Spatio‐temporal heterogeneity in soil water stable isotopic composition and its ecohydrologic implications in semiarid ecosystems

Spatio‐temporal heterogeneity in soil water content is recognized as a common phenomenon, but heterogeneity in the hydrogen and oxygen isotope composition of soil water, which can reveal processes of water cycling within soils, has not been well studied. New advances are being driven by measurement approaches allowing sampling with high density in both space and time. Using in situ soil water vapour probe techniques, combined with conventional soil and plant water vacuum distillation extraction, we monitored the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopic composition of soil and plant waters at paired sites dominated by grasses and Gambel's oak (Quercus gambelii) within a semiarid montane ecosystem over the course of a growing season. We found that sites spaced only 20 m apart had profoundly different soil water isotopic and volumetric conditions. We document patterns of depth‐ and time‐explicit variation in soil water isotopic conditions at these sites and consider mechanisms for the observed heterogeneity. We found that soil water content and isotopic variability were damped under Q. gambelii, perhaps due in part to hydraulic redistribution of deep soil water or groundwater by Q. gambelii in these soils relative to the grass‐dominated site. We also found some support for H isotope discrimination effects during water uptake by Q. gambelii. In this ecosystem, the soil water content was higher than that at the neighbouring Grass site, and thus, 25% more water was available for transpiration by Q. gambelii compared with the Grass site. This work highlights the role of plants in governing soil water variation and demonstrates that they can also strongly influence the isotope ratios of soil water. The resulting fine‐scale heterogeneity has implications for the use of isotope tracers to study soil hydrology and evaporation and transpiration fluxes to improve understanding of water cycling through the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum.     

Soil frost effects on soil water and runoff dynamics along a boreal forest transect: 1. Field investigations

To determine how soil frost changes flowpaths of runoff water along a hillslope, a transect consisting of four soil profiles directed towards a small stream in a mature forest stand was investigated at Svartberget, near Vindeln in northern Sweden. Soil temperature, unfrozen water content, groundwater level and snow depth were investigated along the transect, which started at the riparian peat, and extended 30 m upslope into mineral soils. The two, more organic‐rich profiles closest to the stream had higher water retention and wetter autumn conditions than the sandy mineral soils further upslope. The organic content of the soil influenced the variation in frost along the transect. The first winter (1995–96) had abnormally low snow precipitation, which gave a deep frost down to 40–80 cm, whereas the two following winters had frost depths of 5–20 cm. During winter 1995–96, the two organic profiles close to the stream had a shallower frost depth than the mineral soil profile higher upslope, but a considerably larger amount of frozen water. The fraction of water that did not freeze despite several minus degrees in the soil was 5–7 vol.% in the mineral soil and 10–15 vol.% in the organic soil. From the measurements there were no signs of perched water tables during any of the three snowmelt periods, which would have been strong evidence for changed water flowpaths due to soil frost. When shallow soil layers became saturated during snowmelt, especially in 1997 and 1998, it was because of rising groundwater levels. Several rain on frozen ground events during spring 1996 resulted in little runoff, since most of the rain either froze in the soil or filled up the soil water storage. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Water flow path interactions with soil hydraulic properties in till soil at Gårdsjön, Sweden

In 1989, in a hydrological research programme within a deacidification project in the Gårdsjön area in southwest Sweden, flow paths and residence times of soil water and groundwater in microcatchments were examined to support the interpretation of the hydrochemical changes. Saturated hydraulic conductivity and soil water retention were analysed on more than 100 cylinder samples. The catchments have shallow sandy-silty till soil with a mean depth in the main catchment of 43 cm. Porosity of the mineral soil in the main catchment was high and ranged from 38 to 85%. The samples from the B-horizon had generally higher porosity. Porosity and the content of organic matter were correlated. The soil water retention was relatively high at all tensions, likely owing to the high content of organic matter. Dissolved organic substances were most probably transported from the shallow soil on the steep sides of the catchment down to the valley where it precipitated. The high porosities could be a consequence of long-term weathering, provided that the organic substances present have increased the leaching of the weathering products. Measured values of saturated hydraulic conductivity were close to log-normally distributed with a mean for all samples of 3 × 10⁻⁵ m s⁻¹. There was a significant increase in conductivity toward the ground surface with the mean conductivity of the samples in the uppermost 10 cm of the mineral soil of 4 × 10⁻⁵ m s⁻¹, which was about 13 times higher than the conductivity of 3 × 10⁻⁶ m s⁻¹ at 1 m depth. From the relationship between runoff at the catchment outlet and groundwater levels, the conductivity was estimated to be 15–200 times higher in the upper soil layer than in the deeper ones. In one profile, 44–64% of the yearly lateral flow was estimated to occur above 30 cm depth. The conductivity was correlated with the content of drainable water, which indicated the importance of the largest pores for the saturated hydraulic conductivity.     

Transpiration in Quercus suber trees under shallow water table conditions: the role of soil and groundwater

Water is one of the major environmental factors limiting plant growth and survival in the Mediterranean region. Quercus suber L. woodlands occupy vast areas in the Iberian Peninsula, frequently under shallow water table conditions. The relative magnitude of soil and groundwater uptake to supply transpiration is not easy to evaluate under these circumstances. We recently developed a conceptual framework for the functioning of the root system in Q. suber that simulates well tree transpiration, based on two types of root behaviour: shallow connected and deep connected. Although this significantly improved knowledge on the functional traits of Mediterranean Q. suber, the approach has the limitation of requiring root sap flow data, which are seldom available. In this work, we present alternative methodologies to assess if trees are connected to groundwater and to estimate the soil and groundwater contributions to tree transpiration. We provide evidence on the tree unrestricted access to groundwater solely based on meteorological, stem sap flow and leaf water potential data. Using a soil mass balance approach, we estimated the yearly soil and groundwater contributions to tree transpiration: 69.7% and 30.3%, respectively. Groundwater uptake became dominant in the dry summer: 73.2% of tree transpiration. Results reproduce extremely well those derived from root modelling. Because of its simplicity both in formulation and data requirements, our approach is potentially liable to be adapted to other groundwater‐dependent Mediterranean oak sites, where interactions between land use and water resources may be relevant. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling soil water dynamics considering measurement uncertainty

In shallow water table‐controlled environments, surface water management impacts groundwater table levels and soil water dynamics. The study goal was to simulate soil water dynamics in response to canal stage raises considering uncertainty in measured soil water content. Water and Agrochemicals in the soil, crop and Vadose Environment (WAVE) was applied to simulate unsaturated flow above a shallow aquifer. Global sensitivity analysis was performed to identify model input factors with the greatest influence on predicted soil water content. Nash–Sutcliffe increased and Root Mean Square Error reduced when uncertainties in measured data were considered in goodness‐of‐fit calculations using measurement probability distributions and probable asymmetric error boundaries, implying that appropriate model performance evaluation should be carried out using uncertainty ranges instead of single values. Although uncertainty in the experimental measured data limited evaluation of the absolute predictions by the model, WAVE was found a useful exploratory tool for estimating temporal variation in soil water content. Visual analysis of soil water content time series under proposed changes in canal stage management indicated that sites with land surface elevation of less than 2.0‐m NGVD29 were predicted to periodically experience saturated conditions in the root zone and shortening of the growing season if canal stage is raised more than 9 cm and maintained at this level. The models developed could be combined with high‐resolution digital elevation models in future studies to identify areas with the greatest risk of experiencing saturated root zone. The study also highlighted the need to incorporate measurement uncertainty when evaluating performance of unsaturated flow models. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Topographically moderated soil water seasons impact vegetation dynamics in semiarid mountain catchments: Illustrations from the Dry Creek Experimental Watershed,Idaho, USA

Water stored in soils, in part, controls vegetation productivity and the duration of growing seasons in wildland ecosystems. Soil water is the dynamic product of precipitation, evapotranspiration and soil properties, all of which vary across complex terrain making it challenging to decipher the specific controls that soil water has on growing season dynamics. We assess how soil water use by plants varies across elevations and aspects in the Dry Creek Experimental Watershed in southwest Idaho, USA, a mountainous, semiarid catchment that spans low elevation rain to high elevation snow regimes. We compare trends in soil water and soil temperature with corresponding trends in insolation, precipitation and vegetation productivity, and we observe trends in the timing, rate and duration of soil water extraction by plants across ranges in elevation and aspect. The initiation of growth-supporting conditions, indicated by soil warming, occurs 58 days earlier at lower, compared with higher, elevations. However, growth-supporting conditions also end earlier at lower elevations due to the onset of soil water depletion 29 days earlier than at higher elevations. A corresponding shift in peak NDVI timing occurs 61 days earlier at lower elevations. Differences in timing also occur with aspect, with most threshold timings varying by 14–30 days for paired north- and south-facing sites at similar elevations. While net primary productivity nearly doubles at higher elevations, the duration of the warm-wet period of active water use does not vary systematically with elevation. Instead, the greater ecosystem productivity is related to increased soil water storage capacity, which supports faster soil water use and growth rates near the summer solstice and peak insolation. Larger soil water storage does not appear to extend the duration of the growing season, but rather supports higher growing season intensity when wet-warm soil conditions align with high insolation. These observations highlight the influence of soil water storage capacity in dictating ecological function in these semiarid steppe climatic regimes.     

Spatial and temporal variations of nutrient concentration in the groundwater of a floodplain: effect of hydrology,vegetation and substrate

Spatio‐temporal variations in nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in groundwater were analysed and related to the variations in hydrological conditions, vegetation type and substrate in an alluvial ecosystem. This study was conducted in the Illwald forest in the Rhine Plain (eastern France) to assess the removal of nutrients from groundwater in a regularly flooded area. We compared both forest and meadow ecosystems on clayey‐silty soils with an anoxic horizon (pseudogley) at 1·5–2 m depth (eutric gley soil) and a forest ecosystem on a clayey‐silty fluviosoil rich in organic matter with a gley at 0·5 m depth (calcaric gley soil). Piezometers were used to measure the nutrient concentrations in the groundwater at 2 m depth in the root layer and at 4·5 m depth, below the root layer. Lower concentrations of nitrate and phosphate in groundwater were observed under forest than under meadow, which could be explained by more efficient plant uptake by woody species than herbaceous plants. Thus NO₃‐N inputs by river floods were reduced by 73% in the shallow groundwater of the forested ecosystem, and only by 37% in the meadow. Compared with the superficial groundwater layer, the lowest level of nitrate nitrogen (NO₃‐N) and the highest level of ammonium nitrogen (NH₄‐N) were measured in the deep layer (under the gley horizon at 2·5 m depth), which suggests that the reducing potential of the anoxic horizon in the gley soils contributes to the reduction of nitrate. Nitrate concentrations were higher in the groundwater of the parcel rich in organic matter than in the one poorer in organic matter. Phosphate (PO₄‐P) concentrations in both shallow and deep groundwater are less than 62 to 76% of those found in surface water which can be related to the retention capacity of the clay colloids of these soils. Moreover, the temporal variations in nutrient concentrations in groundwater are directly related to variations in groundwater level during an annual hydrological cycle. Our results suggest that variations in groundwater level regulate spatio‐temporal variations in nutrient concentrations in groundwater as a result of the oxidation–reduction status of soil, which creates favourable or unfavourable conditions for nutrient bioavailability. The hydrological variations are much more important than those concerning substrate and type of vegetation. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of the soil water balance in an alluvial flood plain with a shallow groundwater table

Abstract

Many of the hydrological and ecological functions of alluvial flood plains within watersheds depend on the water flow exchanges between the vadoze soil zone and the shallow groundwater. The water balance of the soil in the flood plain is investigated, in order to evaluate the main hydrological processes that underlie the temporal dynamics of soil moisture and groundwater levels. The soil moisture and the groundwater level in the flood plain were monitored continuously for a three-year period. These data were integrated with the results derived from applying a physically-based numerical model which simulated the variably-saturated vertical water flow in the soil. The analysis indicated that the simultaneous processes of lateral groundwater flow and the vertical recharge from the unsaturated zone caused the observed water table fluctuations. The importance of these flows in determining the rises in the water table varied, depending on soil moisture and groundwater depth before precipitation. The monitoring period included two hydrological years (September 2009–September 2011). About 13% of the precipitation vertically recharged the groundwater in the first year and about 50% in the second. The difference in the two recharge coefficients was in part due to the lower groundwater levels in the recharge season of the first hydrological year, compared to those observed in the second. In the latter year, the shallow groundwater increased the soil moisture in the unsaturated zone due to capillary rise, and so the mean hydraulic conductivity of the unsaturated soil was high. This moisture state of soil favoured a more efficient conversion of infiltrated precipitation into vertical groundwater recharge. The results show that groundwater dynamics in the flood plain are an important source of temporal variability in soil moisture and vertical recharge processes, and this variability must be properly taken into account when the water balance is investigated in shallow groundwater environments.

Citation Pirastru, M. and Niedda, M., 2013. Evaluation of the soil water balance in an alluvial flood plain with a shallow groundwater table. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (4), 898–911.     

Modelling the effects of soil type and root distribution on shallow groundwater resources

Vegetated, shallow groundwater environments typically have high environmental and economic value. A sound understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between surface vegetation and groundwater resources is crucial to managing and maintaining healthy ecosystems while responding to human needs. A vegetated shallow groundwater environment was modelled using the software HYDRUS 2D to investigate the effects of several combinations of soil type and root distributions on shallow groundwater resources. Three rainfall regimes coupled to both natural and anthropogenically affected groundwater conditions were used to investigate the effect that combinations of four soil types and five root distributions can have on (a) groundwater level drops, (b) groundwater depletion, (c) groundwater recharge and (d) water stress conditions. Vegetation with roots distributed across the whole unsaturated zone and vegetation with dimorphic root systems (i.e. roots having larger concentrations both near the surface and the capillary fringe) behaved differently from vegetation growing roots mainly near the saturated zone. Specifically, vegetation with roots in the unsaturated zone caused water‐table drops and groundwater depletions that were half the amount due to deep‐rooted vegetation. Vegetation with a large portion of roots near the soil surface benefited from rainfall and was less vulnerable to water‐table lowering; as such, the fraction of the total area of roots affected by water stress conditions could be 40% smaller than in the case with deep‐rooted vegetation. However, roots uniformly distributed in the unsaturated zone could halve groundwater recharge rates observed in bare soils. Our analysis provided insights that can enable the formulation of site‐ and purpose‐specific management plans to respond to both human and ecosystem water requirements. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil water balance scenario studies using predicted soil hydraulic parameters

Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) have become a topic drawing increasing interest within the field of soil and environmental research because they can provide important soil physical data at relatively low cost. Few studies, however, explore which contributions PTFs can make to land‐use planning, in terms of examining the expected outcome of certain changes in soil and water management practices. This paper describes three scenario studies that show some aspects of how PTFs may help improve decision making about land management practices. We use an exploratory research approach using simulation modelling to explore the potential effect of alternative solutions in land management. We: (i) evaluate benefits and risks when irrigating a field, and the impact of soil heterogeneity; (ii) examine which changes can be expected (in terms of soil water balance and supply) if organic matter content is changed as a result of an alternative management system; (iii) evaluate the risk of leaching to deeper horizons in some soils of Hungary. Using this research approach, quantitative answers are provided to ‘what if?’ type questions, allowing the distinction of trends and potential problems, which may contribute to the development of sustainable management systems. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of land cover and hydro‐meteorological controls on soil water DOC concentrations in a high‐elevation tropical environment

Páramo soils store high amounts of organic carbon. However, the effects of climate change and changes in land cover and use (LC/LU) in this high‐elevation tropical ecosystem may cause a decrease in their carbon storage capacity. Therefore, better understanding of the factors influencing the Páramo soils' carbon storage and export is urgently needed. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated the differences in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content in the soil water of four LC/LU types (tussock grass, natural forest, pine plantations, and pasture) and the factors controlling its variability in the Quinuas Ecohydrological Observatory in south Ecuador. Weekly measurements of soil water DOC concentrations, meteorological variables, soil water content, and temperature from various depths and slope positions were monitored within the soils' organic and mineral horizons between October 2014 and January 2017. These data were used to generate regression trees and random forest statistical models to identify the factors controlling soil water DOC concentrations. From high to low concentrations, natural forest depict the highest DOC concentrations followed by pasture, tussock grass, and pine forest. For all LC/LU types, DOC concentrations increase with decreasing soil moisture. Our results also show that LC/LU is the most important predictor of soil water DOC concentrations, followed by sampling depth and soil moisture. Interestingly, atmospheric variables and antecedent evapotranspiration and precipitation conditions show only little influence on DOC concentrations during the monitoring period. Our findings provide unique information that can help improve the management of soil and water resources in the Páramo and other peat dominated ecosystems elsewhere.     

A study of soil water movement combining soil water potential with stable isotopes at two sites of shallow groundwater areas in the North China Plain

In the shallow groundwater areas of the North China Plain (NCP), precipitation infiltration and evapotranspiration in the vertical direction are the main processes of the water cycle, in which the unsaturated zone plays an important role in the transformation process between precipitation and groundwater. In this paper, two typical sites in Cangzhou (CZ) and Hengshui (HS) of Hebei province with shallow water tables were selected to analyse the relationship among precipitation, soil water and groundwater. At each site, precipitation, soil water at depths 10, 20, 30, 50, 70, 100, 150, 200, 300 cm, and groundwater were sampled to analyse the stable isotope compositions of hydrogen and oxygen. The soil water potentials at the corresponding depths were observed. Although the climates at the two sites are similar, there are some differences in the infiltration process, soil water movement and groundwater recharge sources. Evaporation occurred at the upper depths, which led to the decrease of soil potential and the enrichment of heavy isotopes. At the CZ site, precipitation infiltrated with piston mode, and an obvious mixture effect existed during the infiltration process. Preferential flow may exist in the soil above 100 cm depth. However, at the HS site soil water moved in piston mode, and groundwater was mainly recharged by precipitation. When precipitation recharged the groundwater it experienced a strong evaporation effect. The results of the soil water movement mechanism provides the transformation relationship among precipitation, soil water and groundwater in the middle and eastern NCP. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vegetation impacts soil water content patterns by shaping canopy water fluxes and soil properties

Soil water content is a key variable for biogeochemical and atmospheric coupled processes. Its small‐scale heterogeneity impacts the partitioning of precipitation (e.g., deep percolation or transpiration) by triggering threshold processes and connecting flow paths. Forest hydrologists frequently hypothesized that throughfall and stemflow patterns induce soil water content heterogeneity, yet experimental validation is limited. Here, we pursued a pattern‐oriented approach to explore the relationship between net precipitation and soil water content. Both were measured in independent high‐resolution stratified random designs on a 1‐ha temperate mixed beech forest plot in Germany. We recorded throughfall (350 locations) and stemflow (65 trees) for 16 precipitation events in 2015. Soil water content was measured continuously in topsoil and subsoil (210 profiles). Soil wetting was only weakly related to net precipitation patterns. The precipitation‐induced pattern quickly dissipates and returns to a basic pattern, which is temporally stable. Instead, soil hydraulic properties (by the proxy of field capacity) were significantly correlated with this stable soil water content pattern, indicating that soil structure more than net precipitation drives soil water content heterogeneity. Also, both field capacity and soil water content were lower in the immediate vicinity of tree stems compared to further away at all times, including winter, despite stemflow occurrence. Thus, soil structure varies systematically according to vegetation in our site. We conclude that enhanced macroporosity increases gravity‐driven flow in stem proximal areas. Therefore, although soil water content patterns are little affected by net precipitation, the resulting soil water fluxes may strongly be affected. Specifically, this may further enhance the channelling of stemflow to greater depth and beyond the rooting zone.     

Multiple pixel-scale soil water retention curves quantified by neutron radiography

The soil water retention function is needed for modeling multiphase flow in porous media. Traditional techniques for measuring the soil water retention function, such as the hanging water column or pressure cell methods, yield average water retention data which have to be modeled using inverse procedures to extract relevant point parameters. In this study, we have developed a technique for directly measuring multiple point (pixel-scale) water retention curves for a repacked sand material using 2-D neutron radiography. Neutron radiographic images were obtained under quasi-equilibrium conditions at nine imposed basal matric potentials during monotonic drying of Flint sand at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) Cold Guide (CG) 1D beamline at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. All of the images were normalized with respect to an image of the oven dry sand column. Volumetric water contents were computed on a pixel by pixel basis using an empirical calibration equation after taking into account beam hardening and geometric corrections. Corresponding matric potentials were calculated from the imposed basal matric potential and pixel elevations. Volumetric water content and matric potential data pairs corresponding to 120 selected pixels were used to construct 120 point water retention curves. Each curve was fitted to the Brooks and Corey equation using segmented non-linear regression in SAS. A 98.5% convergence rate was achieved resulting in 115 estimates of the four Brooks and Corey parameters. A single Brooks and Corey point water retention function was constructed for Flint sand using the median values of these parameter estimates. This curve corresponded closely with the point Brooks and Corey function inversely extracted from the average water retention data using TrueCell. Forward numerical simulations performed using HYDRUS 1-D showed that the cumulative outflows predicted using the point Brooks and Corey functions from both the direct (neutron radiography) and inverse (TrueCell) methods were in good agreement with independent measurements of cumulative outflow determined with a transducer. Our results indicate that neutron radiography can be used to quantify the point water retention curve of homogeneous mineral particles. Further research will be needed to extend this approach to more heterogeneous porous media.     

Critical soil conditions for oxygen stress to plant roots: Substituting the Feddes-function by a process-based model

Effects of insufficient soil aeration on the functioning of plants form an important field of research. A well-known and frequently used utility to express oxygen stress experienced by plants is the Feddes-function. This function reduces root water uptake linearly between two constant pressure heads, representing threshold values for minimum and maximum oxygen deficiency. However, the correctness of this expression has never been evaluated and constant critical values for oxygen stress are likely to be inappropriate. On theoretical grounds it is expected that oxygen stress depends on various abiotic and biotic factors. In this paper, we propose a fundamentally different approach to assess oxygen stress: we built a plant physiological and soil physical process-based model to calculate the minimum gas filled porosity of the soil (_{gas_min}) at which oxygen stress occurs.First, we calculated the minimum oxygen concentration in the gas phase of the soil needed to sustain the roots through (micro-scale) diffusion with just enough oxygen to respire. Subsequently, _{gas_min} that corresponds to this minimum oxygen concentration was calculated from diffusion from the atmosphere through the soil (macro-scale).We analyzed the validity of constant critical values to represent oxygen stress in terms of _{gas_min}, based on model simulations in which we distinguished different soil types and in which we varied temperature, organic matter content, soil depth and plant characteristics. Furthermore, in order to compare our model results with the Feddes-function, we linked root oxygen stress to root water uptake (through the sink term variable F, which is the ratio of actual and potential uptake).The simulations showed that _{gas_min} is especially sensitive to soil temperature, plant characteristics (root dry weight and maintenance respiration coefficient) and soil depth but hardly to soil organic matter content. Moreover, _{gas_min} varied considerably between soil types and was larger in sandy soils than in clayey soils. We demonstrated that F of the Feddes-function indeed decreases approximately linearly, but that actual oxygen stress already starts at drier conditions than according to the Feddes-function. How much drier is depended on the factors indicated above. Thus, the Feddes-function might cause large errors in the prediction of transpiration reduction and growth reduction through oxygen stress.We made our method easily accessible to others by implementing it in SWAP, a user-friendly soil water model that is coupled to plant growth. Since constant values for _{gas_min} in plant and hydrological modeling appeared to be inappropriate, an integrated approach, including both physiological and physical processes, should be used instead. Therefore, we advocate using our method in all situations where oxygen stress could occur.     

Does fire alter soil water repellency in subtropical coastal sandy environments?

Irregular wetting, water repellency, and preferential flow are well‐documented properties of coastal sandy podzols, though little is known about the effect of fire on unsaturated zone processes in this environment. This study investigates water repellency at and below the soil surface in two coastal sandy podzols following bushfire. Water drop penetration time tests were applied to burned and unburned soils at a high dune field site in South East Queensland, Australia. It was found that the mean water drop penetration time of the burned soil was four times that of the unburned soil, but both soils were largely non‐repellent. Post‐fire repellency peaked below the surface in a patchy layer, in contrast to the laterally extensive layer reported in other studies, and high organic matter content in the soil did not appear to significantly influence repellency post‐burn. Non‐parametric statistics were used to quantify the high spatial variability in water repellency, which was ultimately insufficiently captured by atypically large (n = 1000 drop) datasets. This study confirms the presence of naturally occurring repellency and patchy infiltration in sandy soils while demonstrating that conclusively describing the influence of fire is challenging in a soil with heterogeneous infiltration characteristics. With respect to this uncertainty, it appears that fire does not increase soil water repellency such that infiltration and runoff processes due to fire‐induced water repellency would differ post‐burn.     

Effect of air mobility in a soil pipe on water flow through a model hillslope after pipe clogging

Soil pipes (continuous macropores expanding laterally in the soil subsurface) are a key factor controlling hillslope water cycles and sediment transport. Soil pipes usually enhance slope stability under rainfall events through their high water drainage ability, and pipe clogging by sediments is regarded as a risk for slope failure. In this study, we conducted a bench-scale pipe clogging experiment to clarify the effect of air mobility in soil pipes on water flow and water pressure build-up in the slope at the clogged point. Before pipe clogging, the soil pipe drained rainwater effectively and lowered the groundwater table. After the pipe clogging event, the mobility of air in the soil pipe before the clogging determined the water flow in the slope. When the air in the soil pipe connected to the atmosphere and moved freely, the water level in the soil pipe increased at the pipe clogging, and water pressure build-up was limited near the pipe outlet. On the other hand, when air in the soil pipe was entrapped by the clogging, water pressure suddenly increased, and the groundwater table of the whole slope rose correspondingly. This study clearly demonstrated the importance of pipe morphology with respect to air connectivity between the pipe and atmosphere to elucidate the water flow and slope stability during the pipe clogging event. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

火烧对洞庭湖湿地荻(Miscanthus sacchariflorus)和苔草(Carex brevicuspis)群落土壤性质的影响

火烧作为调控因子,对植物群落结构和生态系统功能具有重要影响,但在湖泊湿地中研究较少.通过野外调查取样与实验室分析,探讨火烧对洞庭湖湿地主要群落类型——荻(Miscanthus sacchariflorus)和苔草(Carex brevicuspis)土壤化学性质的影响.结果表明:火烧后,苔草群落土壤硝态氮含量显著减少64.6%,有机质含量增加26.3%;而荻群落土壤与之相反,硝态氮含量增加186.9%,有机质含量减少22.9%.火烧后,苔草群落的全氮、铵态氮、全碳和全磷含量均显著增加,分别增加了75.4%、36.3%、102.7%和76.9%,而荻群落土壤与对照组间无显著差异.总体上,火烧对荻群落土壤养分影响不大,可作为芦苇场的一种管理方式,但火烧促进苔草群落土壤养分释放,有助于苔草群落提前萌芽和生长,并引起牲畜牧食增加.     

Comparing water use patterns of sand-binding species in an alpine semi-arid desert

The processes of species obtaining water resources are crucial to evaluate the adaptability of plantations, which can affect the establishment and survival of restored ecosystems and functions of water-limited ecosystems. However, there are still limitations in understanding water use patterns of different four plantations (Populus sylvestris, Salix cheliophe, Hippophae rhamnoides and Artemisia ordosica) in the Qinghai Lake basin. Stable isotopes of xylem water of four individual species were analysed at different dunes located at the eastern shore of Qinghai Lake in 2018 and 2019. The purpose of this study was to explore potential water sources used by different life form plants, to identify whether the soil moisture content and root distribution determined the plants water use patterns. Results from the Bayesian mixing model MixSIAR showed that all species mainly uses three levels of soil water, but they extracted soil water from different layers in different growing seasons among species. All species primarily depended on water from upper soil layers at the early growing stage, but P. sylvestris and S. cheliophe also absorbed much proportion middle and deep soil layers' water in dry year of 2019. All four species shift to use middle or deep soil layer water rather than shallow water in July with the most rainfall and soil water content (SWC). However, it was only used by P. sylvestris and H. rhamnoides in 2018. In all, seasonal water use pattern of different species was affected by SWC, soil texture and root distribution. Compared with moratorium plantations such as S. cheliophe, mixed afforestation of P. sylvestris and H. rhamnoides maximized of soil water sources absorbed by the plants. The study can shed light on plant–water relationships to facilitate the woody species for afforestation and desertification restoration management in the semi-arid desert ecosystem.     

Effects of rainfall on soil moisture and water movement in a subalpine dark coniferous forest in southwestern China

Water content and movement in soil profile and hydrogen isotope composition (δD) of soil water, rainwater, and groundwater were examined in a subalpine dark coniferous forest in the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan, China, following rainfall events in 2003–2004. Light rainfall increased water content in the litter and at soil depth of 0–80 cm, but the increased soil water was lost in several days. Heavy rainfall increased soil water content up to 85% at depths of 0–40 cm. Following the light rainfall in early spring, the δD of water from the litter, humus, illuvial, and material layers decreased first and then gradually reached the pre‐rainfall level. In summer, light rainfall reached the litter humus, and illuvial layer, but did not hit the material layer. Heavy rainfall affected δD of water in all layers. The δD of soil interflow slightly fluctuated with rainfall events. The δD of shallow groundwater did not differ significantly among all rainfall events. Light rainfall altered the shape of δD profile curve of water in the upper layer of soil, whereas heavy rainfall greatly affected the shape of δD profile curve of water in all soil layers. Following the heavy rainfall, preferential flow initially occurred through macropores, decayed plant roots, and rocks at different depths of soil profile. With continuing rainfall, the litter and surface soil were nearly saturated or fully saturated, and infiltration became homogeneous and plug‐like. Forest soil water, particularly in deeper soil profile, was slightly affected by rainfall and, thus, can be a source of water supply for regional needs, particularly during dry seasons. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.