Heat and water transport in soils and across the soil-atmosphere interface: 2. Numerical analysis

In an accompanying paper, we presented an overview of a wide variety of modeling concepts, varying in complexity, used to describe evaporation from soil. Using theoretical analyses, we explained the simplifications and parameterizations in the different approaches. In this paper, we numerically evaluate the consequences of these simplifications and parameterizations. Two sets of simulations were performed. The first set investigates lateral variations in vertical fluxes, which emerge from both homogeneous and heterogeneous porous media, and their importance to capturing evaporation behavior. When evaporation decreases from parts of the heterogeneous soil surface, lateral flow and transport processes in the free flow and in the porous medium generate feedbacks that enhance evaporation from wet surface areas. In the second set of simulations, we assume that the vertical fluxes do not vary considerably in the simulation domain and represent the system using one-dimensional models which also consider dynamic forcing of the evaporation process, for example, due to diurnal variations in net radiation. Simulated evaporation fluxes subjected to dynamic forcing differed considerably between model concepts depending on how vapor transport in the air phase and the interaction at the interface between the free flow and porous medium were represented or parameterized. However, simulated cumulative evaporation losses from initially wet soil profiles were very similar between model concepts and mainly controlled by the desorptivity, Sevap, of the porous medium, which depends mainly on the liquid flow properties of the porous medium

Heat and Water Transport in Soils and across the Soil-Atmosphere Interface: Comparison of Model Concepts.

Evaporation from the soil surface represents a water flow and transport process in a porous medium that is coupled with a free air flow and with heat fluxes in the system. We give an overview of different model concepts that are used to describe this process. These range from non-isothermal two-phase flow two-component transport in the porous medium that is coupled with one-phase flow two-component transport in the free air to isothermal water flow in the porous with upper boundary conditions defined by a potential evaporation flux when available energy and transfer to the free air flow are limiting or by a critical threshold water pressure when soil water availability is limiting. The latter approach corresponds with the classical Richards equation with mixed boundary conditions. We formulated the different equations and identified assumptions behind simplified forms. Conditions for which lateral and up and downward air flow in the porous medium and vapor diffusion in the pore space play an important role were identified using simulations for a set of scenarios. When comparing cumulative evaporation fluxes from initially wet soil profiles, only small differences between the different models were found. The effect of vapor flow in the porous medium on cumulative evaporation could be evaluated using the desorptivity, Sevap, which represents a weighted average of liquid and vapor diffusivity over the range of soil water contents between the soil surface water content and the initial soil water content. Vapor flow influences the shape of the moisture front close to the soil surface. Simulated evaporation fluxes under dynamic forcing, e.g. due to diurnal variations in net radiation, differed considerably between the models. Experimental methods that allow monitoring of diurnal evaporation fluxes are therefore essential for model discrimination and parameterization

Solute transport in aquifers with evolving scale heterogeneity

Transport processes in groundwater systems with spatially heterogeneous properties often exhibit anomalous behavior. Using first-order approximations in velocity fluctuations we show that anomalous superdiffusive behavior may result if velocity fields are modeled as superpositions of random space functions with correlation structures consisting of linear combinations of short-range correlations. In particular, this corresponds to the superposition of independent random velocity fields with increasing integral scales proposed as model for evolving scale heterogeneity of natural porous media [Gelhar, L. W. Water Resour. Res. 22 (1986), 135S-145S]. Monte Carlo simulations of transport in such multi-scale fields support the theoretical results and demonstrate the approach to superdiffusive behavior as the number of superposed scales increases.publishedVersio

Mapping patterns of soil properties and soil moisture using electromagnetic induction to investigate the impact of land use changes on soil processes

As highlighted by many authors, classical or geophysical techniques for measuring soil moisture such as destructive soil sampling, neutron probes or Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) have some major drawbacks. Among other things, they provide point scale information, are often intrusive and time-consuming. ElectroMagnetic Induction (EMI) instruments are often cited as a promising alternative hydrogeophysical methods providing more efficiently soil moisture measurements ranging from hillslope to catchment scale. The overall objective of our research project is to investigate whether a combination of geophysical techniques at various scales can be used to study the impact of land use change on temporal and spatial variations of soil moisture and soil properties. In our work, apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) patterns are obtained with an EM multiconfiguration system. Depth profiles of ECa were subsequently inferred through a calibration-inversion procedure based on TDR data. The obtained spatial patterns of these profiles were linked to soil profile and soil water content distributions. Two catchments with contrasting land use (agriculture vs. natural forest) were selected in a subtropical region in the south of Brazil. On selected slopes within the catchments, combined EMI and TDR measurements were carried out simultaneously, under different atmospheric and soil moisture conditions. Ground-truth data for soil properties were obtained through soil sampling and auger profiles. The comparison of these data provided information about the potential of the EMI technique to deliver qualitative and quantitative information about the variability of soil moisture and soil properties

Development and analysis of the Soil Water Infiltration Global database

In this paper, we present and analyze a novel global database of soil infiltration measurements, the Soil Water Infiltration Global (SWIG) database. In total, 5023 infiltration curves were collected across all continents in the SWIG database. These data were either provided and quality checked by the scientists who performed the experiments or they were digitized from published articles. Data from 54 different countries were included in the database with major contributions from Iran, China, and the USA. In addition to its extensive geographical coverage, the collected infiltration curves cover research from 1976 to late 2017. Basic information on measurement location and method, soil properties, and land use was gathered along with the infiltration data, making the database valuable for the development of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for estimating soil hydraulic properties, for the evaluation of infiltration measurement methods, and for developing and validating infiltration models. Soil textural information (clay, silt, and sand content) is available for 3842 out of 5023 infiltration measurements ( ∼ 76%) covering nearly all soil USDA textural classes except for the sandy clay and silt classes. Information on land use is available for 76% of the experimental sites with agricultural land use as the dominant type ( ∼ 40%). We are convinced that the SWIG database will allow for a better parameterization of the infiltration process in land surface models and for testing infiltration models. All collected data and related soil characteristics are provided online in *.xlsx and *.csv formats for reference, and we add a disclaimer that the database is for public domain use only and can be copied freely by referencing it. Supplementary data are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.885492 (Rahmati et al., 2018). Data quality assessment is strongly advised prior to any use of this database. Finally, we would like to encourage scientists to extend and update the SWIG database by uploading new data to it

The potential of time-lapse GPR full-waveform inversion as high resolution imaging technique for salt and ethanol transport

Crosshole GPR full-waveform inversion (FWI) has shown a high potential to characterize the near surface at a decimeter scale which is crucial for flow and transport. GPR FWI provide high-resolution tomograms of dielectric permittivity and electrical conductivity, which can be linked lithological properties. This study tests the potential of time-lapse GPR FWI to monitor tracers of different geophysical properties (salt, heat, ethanol). Synthetic and preliminary field results show that both properties can resolve major transport processes

Pedotransfer functions in Earth system science: challenges and perspectives

Soil, through its various functions, plays a vital role in the Earth's ecosystems and provides multiple ecosystem services to humanity. Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) are simple to complex knowledge rules that relate available soil information to soil properties and variables that are needed to parameterize soil processes. In this paper, we review the existing PTFs and document the new generation of PTFs developed in the different disciplines of Earth system science. To meet the methodological challenges for a successful application in Earth system modeling, we emphasize that PTF development has to go hand in hand with suitable extrapolation and upscaling techniques such that the PTFs correctly represent the spatial heterogeneity of soils. PTFs should encompass the variability of the estimated soil property or process, in such a way that the estimation of parameters allows for validation and can also confidently provide for extrapolation and upscaling purposes capturing the spatial variation in soils. Most actively pursued recent developments are related to parameterizations of solute transport, heat exchange, soil respiration and organic carbon content, root density and vegetation water uptake. Further challenges are to be addressed in parameterization of soil erosivity and land use change impacts at multiple scales. We argue that a comprehensive set of PTFs can be applied throughout a wide range of disciplines of Earth system science, with emphasis on land surface models. Novel sensing techniques provide a true breakthrough for this, yet further improvements are necessary for methods to deal with uncertainty and to validate applications at global scale

Informaticawetenschappen in het leerplichtonderwijs

Dit standpunt bepleit en beargumenteert de noodzaak om elke jongere een opleiding informaticawetenschappen aan te bieden die toelaat om ’informaticavaardig’ te worden. Informaticavaardigheid gaat verder dan louter ‘digitale geletterdheid’, en houdt ook in dat de jongere in staat moet zijn ‘computationeel’ te denken. Computers zijn onmisbaar geworden, zowel in het professionele leven als in de privésfeer. Om de technologische evolutie te kunnen volgen is het van groot belang dat alle jongeren niet alleen de bestaande technologie leren gebruiken, maar ook de onderliggende werking leren begrijpen. Om de technologische evolutie te kunnen sturen, is het nodig dat voldoende jongeren in staat en gemotiveerd zijn om nieuwe technologie te creëren. Om deze doelstellingen te realiseren, dient het onderwijs van de informatica in het leerplichtonderwijs grondig hervormd te worden. In het basis- en secundair onderwijs dient een basisopleiding informaticawetenschappen opgenomen te worden, waarop in specifieke STEM richtingen voortgebouwd wordt. Een nieuw leerprogramma, goed opgeleide leraars en een goede informatica-infrastructuur zijn broodnodig. Ons leerplichtonderwijs is de belangrijkste actor om volgende generaties voor te bereiden op het leven, zowel professioneel als privé. De digitalisering van onze maatschappij kan haar voordelen alleen waarmaken als het onderwijs aangepast is aan deze digitale realiteit. Informatica- wetenschappen is een autonome wetenschap geworden met haar eigen manier van denken, en haar eigen basisbegrippen, te vergelijken met wiskunde, natuurkunde, en andere wetenschap- pen, die haar plaats in het onderwijs verdient. Het moet duidelijk zijn dat het hier niet gaat over het onderwijs van de traditionele vakken met de steun van informaticahulpmiddelen maar wel over de informaticawetenschappen zelf als vormend vak. Dit standpunt kwam tot stand binnen een werkgroep, opgericht door de KVAB en de Jonge Academie en samengesteld met leden uit diverse academische disciplines, onderwijsdeskundi- gen en actoren uit de bedrijfswereld

Infiltration from the pedon to global grid scales: an overview and outlook for land surface modelling

Infiltration in soils is a key process that partitions precipitation at the land surface in surface runoff and water that enters the soil profile. We reviewed the basic principles of water infiltration in soils and we analyzed approaches commonly used in Land Surface Models (LSMs) to quantify infiltration as well as its numerical implementation and sensitivity to model parameters. We reviewed methods to upscale infiltration from the point to the field, hill slope, and grid cell scale of LSMs. Despite the progress that has been made, upscaling of local scale infiltration processes to the grid scale used in LSMs is still far from being treated rigorously. We still lack a consistent theoretical framework to predict effective fluxes and parameters that control infiltration in LSMs. Our analysis shows, that there is a large variety in approaches used to estimate soil hydraulic properties. Novel, highly resolved soil information at higher resolutions than the grid scale of LSMs may help in better quantifying subgrid variability of key infiltration parameters. Currently, only a few land surface models consider the impact of soil structure on soil hydraulic properties. Finally, we identified several processes not yet considered in LSMs that are known to strongly influence infiltration. Especially, the impact of soil structure on infiltration requires further research. In order to tackle the above challenges and integrate current knowledge on soil processes affecting infiltration processes on land surface models, we advocate a stronger exchange and scientific interaction between the soil and the land surface modelling communities