Identifying effects of local and nonlocal factors of soil water storage using cyclical correlation analysis

There are various factors governing the spatial and temporal variability of soil water storage including soil properties, topography and vegetation. Some factors act locally, whereas others act nonlocally, which means that a factor measured at one location has effect on soil water storage at another location. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of local and nonlocal controls of soil water storage in a hummocky landscape using cyclical correlation analysis. Soil water storage, soil properties and terrain indices were measured along a 128‐point transect of 576 m long from the semiarid, hummocky, prairie pothole region of North America. There are large coefficients of determination (r²) between soil water storage and sand content (r² = 0.32–0.53), organic carbon content (r² = 0.22–0.56), depth to carbonate layer (r² = 0.13–0.63), wetness index (r² = 0.25–0.45) and other variables at the measurement scale at different times, indicating strong local effects from these variables. The correlation coefficients were also calculated by physically shifting the spatial series of soil water storage with respect to that of controlling factors. The shifting improves the correlation between the spatial series, and the length of shifting indicated the difference in the response of soil water to its controlling factors. For example, the value of r² increased more than eightfold (r² = 0.47–0.64) after shifting the spatial series of soil water storage by 54 m, almost equal to the average length of existing slope, compared with the very weak correlation (r² = 0.02–0.08) at the measurement scale. This indicated the nonlocal effect from the relative elevation. The identification of nonlocal effects from factors improves the prediction of soil water storage. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Manganese in runoff from upland catchments: temporal patterns and controls on mobilization / Teneur en manganèse de l'écoulement en bassins versants d'altitude: variations temporelles et contrôles de la mobilisation

Abstract

Knowledge of the hydrochemical dynamics of the trace metal manganese (Mn) in upland catchments is required for water quality management. Stream water Mn and other solutes and flow were monitored in two upland catchments in northern England with different soils: one dominated by peat (HS7), the other by mineral soils (HS4). Maximum Mn concentrations occurred at different times in the two catchments: in summer baseflow at HS4 and during late summer storm events at HS7. A two-component chemical mixing model was used to identify the hydrological processes controlling Mn concentrations in stream water. This approach was more successful for HS4 than HS7, probably because of different processes of Mn release in the two catchments and also difficulties in selecting conservative solutes. Factor analysis of the stream water chemistry data set for each catchment was more useful in identifying the controls on Mn release into runoff. The factors indicate that the main source of Mn at HS4 is the hydrological pathway supplying summer baseflow, whereas at HS7 Mn is released during the rewetting of dried peat soils. Manganese concentrations in stream water in upland catchments appear to depend on soil type and antecedent moisture conditions. This has implications for the design of sampling strategies in upland catchments and also for managing the quality of water supplies from such areas.     

An integrated procedure to evaluate hydrological models

The growing concern for health‐related problems deriving from pollutants leaching is driving national and international administrations to support the development of tools for evaluating the effects of alternate management scenarios and identifying vulnerable areas. Cropping systems models are powerful tools for evaluating leachates under different environmental, social, and management conditions. As percolating water is the transport vehicle for pollutants transport in soil, a reliable evaluation of water balance models is a fundamental prerequisite for investigating pesticides and nitrate fate. As specific approaches for the evaluation of multi‐layer evolution of state variables are missing, we propose a fuzzy‐based, integrated indicator (I_SWC: 0, best; 1, worst) for a comprehensive evaluation of soil water content (SWC) simulations. We aggregated error metrics with others quantifying the homogeneity of errors across different soil layers, the capability of models to reproduce complex dynamics function of both time and soil depth, and model complexity. We tested I_SWC on a sample dataset where the models CropSyst and CERES‐Wheat were used to simulate SWC for winter wheat systems. I_SWC revealed that, in the explored conditions, the global assessment of the two models' performances allowed identification of CropSyst as the best (average I_SWC = 0·441, with a value of 0·537 obtained by CERES‐Wheat), although each model prevailed for some of the metrics. CropSyst presented the highest accuracy (average agreement module = 0·400), whereas CERES‐Wheat's accuracy was slightly worse, although achieved with a simplified modelling approach (average Akaike Information Criterion = − 230·44), thereby favouring large‐area applicability. The non‐univocal scores achieved by the models for the different metrics support the use of multi‐metric evaluation approaches for quantifying the different aspects of water balance model performances. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the role of soil moisture in daytime evolution of temperatures

This paper explores the relationship between temperature, evaporation and soil moisture using a planetary boundary layer (PBL) model. It focuses on illustrating and quantifying the effect of soil moisture on the evolution of daytime temperatures. A simple convective PBL model coupled with the Penman–Monteith (PM) equation is used to estimate evapotranspiration. Following calibration and sensitivity analysis, the model was used to simulate the relative impact of dry and wet soil moisture conditions on daytime temperatures by changing the surface resistance parameter in the PM equation. It was found that the maximum temperature that can be reached during a day is constrained by the amount of soil moisture and the available net radiation, confirming previously published results. Higher temperatures can be reached with greater net radiation and dry soil moisture conditions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long‐term effects of revegetation on soil hydrological processes in vegetation‐stabilized desert ecosystems

Planting of sand‐binding vegetation in the Shapotou region on the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert began in 1956. The revegetation programme successfully stabilized formerly mobile dunes in northern China, permitting the operation of the Baotou‐Lanzhou railway. Long‐term monitoring has shown that the revegetation programme produced various ecological changes, including the formation of biological soil crusts (BSCs). To gain insight into the role of BSCs in both past ecological change and current ecological evolution at the revegetation sites, we used field measurements and HYDRUS‐1D model simulations to investigate the effects of BSCs on soil hydrological processes at revegetated sites planted in 1956 and 1964 and at an unplanted mobile dune site. The results demonstrate that the formation of BSCs has altered patterns of soil water storage, increasing the moisture content near the surface (0–5 cm) while decreasing the moisture content in deeper layers (5–120 cm). Soil evaporation at BSC sites is elevated relative to unplanted sites during periods when canopy coverage is low. Rainfall infiltration was not affected by BSCs during the very dry period that was studied (30 April to 30 September 2005); during periods with higher rainfall intensity, differences in infiltration may be expected due to runoff at BSC sites. The simulated changes in soil moisture storage and hydrological processes are consistent with ongoing plant community succession at the revegetated sites, from deep‐rooted shrubs to more shallow‐rooted herbaceous species. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Integration of remote sensing data into hydrological models for reservoir management

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present the methodology set up to derive catchment soil moisture from Earth Observation (EO) data using microwave spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images from ERS satellites and to study the improvements brought about by an assimilation of this information into hydrological models. The methodology used to derive EO data is based on the appropriate selection of land cover types for which the radar signal is mainly sensitive to soil moisture variations. Then a hydrological model is chosen, which can take advantage of the new information brought by remote sensing. The assimilation of soil moisture deduced from EO data into hydrological models is based principally on model parameter updating. The main assumption of this method is that the better the model simulates the current hydrological system, the better the following forecast will be. Another methodology used is a sequential one based on Kalman filtering. These methods have been put forward for use in the European AIMWATER project on the Seine catchment upstream of Paris (France) where dams are operated to alleviate floods in the Paris area.     

Characterising deep vadose zone water movement and solute transport under typical irrigated cropland in the North China Plain

Understanding the dynamics and mechanisms of soil water movement and solute transport is essential for accurately estimating recharge rates and evaluating the impacts of agricultural activities on groundwater resources. In a thick vadose zone (0–15 m) under irrigated cropland in the piedmont region of the North China Plain, soil water content, matric potential, and solute concentrations were measured. Based on these data, the dynamics of soil water and solutes were analysed to investigate the mechanisms of soil water and solute transport. The study showed that the 0–15‐m vadose zone can be divided into three layers: an infiltration and evaporation layer (0–2 m), an unsteady infiltration layer (2–6 m), and a quasi‐steady infiltration layer (6–15 m). The chloride, nitrate, and sulphate concentrations all showed greater variations in the upper soil layer (0–1 m) compared to values in the deep vadose zone (below 2 m). The average concentrations of these three anions in the deep vadose zone varied insignificantly with depth and approached values of 125, 242, and 116 mg/L. The accumulated chloride, sulphate, and nitrate were 2,179 ± 113, 1,760 ± 383, and 4,074 ± 421 kg/ha, respectively. The soil water potential and solute concentrations indicated that uniform flow and preferential flow both occurred in the deep vadose zone, and uniform flow was the dominant mechanism of soil water movement in this study. The piston‐like flow velocity of solute transport was 1.14 m per year, and the average value of calculated leached nitrate nitrogen was 107 kg/ha?year below the root zone. The results can be used to better understand recharge processes and improve groundwater resources management.     

Estimation of source water to cedar elm in a central Texas riparian ecosystem

A riparian ecosystem downstream of a small dam in central Texas was instrumented for sap flow, soil moisture content, and stream level from 2001. Stable isotopes in water (D and ¹⁸O) were analysed from rainfall, stream, lake, and cored sapwood cellulose from cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia). The isotope signature of water source to cedar elm was identified by back calculation starting with the water isotopes in cellulose, and accounting for leaf‐water evaporation and biological fractionation during cellulose synthesis. The estimated mean isotope of the source water to cedar elm was enriched above rainfall in similarity to stream water during 2002. Flow paths that may have contributed to estimated variability from regional base flow and recharge water were identified using the variably saturated HYDRUS‐2D model. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

H~+对Cu~(2+)—Me~(2+)二元体系吸附的影响规律研究

土壤对重金属离子的吸附容量严格受H~+浓度的控制。本文通过试验探讨了H~+ 对Cu~(2+)——Pb~(2+),Cn~(2+)——Zu~(2+),Cu~(2+)——Hg~(2+)系统中Cu~(2+)吸附量的影响规律。当pHpH时,Cu~(2+)吸附量随pH值增大而减小。对于酸性土,pH=6.5(初始值)或7.0(平衡值),对碱性土,pH=5.5(初始值)或7.8(平衡值)。在pHpH_(ZPC)时,吸附模式具有完全不同的形式。