Prüfung von 3 Verfahren zur Vorhersage der hydraulischen Leitfähigkeit ungesättigter Böden aus Wasserretentionsdaten oder aus der Bodenart

Testing of three methods to predict unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity from water retention data or from texture class Using 60 soils taken from UNSODA (Leij et al., 1996) the method proposed by Renger et al. (1999) and the prediction according to Mualem (1976)/van Genuchten (1980) were tested. The parameters of the Mualem/vanGenuchten model were estimated either from water retention data or from a table of reference values. Using the reference values requires only the knowledge of texture class (German classification system). An advantage of the method proposed by Renger et al. (1999) is its capability to predict saturated conductivity too. The model of Mualem/vanGenuchten using reference values of parameters yields the best results. The standard deviation between observed and predicted values of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity was 0.93 lg (K) for the Mualem/vanGenuchten model and 1.3 lg (K) for the Renger et al. (1999) predictions.     

Influence of water content and soil properties on unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of some red and black soils

The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity was determined in the laboratory for some red and black soils, following water movement into a horizontal column of homogenous soil of uniform packing. A highly significant positive relationship was found between moisture content and hydraulic conductivity values in all the soils studied. Correlation coefficients calculated for the relationships between soil constituents/properties and the change in hydraulic conductivity per unit change in moisture content (regression coefficient between hydraulic conductivity and moisture content) have shown positive relationship to sand and negative relationships to silt, silt + clay, clay, carbonates, aggregates > 0.25 mm and saturated hydraulic conductivity. It is concluded that the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity decreases rapidly with decrease in moisture content and this decrease depends on the soil constituents/properties and differences between soil types are clear.     

小碎石与细土混合介质的导水特性

含碎石土壤的导水性质研究有利于这种多孔介质水分运动的模拟。本文采用室内定水头法和离心机法分别测定两种质地土壤(壤土、黏壤土)和三种岩性小粒径(2~10 mm)碎石构成的土石混合介质的饱和导水率和水分特征曲线,采用van Genuchten-Mualem模型计算各土石介质的非饱和导水率,分析碎石对土壤导水能力的影响。试验结果显示,风化程度低的碎石对黏壤土具有明显的增大饱和导水率的作用,且碎石含量愈高,增加的效果愈明显;而风化程度高的碎石对土壤结构无明显的改善作用,且对黏壤土具有减小饱和导水率的作用。风化程度低碎石介质的非饱和导水率随土壤水吸力的增加呈现了先大于土壤和土石介质的后迅速减小到低于土壤和土石介质的变化过程。风化程度低的河卵石和风化程度高的粉泥页岩碎屑分别构成的土石介质的非饱和导水率较土壤的低,而风化程度中等的片麻状花岗岩碎块构成的土石介质的非饱和导水率较土壤的高。近饱和状态下,碎石含量高的土石介质的非饱和导水率也相应的高,而较大的土壤水吸力下,土石介质的非饱和导水率呈现随碎石含量的增大而减小变化趋势。试验结论可为含碎石土壤水分平衡研究提供参考。     

Bodenhydrologische Methoden zur Untersuchung ungestörter,skelettreicher Böden

Soil hydrological methods for investigations on undisturbed samples of skeleton-rich soils New methods are proposed, which allow the determination of moisture transmission properties of stony soils. A soil sampling technique is discussed whereby small monoliths are isolated from the surrounding soil and covered with polyester-soaked glassfiber sheets. With use of such irregularly shaped columns the soil moisture characteristic and the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity are determined by laboratory procedures. Starting with a saturated column, suction is applied and the resulting outflow is measured. At the same time the suction in the sample is registered and also the hydraulic gradient within the sample is determined. Also discussed is a procedure to install tensiometers in stony soils. The installation provides reliable data and the maintenance is easy. By building in a heating system in the tensiometers, these can be operated all year round.     

Particle arrangement and internal porosity of coarse fragments affect water retention in stony soils

Information about water retention in stony soils lags behind due to methodological difficulties. We applied a new strategy to measure the water retention in soils with coarse fragments (CFs) and to get insights into the effect of CFs porosity on water retention. Water retention at zero, 10, and 150 m suction, bulk density, and the mass fraction of six particle size classes were measured in undisturbed blocks from soils with variable CFs contents, originating from three parent materials. The results showed that some soils contain porous CFs (2–250 mm) with a water holding capacity as high as the fine fraction (<2 mm). The water held in the suction range of 1–150 m in a soil with porous CFs was twice as high as in soils with non-porous CFs. Multilinear regressions revealed that both the water retention capacity at 1 m suction and in the range 1–150 m were more dependent on bulk density than on the fraction of CFs and fine particles. In the soil with porous CFs, there was no correlation between their fraction and soil water retention. These results show that the bulk water retention capacity of soils with CFs is underestimated when not considering the internal porosity of the CFs. A better understanding of the effect of the porosity of CFs on bulk soil porosity and water retention is important to propose suitable pedotransfer functions and refine physically-based hydraulic functions for stony soils.     

Predicting unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of soil based on some basic soil properties

Soil hydraulic conductivity is a crucial parameter in modeling flow process in soils and deciding water management. In this study, by combining the non-similar media concept (NSMC) to the one-parameter model of Brooks and Corey, a new NSMC-based model for estimating unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of various soils was presented. The main inputs are soil bulk density, particle-size distribution, soil water retention characteristic and saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil. The results indicated that the NSMC-based model could generally more accurately predict unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of soils, as compared to four one-parameter models and van Genuchten–Mualem model. This study, by introducing NSMC, provided a new way to incorporate soil physical heterogeneity into soil hydraulic simulation, and hence NSMC-based approach is expected to improve efficiency of the existing models in the simulation of soil water flow.     

Soil hydraulic properties of two loess soils in China measured by various field-scale and laboratory methods

Knowledge of hydraulic properties is essential for understanding water movement in soil. However, very few data on these properties are available from the Loess Plateau of China. We determined the hydraulic properties of two silty loam soils on agricultural land at sites in Mizhi and Heyang in the region. Undisturbed soil cores were collected from seven layers to one meter depth to determine saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil water retention curves and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (by the hot-air method). Additional field methods (internal drainage and Guelph permeameter) were applied at the Heyang site to compare differences between methods. Soil water retention curves were flatter at Mizhi than at Heyang. Water contents at saturation and wilting point (1500 kPa) were higher at Heyang than at Mizhi. However, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity was lower at Heyang than at Mizhi, with maximum differences of more than six orders of magnitude. Nevertheless, the two soils had similar saturated hydraulic conductivities of about 60 cm day^− 1. Comparison between the methods showed that soil water retention curves obtained in the laboratory generally agreed well with the field data. Field-saturated conductivities had similar values to those obtained using the soil core method. Unsaturated hydraulic conductivities predicted by the Brooks–Corey model were closer to field data than corresponding values predicted by the van Genuchten model.     

Estimation and analysis of soil hydraulic properties through infiltration experiments: comparison of BEST and DL fitting methods

The BEST method (Beerkan estimation of soil transfer parameters through infiltration experiments) appears promising and easy to estimate not only saturated hydraulic conductivity but also water retention and hydraulic characteristics. However, few tests have been conducted to test the methodology. This study involved field BEST infiltration experiments for three layers (surface, 15 and 30 cm) for each of three soils with different soil textures under grassland. By comparing BEST with DL (differentiated linearization method), we found that the DL method did not produce a good estimate of the soil hydraulic properties and neither did it identify the transient flow state. The BEST method resulted in reasonable results and is therefore promising. However, with BEST we encountered some anomalies when calculating hydraulic properties in some cases with too few data points under the transient flow state. We show that the application of BEST field experiments requires a wide range of soil water content from initial to saturated states so as to include sufficient transient flow. The soil hydraulic properties determined using the BEST method showed contrasting characteristics between different soil textures with higher saturated hydraulic conductivity under coarse texture and lower values under loam textures, especially with highly compacted soils. Vertical variation in soil hydraulic properties was significant, and the surface layer had a lower saturated hydraulic conductivity partly caused by compaction (high bulk density) or by remnants of grass plants. Further research on the effects of compaction and grass plants on soil hydraulic properties is needed.     

Water transport under winter conditions

Winter as well as summer floods result in soil loss and sedimentation. Up to now the winter events cannot be adequately predicted. This paper focuses on the infiltration processes under frozen winter conditions in order to model soil erosion processes in winter by adapting the computer model EROSION 3D [Schmidt, J., Werner, M. v., 2000. Modeling Sediment and Heavy Metal Yields of Drinking Water Reservoirs in the Osterzgebirge Region of Saxony (Germany). In: Soil Erosion - Application of Physically Based Models, Schmidt, J.(Editor). Berlin, Heidelberg, New York., pp. 93-108.].A new snow accumulation and snow melt module has been implemented in order to estimate erosion rates during snowmelt events. Tests show that infiltration still occurs in frozen soils, however, infiltration rates are reduced compared to unfrozen soils [Weigert, A., Wenk, G., Ollesch, G., Fritz, H., 2003. Simulation of snowmelt erosion using the EROSION 3D model. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Sciences, 1/2003.]. In order to improve the EROSION 3D model regarding partly frozen soils a physical based infiltration model extension has been developed and experimentally verified.Processes of infiltration into partly frozen soils are successfully quantified by a newly designed experimental set-up using a soil column (height 50 cm, diameter 21.5 cm). At the bottom of this column a negative pressure can be applied in order to establish unsaturated hydraulic conditions. The volume rate of the percolating water is constantly measured by an online balance. In addition the column is equipped with three TDR and temperature probes.The behaviour of two soil samples (sandy vs. loamy soil) are investigated under saturated, unsaturated and frozen conditions. The improved physical infiltration model based on the combination of Darcy's Law, Hagen-Poiseuille's Law, the capillary-rise equation and the van Genuchten θ(h) function determines with considerable accuracy both the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity and the effective saturated hydraulic conductivity of a partly frozen soil for rigid soil matrix conditions. This approach is compared with the Mualem concept for predicting unsaturated hydraulic conductivities. Fractures were observed due to freezing cracks in case of loamy material. For fractured soils the calibration with a skinfactor is found to be absolutely necessary to give reliable results.     

Effect of data resolution on soil hydraulic conductivity prediction

The aim of the paper is to compare results of the instantaneous profile method (IPM) for measurement and calculation of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity k(ψ) of soils obtained with different measurement data resolution. The application of IPM allows to realize a great number of k(ψ) measurements for the purpose of mapping soil properties on large areas. Application of shorter samples i.e. less sensors makes the method even more quick and cheap. The calculation of unsaturated soil water conductivity by the IPM method bases on measurements of time and space variability of water content and water pressure within the soil sample in a cylinder. The spatial resolution of data depends on the number of probes applied in the core. The question arises how the number of compartments within one core influences the calculation of soil hydraulic conductivity. Application of three sensors instead of five reduced the accuracy of calculation but allowes to use 5 cm long standard cores during unsaturated flow experiment.<?show $6#>     

室内基于土壤水分再分布过程推求紫色土导水参数

选择三峡库区3种不同质地的紫色土,室内通过土壤水分再分布试验,探讨基于土壤水分再分布过程推求导水参数对于紫色土的适用性.结果显示,结合土壤水分垂直和水平再分布过程推求的紫色土水分扩散率与实测值具有很好的一致性,但推求的非饱和导水率偏差较大.然而,选用单一的土壤水分再分布过程结合实测水分特征曲线推求的紫色土非饱和导水率与实测值具有良好的一致性.湿润锋湿度与湿润剖面平均湿度不同函数关系对推求非饱和导水率和水分扩散率差异不明显.此外,基于土壤水分再分布过程推求导水参数方法比较适合低湿土壤的非饱和导水参数推求.     

The Effects of Long‐term Fertiliser Applications on Soil Organic Carbon and Hydraulic Properties of a Loess Soil in China

Based on a 28‐year in situ experiment, this paper investigated the impacts of organic and inorganic fertiliser applications on soil organic carbon (SOC) content and soil hydraulic properties of the silt loam (Eumorthic Anthrosols) soils derived from loess soil in the Guanzhong Plain of China. There were two crop (winter wheat and summer maize) rotations with conventional tillage. The treatments included control without fertiliser application, organic manure application (M), chemical fertiliser application (NP), and the application of organic manure with chemical fertiliser (MNP). The results showed that the 28‐year organic manure applications (M and MNP) significantly (p < 0·05) increased SOC content at surface layer (0–10 cm), but the effect of chemical fertilisers alone on SOC was not significant. Organic manure treatments (M and MNP) apparently improved soil hydraulic properties. Compared with control, field capacity and total porosity significantly (p < 0·05) increased while soil bulk density significantly (p < 0·05) decreased for organic manure applications. The M and MNP treatments increased soil water retentions by 3·2–10·8%, which was dependent of suction tensions. However, the NP treatment had no significantly impact on soil water retention compared with control. Neither organic nor inorganic fertiliser applications significantly changed saturated hydraulic conductivity. However, a clear difference was observed for unsaturated hydraulic conductivity between the M and the control at 0–5 cm. Overall, long‐term applications of organic manuring increased SOC content and amended soil hydraulic properties. However, the effects of chemical fertilisers on these soil properties were limited. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Suitability of a hydraulic‐conductivity model for predicting salt effects on swelling soils

Many empirical approaches have been developed to analyze changes in hydraulic conductivity due to concentration and composition of equilibrium solution. However, in swelling soils these approaches fail to perform satisfactorily, mainly due to the complex nature of clay minerals and soil–water interactions. The present study describes the changes in hydraulic conductivity of clay (Typic Haplustert) and clay‐loam (Vertic Haplustept) soils with change in electrolyte concentration (TEC) and sodium‐adsorption ratio (SAR) of equilibrium solution and assesses the suitability of a model developed by Russo and Bresler (1977) to describe the effects of mixed Na‐Ca‐Mg solutions on hydraulic conductivity. Four solutions encompassing two TEC levels viz., 5 and 50 mmol_c L^–1 and two SAR levels viz., 2.5 and 30 mmol^1/2 L^–1/2 were synthesized to equilibrate the soil samples using pure chloride salts of Ca, Mg, and Na at Ca : Mg = 2:1. Diluting 50 mmol_c L^–1 solution to 5 mmol_c L^–1 reduced saturated hydraulic conductivity of both soils by 66%, and increasing SAR from 2.5 to 30 mmol^1/2 L^–1/2 decreased saturated hydraulic conductivity by 82% and 79% in clay and clay‐loam soils, respectively. Near saturation, the magnitude of the change in unsaturated hydraulic conductivity due to the change in TEC and SAR was of 10³‐ and 10²‐fold, and at volumetric water content of 0.20 cm³ cm^–3, it was of 10¹⁴‐ and 10⁶‐fold in clay and clay‐loam soils, respectively. Differences between experimental and predicted values of saturated hydraulic conductivity ranged between 0.6% and 11% in clay and between 0.06% and 2.1% in clay‐loam soils. Difference between experimental and predicted values of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity widened with drying in both soils. Predicted values were in good agreement with the experimental values of hydraulic conductivity in clay and clay‐loam soils with R² values of 0.98 and 0.94, respectively. The model can be satisfactorily used to describe salt effects on hydraulic conductivity of swelling soils in arid and semiarid areas, where groundwater quality is poor.     

Comparison of seven water retention functions used for modelling soil hydraulic conductivity due to film flow

The unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity accounting for film flow is important for understanding soil hydrological and biological processes, especially in arid and semi‐arid regions. Recently, a theoretically based hydraulic conductivity model was developed to describe the hydraulic conductivity as a function of water content. We have used this model to compare seven soil water retention functions commonly used for predicting soil hydraulic conductivity due to film flow. A total of 30 soils, varying in basic properties, were selected from the Unsaturated Soil Hydraulic Database to evaluate the seven functions. The Webb method was applied to identify the critical soil matric potential (h _c) below which thin film flow controls water movement. Soil hydraulic conductivity measurements at matric potential below h _c were then used for curve fitting according to the seven functions. Slight differences were observed among the functions in predicting soil hydraulic conductivity due to film flow. Six of the seven functions in combination with the hydraulic conductivity model described the hydraulic conductivity due to film flow well, according to the terms of the coefficient of efficiency. The relatively poor performance of the one exception was due to the fact that the linear shape of the function made it less flexible at low matric potentials. In addition, the effect of textural class on its performance was substantial, showing a poorer fit for the sand soil compared with the loam and clay soils. These findings have important applications related to soil and water resources conservation especially in arid and semi‐arid regions.     

太原东山试验林场土壤理化性质及饱和导水率的坡向分异规律研究

为了探究太原东山试验林场不同坡向条件土壤性质及饱和导水率变化的规律,选取东山林场无植被覆盖裸地和油松林地的阳坡、阴坡、半阴半阳坡共6个样地进行土壤采样,测定了土壤基本性质及养分含量,并用环刀分层取土,测定土壤饱和导水率,对比分析了土壤性质、养分及饱和导水率的坡向分异规律。结果表明:坡向对土壤密度无影响;裸地土壤含水率表现为阴坡 > 半阴半阳坡 > 阳坡;油松林地土壤含水率、土壤养分元素含量、土壤饱和导水率表现为阳坡 > 半阴半阳坡 > 阴坡,阳坡表层土壤（0—30 cm）石砾含量少于其他坡向,总孔隙度高于其他坡向。坡向对土壤性质及饱和导水率的影响是通过植被产生作用。在今后对林地土壤性质及水分入渗的研究中不能忽略坡向的影响。     

灌溉方式对土壤水分运动参数的影响

通过实测和拟合的方法研究了不同灌溉方式对土壤饱和导水率及非饱和土壤水分运动参数的影响。结果表明:膜下滴灌明显改善了土壤导水性能,0-10 cm各土层土壤饱和导水率明显高于地面漫灌,并且两种灌溉方式下土壤饱和导水率都高于裸盐地;不同灌溉方式下,相同含水率所对应的非饱和导水率及非饱和扩散率均不同,0-100 cm各土层都表现为膜下滴灌>地面漫灌>裸盐地。膜下滴灌对土壤水分运动参数的影响,并不是由土壤质地、容重、温度、盐分等因素作用而引起,可能是由于膜下滴灌改变了土壤的团粒结构或土壤中盐分的离子组成而造成的。     

Tillage effects on near-surface soil hydraulic properties

The processes for the formation of porosity are thought to differ between tilled and non-tilled cropping systems. The pores are created primarily by the tillage tool in the tilled systems and by biological processes in non-tilled systems. Because of the different methods of pore formation, the pore size distribution, pore continuity and hydraulic conductivity functions would be expected to differ among tillage systems. The objective of this study was to determine effects of three tillage systems — mold-board plow (MP), chisel plow (CP), and no-till (NT) — on hydraulic properties of soils from eight long-term tillage and rotation experiments. Tillage effects on saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, pore size distribution, and moisture retention characteristics were more apparent for soils with a continuous corn (CC) rotation than for either a corn-soybean (CS) rotation or a corn-oats-alfalfa (COA) rotation. Pore size distributions were similar among tillage systems for each soil except for three soils with a CC rotation. The MP system increased volume of pores >150 μm radius by 23% to 91% compared with the NT system on two of the soils, but the NT system increased the volume of the same radius pore by 50% on one other soil. The NT system had 30 to 180% greater saturated hydraulic conductivity than either the CP or MP systems. The NT system with a CC rotation showed a greater slope of the log unsaturated hydraulic conductivity; log volumetric water content relationship on two of the soils indicating greater water movement through a few relatively large pores for this system than for either the CP or MP systems.