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Agriculturae Conspectus Scientificus, Vol. 84 No. 2, 2019.

Original scientific paper

Effect of fire induced water repellency on soil hydraulic properties and water flow

Lana Filipović orcid id orcid.org/ORCID ; University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil Amelioration, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mirel Mešić orcid id orcid.org/ORCID ; University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil Amelioration, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Thomas Weninger orcid id orcid.org/ORCID ; University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Institute of Hydraulics and Rural Water Management, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
Andreas Schwen orcid id orcid.org/ORCID ; University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Institute of Hydraulics and Rural Water Management, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
Alen Novosel orcid id orcid.org/ORCID ; University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil Amelioration, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Matej Maretić orcid id orcid.org/ORCID ; University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil Amelioration, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Vilim Filipović orcid id orcid.org/ORCID ; University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil Amelioration, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

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Abstract

Water infiltration into the root zone, its retention in soil and drainage from the soil profile, are highly sensitive to the presence, degree and persistence of soil water repellency (SWR). Prolonged drought periods and wildfires can increase SWR substantially, thus    the aim of this study was to determine the effect of forest fire-induced water repellency    on soil hydraulic properties, infiltration and water flow in unsaturated soil (vadose) zone. Infiltration experiments with water and ethanol were conducted on forest sites, selected according to their exposure to fire: heavily burned (A), burned (B) and non-affected as the control site (C). Infiltration data were used as an input for inverse determination of soil hydraulic parameters required for computer model calibration (HYDRUS 2D/3D). Then, a one-year climatic scenario for 2016 with measured meteorological data was simulated using HYDRUS-1D software. Data showed that in the case of soil exposure to high temperatures (forest fires), a relatively large increase of SWR is observed. Compared to the control plot, a considerably greater difference between the hydraulic conductivity, Ks, values for water and ethanol was found at both fire affected plots. This suggested positive relationship between soil water repellency and reduced water infiltration. Numerical simulation of the intensive (extreme) rainfall event clearly showed that SWR affects soil water balance by reducing the infiltration and increasing the surface runoff.

Keywords

soil hydrophobicity; soil infiltration; inverse modeling; soil water dynamics; HYDRUS

Hrčak ID:

221757

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/221757

Publication date:

27.6.2019.

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