soil hyraulic conductivity Flashcards
how much water is in the earths soils? (total water percent)
soils = 0.001 (0.05 % of fresh water) groundwater = 1.7
how can you manage soil water in 4 ways in preparation for drought and climate change?
- breed drought-tolerant crops
- conservation agriculture
- hydrological seasonal forecasting
- understanding soil water characteristics
what are 3 aspects of conservation agriculture
- no till to preserve structure
- constant ground cover
- diverse crops adn pasture to increase OM
how does soil structure effect water conservation
better sturcture will lead to increase infiltration and soil moisture.
degraded structure will lead to more runoff and soil will be less effective at storing water
what are the two ways soils water is expressed and what are their units?
- gravimetrically (wetness w g/g)
2. volumetrically/porosity (θ m3/m3 and dimensionless)
calculation for gravimeteric water content
w = Mass liquid/mass soil
* 100 for percent
Calculation for volumetric water content
θ = voume liquid (=mass liquid)/volume soil
*100 for percent
calculation for θ using wetness
w * bulk density (p)
converting mm to volume (ML)
100 mm/ha = 1 ML/ha
4 methods to measure water content (field or lab)
- bulk density cores
- sensors (probes)
- permanent feild equipment
- satellite soil mositure (active or passive measure temp ) only surface of the soil
3 statuses of the water in soil
- saturation
- field capacity
- wilting point
what is saturation
all pores are filled with water not all water is available
what is field capacity
~2 days after saturation, gravoty drains excess water from pores and some water is held
what is wilting point
water is held very tighly by soil and it is not available to plants (too much energy to absorb)
what 2 factors describes the state of water in soils
the water content (quantity volume %)
in relation to the water potential (quality) (wettest possible condition of the soil related to texture and bulk density
eg 20%water is high quality for sand and low quality for clay
which soil sandy, loam, clay has the most available water
aggregated loam. clay can hold more water however most in unavailable because it is held tightly to particles
where does water flow in relation to potential
high potential to low potential eg a wet sand to a dry sand.
what are the 2 reducing forces of soil water (output)
- evaporation
2. gravity (drainage)
what are the 2 holding forces of water
- adsorption (surrounding particles)
2. capillarity (in pores)