Soil macroporosity and infiltration characteristics of a forest podzol

✍ Scribed by J. M. Buttle; D. J. McDonald

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 327 KB
• Volume: 14
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6087
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1085(20000415)14:5<831::aid-hyp974>3.0.co;2-t

✦ Synopsis

Spatial distribution of soil macroporosity was determined for a forest podzol from tension in®ltrometer measurements at the soil surface. Surface-derived macroporosity values were compared with point in®ltration characteristics obtained from soil water content and soil water chemistry measurements during an experimental irrigation, and with parameters of a kinematic wave model applied to soil water content data. Macroporosity estimated by the tension in®ltrometer ranged from 0 . 00087 to 0 . 0219% of soil volume, and in®ltration at these two sites was dominated by propagation of a well-de®ned wetting front through the soil pro®le and bypass ¯ow via soil macropores, respectively. In®ltration at sites with intermediate macroporosities re¯ected a combination of these two processes, although results were inconclusive at one site owing to lateral ¯ow at the base of the soil pro®le. There was no agreement between macroporosities estimated by the tension in®ltrometer and the kinematic wave model. The maximum soil conductance parameter within the pro®le at a site, however, was related directly to the surface-derived macroporosity. The partial agreement between surface-derived macroporosity estimates and point in®ltration characteristics shown here supports the use of tension in®ltrometry as a rapid, non-destructive method of assessing spatial variations in the relative contribution of macropore ¯ow to the in®ltration process.