfall events that generated runoff > 1 mm have return periods of 25 years or greater and, when combined with the need for wet antecendent conditions, indicate that lateral flow generation on these hillslopes will occur infrequently. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial and temporal dynamics of soil moisture after rainfall events along a slope in Regosols of southwest China

High frequency seasonal drought in purple soils (Regosols in FAO taxonomy) of the hilly upland areas of Sichuan basin, China, is one of the key restrictive factors for crop production. In order to manage irrigation and fertilizer application in these soils effectively, the soil water content in a sloped plot with 60 cm soil depth was measured by neutron probe devices to investigate the soil moisture regime during the 1998 rainy season after various amounts of rainfall events. The results showed that variation of soil moisture along the slope positions was highest in the top soil layer during the period of sporadic rainfall that did not induce any runoff. The coefficients of variation of soil moisture at various slope positions (upper, middle, and lower) are 17·36%, 8·95%, 10·25%, 8·58%, 8·05% and 9·21% at the 10 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm, 40 cm, 50 cm and 60 cm soil depths respectively. When surface runoff occurred, the soil moisture dynamics at various positions on the plot were then very different. Soil water content decreased more rapidly on the upper slope than on the middle and lower slope positions. When both surface runoff and throughflow occurred, the soil moisture dynamics in the various layers showed a stable period (soil water content is near constant as time elapses) that lasted about 1 week. Also, the pattern of moisture dynamics is ‘decreasing–stabilization–decreasing’. Thus, irrigation and fertilization management according to the spatial and temporal features of soil moisture dynamics on sloped land can increase the water and fertilizer utilization efficacy by reducing their losses during the stable period. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Discriminating residual and colluvial soils using topographic analysis in a small,forested catchment in Japan

Soil moisture plays an important role in hydrology. Understanding factors (such as topography, vegetation, and meteorological conditions) that influence spatio‐temporal variability in soil moisture, and how this influence is manifested, is important for understanding hydrological processes. A number of distributed (quasi‐)physical hydrological models have been developed to investigate this subject. Previous studies have shown that the spatial differences in the distribution of soil types (residual and colluvial soils) dominantly reflect spatio‐temporal fluctuations in soil moisture and runoff. We present a methodology for assessing the spatial distribution of residual and colluvial soils, which differ with respect to their physical characteristics, in a 0·88 km² forested catchment with complex topography and a complex land‐use history. Our method is based on penetration resistance profile data; in this data set, each data point represents soil physical characteristics within an area of about 25 m². If the spatial distribution of soils under similar meteorological, geological, historical land use, and other conditions could be characterized on the basis of similarity in topographic features, then the spatial distribution of soil could be predicted based on relationships between various topographic indices (e.g. topographic index and local slope). We tested whether our model correctly assessed the reference data. The model's results were 90·5% correct for residual soils and 87·3% correct for colluvial soils. Further studies will quantify the relationships between topographic features of land covered by residual and colluvial soils and changes in spatio‐temporal variations in the catchment (e.g. vegetation and land use) as a function of geology or meteorology. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design of Lysimeter Leak Detector Networks for Surface Impoundments and Landfills

Sampling of soil pore moisture in the vadose zone underneath land disposal facilities (landfills and surface impoundments) for hazardous waste has been suggested as an "early warning system" to detect leakage from these facilities. Some states require vadose zone moisture sampling at such sites. Given a leak of a particular size, mathematical models can estimate the necessary moisture sample volume collection times and lysimeter spacings to guarantee detection of the leak in a homogeneous medium. Examination of 47 hazardous waste sites existing in 1984 indicated the most were located in areas with water tables too shallow to permit vadose zone detection monitoring. Several of the 47 sites had soils that could be described as loamy sand, silt loam or silty clay. Using these three soils as examples, the process of lysimeter leak-detector network design has been illustrated. For a particular loamy sand with a saturates hydraulic conductivity of 10^-6 cm/ sec, the maximum ceramic lysimeter spacing is 15.5 feet at a depth of 30 feet to collec a moisture sample of 10 mL in one week from a 1 ft2 leak. For a silt loam, maximum lysimeter spacing would be 17 feet at depth of 15 feet. For silty clays, the maximum lysimeter spacing is 7 feet at a depth of 2 feet; maximum emplacement depth is about 9 feet. Calculations show that in some soils, suction lysimeters will not be able to collect usable moisture samples. Since soil properties vary widely and lysimeter spacing is strongly dependent on soil-moisture characteristics appropriate soil measurements and modeling must be performed at each disposal facility to estimate lysimete performance and to select locations for emplacement.     

Moisture characteristics and their point pedotransfer functions for coarse‐textured tropical soils differing in structural degradation status

The effect of soil structure on hydraulic pedotransfer functions (PTFs) in tropical soils with similar mineralogy and texture has not been well documented. Structurally contrasting soils from representative locations in southeastern Nigeria were analyzed for moisture retention at 0, 6, 10, 33, 100, 300 and 1500 kPa among other properties. They were grouped by depth (topsoils or subsoils) and also by their structural degradation status into low‐ and high‐stability soils, corresponding to organic matter (OM):[silt + clay] of <7.5 and >7.5%, respectively. Soil depth and structural stability influenced the soil moisture characteristic curves. The data were fitted to three tropical point PTFs, but none of them proved appropriate for predicting moisture retention in the soils. We therefore derived new ones using multiple linear stepwise regressions before and after the dataset grouping and compared their performances by means of cross‐validation. Moisture retention in the soils (sand content, 73.2–93.8%) could not be calibrated from texture and OM concentration alone, until when bulk density, total porosity and microporosity were included among the regressors. Microporosity's role was particularly outstanding at all matric potentials but the 1500 kPa. The ensuing PTFs represent a good fit for the soil moisture retention data. The two grouping strategies resulted in lower SE of the estimates in some cases, but this did not enhance the performances of the concerned PTFs. At the 1500 kPa, however, the PTF incorporating all datasets performed better than separate PTFs for topsoils/subsoils but worse than the one for high‐stability soils. Information on soil structure can therefore benefit PTF derivation for kaolinite‐dominated, coarse‐textured tropical soils at all the matric potentials considered. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using stable isotopes to estimate travel times in a data‐sparse Arctic catchment: Challenges and possible solutions

Use of isotopes to quantify the temporal dynamics of the transformation of precipitation into run‐off has revealed fundamental new insights into catchment flow paths and mixing processes that influence biogeochemical transport. However, catchments underlain by permafrost have received little attention in isotope‐based studies, despite their global importance in terms of rapid environmental change. These high‐latitude regions offer limited access for data collection during critical periods (e.g., early phases of snowmelt). Additionally, spatio‐temporal variable freeze–thaw cycles, together with the development of an active layer, have a time variant influence on catchment hydrology. All of these characteristics make the application of traditional transit time estimation approaches challenging. We describe an isotope‐based study undertaken to provide a preliminary assessment of travel times at Siksik Creek in the western Canadian Arctic. We adopted a model–data fusion approach to estimate the volumes and isotopic characteristics of snowpack and meltwater. Using samples collected in the spring/summer, we characterize the isotopic composition of summer rainfall, melt from snow, soil water, and stream water. In addition, soil moisture dynamics and the temporal evolution of the active layer profile were monitored. First approximations of transit times were estimated for soil and streamwater compositions using lumped convolution integral models and temporally variable inputs including snowmelt, ice thaw, and summer rainfall. Comparing transit time estimates using a variety of inputs revealed that transit time was best estimated using all available inflows (i.e., snowmelt, soil ice thaw, and rainfall). Early spring transit times were short, dominated by snowmelt and soil ice thaw and limited catchment storage when soils are predominantly frozen. However, significant and increasing mixing with water in the active layer during the summer resulted in more damped steam water variation and longer mean travel times (~1.5 years). The study has also highlighted key data needs to better constrain travel time estimates in permafrost catchments.