Concepts of solute leaching in soils: a review of modelling approaches

A number of conceptual models for solute leaching in soil are reviewed, quantitatively compared and classified as far as possible within a framework that makes distinction between deterministic and stochastic, mechanistic and functional and rate and capacity models. They are also discussed with reference to their purpose (viz research or management), complexity, flexibility, transferability and usefulness for field soils. The basic assumptions and structures of the models impose definite limits on the ways in which they can be used. The spatial variability of soil properties caused problems for deterministic models using rate parameters, but stochastic elements can be incorporated in these models. Simpler capacity-type models and non-mechanistic stochastic models offer other answers to this problem. Few data sets are available for testing a range of models and few models have been tested on a range of soil types, and very few models have much demonstrable ability to simulate transient field leaching conditions. Examples of a model being tested by someone other than the developer seem very rare.     

The use of porous ceramic cup water samplers to measure solute leaching on chalk soils

Abstract. This paper reports results from a four year study to investigate the suitability of porous ceramic cups to measure solute leaching on shallow chalk soils. Measurements were carried out in one field following surface applications of nitrate and bromide tracers and in two fields after only bromide was applied. Soil water samples were collected from porous cups at 30,60 and 90cm depth after every 25 mm of drainage, and soil samples from 0–30, 30–60 and 60–90 cm were collected monthly eachwinter. Soil matric suctions andvolumetric moisture content were measured in one winter. Leaching losses, measured with ceramic cups were compared with those measured by soil analysis. Porous cups installed in chalk at 60 and 90 cm depth were only able to collect samples regularly when soil matric suctions were less than 15 kPa. Water held at such low suctions is likely to move quickly through relatively large fissures in the chalk. The slow rate of equilibration between solute concentrations in water moving in macrofissures and those in water moving through micropores of the chalk matrix, means that porous cups may not provide good estimates of leaching losses if they are installed in chalk rock.     

间歇入渗对土壤溶质淋洗效率的影响

针对间歇入渗条件下土壤溶质运动规律研究的不足,采用室内土柱试验的方法,研究了相同灌水总量、不同灌水频次条件下的水分和溶质运动规律。试验结果表明:在无蒸发的条件下,间歇入渗会显著提高入渗和排水的速率,但不会影响到排水总量;在一定灌水频次范围内,间歇入渗会在不影响溶质淋洗效率的条件下提高溶质淋出的速率,但过多的灌水频次会导致土壤中水分运动速率过快,不能有效地携溶质向下层土壤迁移,导致溶质淋洗效率降低。该研究结果可为制定合理的间歇灌水制度提供一些依据和参考。     

Simulation of water flow and solute transport in free-drainage lysimeters and field soils with heterogeneous structures

Lysimeters are valuable for studying the fate and transport of chemicals in soil. Large‐scale field lysimeters are used to assess pesticide behaviour and radionuclide transport, and are assumed to represent natural field conditions better than laboratory columns. Field lysimeters are usually characterized by a free‐draining lower boundary. As a result, the hydraulic gradient is disrupted, and leachate cannot be collected until the bottom of the lysimeter becomes saturated. We compared heterogeneously structured, free‐drainage lysimeters and field soils with respect to water flow and solute transport. Numerical simulations were carried out in a two‐dimensional heterogeneous sandy soil under unsaturated water flow conditions with the CHAIN_2D code. Three different soil structures (isotropic, horizontal, and vertical) were generated, and Miller–Miller similitude was used to scale the hydraulic properties of the soil. The results showed that ponding occurs at the bottom of the lysimeter for the three soil structures and that it occurred faster and was more pronounced with the vertical structure (preferential flow effect). Breakthrough curves of a conservative solute (bromide) showed that solutes are moving faster in the field than in the lysimeters. Fewer differences between lysimeters and field soils were found with the horizontal soil structure than with the isotropic and vertical structures.     

Factors affecting potassium leaching in different soils

Abstract. A set of lysimeter based experiments was carried out during 2000/01 to evaluate the impact of soil type and grassland management on potassium (K) leaching. The effects of (1) four soil textures (sand, loam, loam over chalk and clay), (2) grazing and cutting (with farmyard manure application), and (3) K applied as inorganic fertilizer, dairy slurry or a mixture of both sources were tested. Total K losses in the clay soil were more than twice those in the sand soil (13 and 6 kg K ha⁻¹, respectively) because of the development of preferential flow in the clay soil. They were also greater in the cut treatment than in the grazed treatment (82 and 51 kg K ha⁻¹, respectively; P 0.01), associated with a 63% increase of K concentration in the leachates from the former (6.7 ± 0.28 and 4.1 ± 0.22 mg K L⁻¹ for cut and grazed, respectively; P 0.01) because of the K input from the farmyard manure. The source of fertilizer did not affect total K losses or the average K concentration in the leachates ( P > 0.05), but it changed the pattern of these over time.     

Movement of solute through a porous medium under intermittent leaching

Excess salts may be removed from soil by leaching, but ponding water on the soil's surface and allowing infiltration requires large quantities of water. During such leaching water flows preferentially through macropores between aggregates, while the flow within aggregates is much less. Consequently, solute within aggregates is removed much more slowly, thus decreasing overall leaching efficiency. For this reason intermittent ponding can be more efficient because it allows time for solute to diffuse to the surfaces of aggregates during the rest period and subsequently be removed in macropore flow. We explored solute transport in aggregated soils under intermittent leaching in three ways: theoretically, by laboratory experiments on columns of porous ceramic spheres as analogues of aggregates, and by simulation. Solute movement during displacement is described by the mobile-immobile convection-dispersion equation. During the rest period flow ceases, and solute redistributes within the aggregates by diffusion, the key variable being the effective diffusion coefficient, D_e of the solute in the aggregates, and longitudinally by diffusion within macropores (though this was ignored in the simulation). We estimated D_e for our porous spheres from observations of solute outflow into finite volumes of stirred distilled water. The theory was validated against experiments on saturated columns for different aggregate-size distributions, flow velocities, and displacement and rest periods, with most parameters estimated independently. Experiments and simulations showed that water savings of 25% were possible under our laboratory conditions, increasing as aggregate size, flow velocity and duration of rest period increased. The potential of intermittent leaching in the field is considered.     

Effect of leaching soils with divalent cations

Calcium chloride and calcium sulphate have been widey used to reclaim alkali soils (1). The introduction of calcium ions (2) reduces the exchangeable sodium of the exchange-complex leading to the formation of normal soils gradually However, very little is known as to the effect of washing the normal soils repeatedly with solutions containing Ca⁺⁺ or Mg⁺⁺ ions.     

An analytical solution for advance of solute front in soils

Based on the assumption that solute transport in a semi-infinite soil column or in a field soil profile can be described by the boundary-layer method, an analytical solution is presented for the advance of a solute front with time. The traditional convection-dispersion equation (CDE) subjected to two boundary conditions: 1) at the soil surface (or inlet boundary) and 2) at the solute front, was solved using a Laplace transformation. A comparison of resident concentrations using a boundary-layer method and an exact solution (in a semi-infinite-domain) showed that both were in good agreement within the range between the two boundaries. This led to a new method for estimating solute transport parameters in soils, requiring only observation of advance of the solute front with time. This may be corroborated visually using a tracer solution with marking-dye or measured utilizing time domain reflectometry (TDR). This method is applicable to both laboratory soil columns and field soils. Thus, it could be a step forward for modeling solute transport in field soils and for better understanding of the transport processes in soils.     

Progress in studies of nitrate leaching from grassland soils

Abstract. The large input of research effort on aspects of nitrate leaching over the last two decades has produced many innovative scientific and practical results. The MAFF Nitrate Programme has enabled considerable progress to be made in unravelling much of the complexity of the grassland nitrogen (N) cycle, and identifying gaps as essential first stages in providing improved managements for N in grassland systems. From a practical standpoint, there have been key outputs which have allowed the identification of options for policy, and which should allow grassland farmers to increase the efficiency of N use throughout their farming system and thereby improve the sustainability of their enterprises. As well as quantifying N transformations, transfers and losses, other important outcomes have been the development of user-friendly models of N cycling (NCYCLE and variants) and an easy to use field kit to determine mineral N in pasture soils. The use of modelling to produce fertilizer recommendations with a Decision Support System and of new approaches developed within the Programme, in particular system synthesis desk studies, and 'farmlet' investigations to determine the consequences of modifying N flows and losses, have allowed us to produce solutions to satisfy the dual aims of meeting environmental and economic production targets.     

Estimating leaching losses from sub-surface drained soils

Abstract. Leaching losses of solutes can be calculated if two variables, the amount of water passing through the soil and the concentration of solute in that water (a flux concentration), are known. Two simple approaches, soil extraction and suction cup sampling, were used to estimate the concentration of solutes in the water moving through a silt loam soil. The results were compared with actual concentrations measured in the drainage water from a sub-surface (mole-pipe) drained soil.
Seasonal leaching losses were calculated as the sum of the products of estimated monthly drainage and the estimated average monthly solute concentration in the soil solution. These results were compared with the leaching losses measured in drainage water from the mole-pipe system. For non-reactive solutes such as bromide (an applied solute) and chloride (a resident solute), the suction cup data provided better estimates of the leaching losses than did the soil extraction data. The leaching losses calculated using volume-averaged soil solution concentrations (obtained by soil extraction) overestimated the loss for the resident solute, but under-estimated the loss for the surface-applied solute. On the other hand, the data for non-reactive solutes suggest that measurements on suction cup samples may be representative of the flux concentration of a solute during leaching. For nitrate, a biologically reactive solute, there was no clear pattern in the differences between the estimated and measured leaching losses. The flux-averaged concentration in the drainage water was about midway between those measured in the suction cup samples and in the soil solution.     

A simple predictive approach to solute transport in layered soils

Solute transport through layered columns (repacked aggregates overlying sand) was studied under steady flow conditions. Predictions of transport were simplified by assuming that the distribution of solute travel times in one layer was not correlated with that in the other. The implications of this assumption were developed for the transfer function model (TFM) and the convection-dispersion model (CDM) of solute transport. The parameter values in each model were obtained from experiments carried out on columns containing only aggregates or sand.
The solutes used were nitrate (surface-applied) and chloride (previously distributed); predictions of the chloride movement were made using the parameter values for the nitrate. The predictions were tested against experimental values of drainage effluent concentration and solute concentration with depths in the columns (measured at the end of the experiments). The TFM (with an assumed lognormal distribution of travel times) and the CDM did not differ significantly, mainly because the spatial scale of the experiments was small.
Because the parameter values for the columns of aggregates or sand were determined from the drainage effluent data, they were average values for whole columns. These parameters were satisfactory for predicting drainage effluent concentration from the two-layer columns. However, they were not satisfactory for predicting the depth distribution of solute, particularly in the sand, because the water content of the sand increased with depth, unlike that of the aggregates, which was approximately constant with depth. The overall results of this study on materials of differing transport characteristics suggest that the assumption of uncorrelated travel times between layers has a potentially wide application. The approach taken here needs to be tested on undisturbed layered soils.     

Pedotransfer functions for solute transport parameters of Portuguese soils

The purpose of this study is to quantify solute transport parameters of fine‐textured soils in an irrigation district in southern Portugal and to investigate their prediction from basic soil properties and unsaturated hydraulic parameters. Solute displacement experiments were carried out on 24 undisturbed soil samples by applying a 0.05 m KCl pulse during steady flow. The chloride breakthrough curves (BTCs) were asymmetric, with early breakthrough and considerable tailing characteristic of non‐equilibrium transport. The retardation factor (R), dispersion coefficient (D), partitioning coefficient (β), and mass transfer coefficient (ω) were estimated by optimizing the solution of the non‐equilibrium convection–dispersion equation (CDE) to the breakthrough data. The solution could adequately describe the observed data as proved by a median of 0.972 for the coefficient of determination (r²) and a median for the mean squared error (MSE) of 5.1 × 10^?6. The median value for R of 0.587 suggests that Cl^– was excluded from a substantial part of the liquid phase. The value for β was typically less than 0.5, but the non‐equilibrium effects were mitigated by a large mass transfer coefficient (ω > 1). Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) were developed with regression and neural network analyses to predict R, D, β and ω from basic soil properties and unsaturated hydraulic parameters. Fairly accurate predictions could be obtained for logD (r² ≈ 0.9) and β (r² ≈ 0.8). Prediction for R and logω were relatively poor (r² ≈ 0.5). The artificial neural networks were all somewhat more accurate than the regression equations. The networks are also more suitable for predicting transport parameters because they require only three input variables, whereas the regression equations contain many predictor variables.     

Urine enhances the leaching and persistence of estrogens in soils

The release of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) into the environment is of concern due to their potential deleterious effects on freshwater ecosystems and human health. Estrogen losses from agricultural land to freshwater have been implicated as a diffuse source of EDC pollution, however, uncertainty exists about the magnitude of this flux in comparison to other point sources (e.g. sewage treatment plants). Recent reviews have all highlighted the need for more mechanistic studies on hormone behaviour in soil environments. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of aqueous matrix on the leaching, sorption and persistence of two naturally occurring hormones, estrone and 17β-estradiol in three agricultural grassland soils. The hormones were applied to the surface of the soil in two solvents, distilled water and natural sheep urine. Rainfall was subsequently applied to the top of the soil columns and the leachate collected. In comparison to distilled water, the presence of sheep urine both enhanced and prolonged the amount of estrogen leaching from soil. We hypothesized that this enhanced rate of estrogen migration in soil was due to changes in either estrogen sorption or microbial activity. While the presence of urine did not greatly affect the rate and amount of estrogen sorption to soil (K_d = 4-16) it did significantly reduce the rate of hormone mineralization. Overall, our study shows that vertical estrogen movement is rapid, soil type dependent and regulated by the aqueous matrix in which the hormones are contained. In terms of risk assessment and environmental fate modelling, we conclude that previous studies performed using hormones contained in artificial matrices (e.g. distilled water) may have underestimated their rate of dissipation in the environment.     

Differential leaching of cations and sulfate in gypsum amended soils

Abstract

An adequate supply of available Ca in the soil solution of the pegging zone during fruit development is required for production of high yields of high quality peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.). On low Ca soils, application of gypsum during early bloom is recommended in order to ascertain adequate availability of Ca. Reaction of gypsum in soils under leaching conditions vary considerably and play an important role in fruit development and yield of peanuts. A laboratory study was conducted in leaching soil columns to investigate the effects of one gypsum amendment on leaching of Ca, K, Mg, and SO₄ to a depth of 8 cm (fruiting zone of peanut). Six soils of varying physical and chemical properties representative of major peanut growing soils in Georgia were utilized. Following leaching with 15 cm water through gypsum‐amended soil columns, 50% to 56% and 74% to 77% of applied Ca and SO₄, respectively, were leached below 8 cm in the sandy‐Carnegie, Dothan, Fuquay and Tifton soils. The respective values for the sandy clay loam‐Greenville and Faceville soils were 28% to 36% and 58% to 69%. Lower initial Ca status and greater leaching of Ca from the applied gypsum in the sandy soils as compared to sandy clay loam soils suggest greater beneficial effects of supplemental gypsum application for peanut production in the former soils than in the latter soils. Leaching of K or Mg (as percentage of Mehlich 1 extractable K or Mg) in gypsum‐amended treatment was considerably greater in sandy soils than that in the sandy clay loam soils. In view of the reported adverse effects of high concentrations of soil K and Mg in the fruiting zone on the yield and quality of peanuts, greater leaching of K and Mg from the fruiting zone in gypsum amended sandy soils enable them to maintain a favorable cation balance for the production of high yields of quality peanuts.     

Potential leaching of elements in three Danish Spruce forest soils

On three localities in Denmark, all with 40 to 50 yr old Norway spruce plantations, but different soil chemistry, ion balance studies have been implemented in 1983. The annual variations in soil water concentrations of cations and anions are described and the potential annual leaching fluxes are determined by means of zero-tension percolation lysimeters at 2 depths (A- and B-horizon). Leaching of A1 and and heavy metals was much more severe on the acidic sites, whereas especially Ca was leached from the nutrient rich site. In parallel with the high concentrations of Al and heavy metals, great needle loss was observed on the two acidic sites. The maximum leaching from the A-horizon was obtained either in the late summer, associated with the effluent of organic material, or in the winter due to large amounts of percolation water. Apart from low Ca and kin levels of one of the sites, the findings from the two acidic localities were comparable to similar studies in Sweden.     

Nitrogen leaching from soils in the Kopais area of Greece

Abstract. The contribution of agriculture to the nitrogen pollution of surface and ground waters of calcareous lake soils in the Kopais area (190 km²) of Greece was studied over three cropping seasons. Sample fields were chosen from seven representative soil units under different crop rotations. The distribution of mineral N (NO₃-N + NH₄-N) throughout the soil profile and the concentration of NO₃-N in the ground water and drainage water were measured and allocated to 6-month winter or spring periods. For all fields N was leached to the deeper soil layers and to the saturated zones by both excess winter rainfall and spring irrigation of different crops The amount of nitrogen leached depended on the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied; the depth of leaching varied with the physical properties of the soils. Losses in individual fields accounted for the equivalent of 17.6–80.8% of the nitrogen applied to maize and 70.5–94.1% of that applied to wheat. For the whole region estimated minimum N losses ranged from 175, 912 to 783, 564 kg for the 6-month period. Nitrate concentrations in the ground and surface waters were often more than the EC target level of 25 mg/1.     

Chemical composition controls residue decomposition in soils differing in initial pH

Laboratory incubation studies were conducted to determine the dynamics of low-molecular-weight aliphatic carboxylic acids and their anions (LACAs) and respiration in three soils incorporated with five types of plant residues differing in chemical composition. Concentrations of total and individual LACAs in soils decreased sharply with initial 3 days after addition of plant residues, and varied with types of plant residue and soil. Irrespective of soil types, the amount of total extractable LACAs was highest in the soils treated with chickpea, followed by lucerne and high-N wheat straw, and lowest with low-N wheat straw. Lancelin soil [initial pH(CaCl₂) 5.06] contained higher concentration of extractable LACAs compared with Bodallin (pH 4.54) and Wodjil soil (pH 3.87). Soil respiration rate was rapidly increased by the addition of plant residues, and reached the peak by Day 3. Respiration rate was the greatest in Lancelin soil and the smallest in Wodjil soil. The amounts of CO₂ respired over 7 days were equivalent to 6-25% of the added C for Wodjil soil, 6-39% for Bodallin soil and 6-47% for Lancelin soil, depending on type of plant residue. Those amounts over 105 days increased further. Irrespective of plant residue and soil type, the cumulative respiration correlated positively with concentrations of N, excess cations and soluble C in plant residues and initial soil pH, and negatively with C:N of plant residues. The results suggest that chemical composition of plant residues plays an important role at the initial stage of residue decomposition.     

Cadmium leaching from some New Zealand pasture soils

Cadmium (Cd) inputs and losses from agricultural soils are of great importance because of the potential adverse effects Cd can pose to food quality, soil health and the environment in general. One important pathway for Cd losses from soil systems is by leaching. We investigated loss of Cd from a range of contrasting New Zealand pasture soils that had received Cd predominantly from repeated applications of phosphate fertilizer. Annual leaching losses of Cd ranged between 0.27 and 0.86 g ha^–l, which are less than most losses recorded elsewhere. These losses equate to between 5 and 15% of the Cd added to soil through a typical annual application of single superphosphate, which in New Zealand contains on average 280 mg Cd kg^?1 P. It appears that Cd added to soil from phosphate fertilizer is fairly immobile and Cd tends to accumulate in the topsoil. The pH of the leachate and the total volume of drainage to some extent control the amount of Cd leached. Additional factors, such as the soil sorption capacity, are also important in controlling Cd movement in these pasture soils. The prediction of the amount of Cd leached using the measured concentrations of Cd in the soil solution and rainfall data resulted in an overestimation of Cd losses. Cadmium concentrations in drainage water are substantially less than the current maximum acceptable value of 3 µg l^?1 for drinking water in New Zealand set by the Ministry of Health.