Hydropedology

Hydropedology is a microcosm for what is happening in Soil Science. Once a staid discipline found in schools of agriculture devoted to increasing crop yield, soil science is transforming itself into an interdisciplinary mulch with great significance not only for food production but also climate change, ecology, preservation of natural resources, forestry, and carbon sequestration. Hydropedology brings together pedology (soil characteristics) with hydrology (movement of water) to understand and achieve the goals now associated with modern soil science.

• The first book of its kind in the market
• Highly interdisciplinary, involving new thinking and synergistic approaches
• Stimulating case studies demonstrate the need for hydropedology in various practical applications
• Future directions and new approaches are present to advance this emerging interdisciplinary science

Scientists and practitioners; researchers, educators, students, and consultants interested in the interface of : soil science and hydrology, soil physics, geomorphology, biogeochemistry, geophysics, geology, ecology, natural resources, agricultural and biological engineering, civil and environmental engineering, and other related bio- and geo-sciences.

Preface

Foreword

PART I: Overviews and Fundamentals

Chapter 1. Hydropedology

1 Introduction

2 Hydropedology: Fundamental Questions and Illustrative Examples

3 Hydropedology’s Unique Contributions: Bridging Time, Space, and Systems

4 Frontiers of Hydropedology Applications and Education

5 Summary

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 2. Understanding Soil Architecture and Its Functional Manifestation across Scales

1 Concept of Soil Architecture and its Significance

2 Hierarchical Multiscale Frameworks of Soil Architecture

3 Formation and Pattern of Soil Architecture

4 Concluding Remarks

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 3. Preferential Flow in a Pedological Perspective

1 Introduction

2 Quantifying Preferential Flow

3 Factors Affecting Preferential Flow

4 Using Hydropedological Principles to Support Preferential Flow Modeling at the Landscape Scale

5 Concluding Remarks

References

Chapter 4. Preferential Flow Dynamics and Plant Rooting Systems

1 Introduction

2 Approaches to Rapid Infiltration

3 Infiltration and Air Capacity According to Burger

4 Hydropedological Root Effects Assessed with Patterns of Water-Content Waves

5 Elements of a Stokes Approach to Macropore Flow

6 Effects of Tree Root Density on Stokes Flow

7 Concluding Remarks

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 5. Redoximorphic Features as Related to Soil Hydrology and Hydric Soils

1 Introduction

2 Hydromorphic Features

3 Interpretation

4 Landscape Relations

5 Contemporary versus Relict Features

6 Summary and Conclusions

References

Chapter 6. Subaqueous Soils

1 Introduction

2 Pedogenesis of Subaqueous Soils

3 Mapping of Subaqueous Soils

4 Applications of Subaqueous Soil Information

5 Summary and Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 7. Quantifying Processes Governing Soil-Mantled Hillslope Evolution

1 Introduction

2 Conceptual Framework and Methods

3 Field Site Summary

4 Representative Results and Discussion

5 Conclusion

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 8. Thermodynamic Limits of the Critical Zone and their Relevance to Hydropedology

1 Introduction

2 How is the Critical Zone Described as a Thermodynamic System?

3 How Does Thermodynamics Impose Direction and Limits on the Dynamics of the Critical Zone?

4 How are Thermodynamic Limits Relevant to Processes of the Critical Zone?

5 How Does Thermodynamics Relate to Structure and Function of the Critical Zone?

6 Summary and Outlook

Acknowledgments

References

PART II: Case Studies and Applications

Chapter 9. Hydropedology in Caliche Soils Weathered from Glen Rose Limestone of Lower Cretaceous Age in Texas

1 Introduction

2 Geological and Landscape Setting

3 Materials and Methods

4 Soil-Landscape Features and Hydraulic Properties

5 Pathways of Water Flow and Solute Transport

6 Misconceptions and Environmental Implications

7 Summary

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 10. Hydropedology in Seasonally Dry Landscapes

1 Introduction

2 Environmental Problems

3 Palouse Soil-Forming Factors and Soil Morphology

4 Positive Feedback Mechanisms between Soil Morphology and Hydrologic Processes

5 Implications for Soil and Water Management in the Palouse

6 Future Direction of Hydropedology Research in the Palouse

7 Summary

References

Chapter 11. Hydropedology of the North American Coastal Temperate Rainforest

1 The Use of Hydropedology in the North American Temperate Biome

2 Setting and Details of the NCTR Hydrologic Observatory

3 A Framework for Integrated Hydropedologic Studies in the NCTR

4 Future Applications and Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 12. Hydropedology in the Ridge and Valley

1 Introduction

2 Materials and Methods

3 Results and Discussion

4 Summary and Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 13. Geophysical Investigations of Soil–Landscape Architecture and Its Impacts on Subsurface Flow

1 Introduction

2 Materials and Methods

3 Results and Discussion

4 Summary and Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 14. Hydropedology, Geomorphology, and Groundwater Processes in Land Degradation

1 Introduction

2 Background

3 Methods

4 Case Studies

5 Conclusion

References

Chapter 15. Hydropedology as a Powerful Tool for Environmental Policy and Regulations

1 Introduction

2 Links between Research and Policy Making when Pursuing Sustainable Development

3 Hydropedology as a Powerful Tool in Studies on Sustainable Development

4 A Focus on Systems Analysis and Soil Functions

5 The Seven Soil Functions: Priority Areas for Hydropedology Research

6 Conclusions

References

PART III: Advances in Modeling, Mapping, and Coupling

Chapter 16. Soil Information in Hydrologic Models

1 Different Views on Soil Hydrologic Function – An Introduction

2 Soil and Soil Parameters in Hydrologic Models – The Modelers’ Point of View

3 Tacit Knowledge of Subsurface Runoff Processes – The Experimentalists’ Point of View

4 Discussion

5 Concluding Remarks

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 17. Hydrological Classifications of Soils and their Use in Hydrological Modeling

1 Introduction

2 Importance of Soils for Catchment Hydrology

3 Existing Soil Hydrological Classifications

4 Using Soil Data and Soil Hydrological Classifications in Modeling

5 Summary and Future Outlook

References

Chapter 18. Subsurface Flow Networks at the Hillslope Scale

1 Introduction

2 Preferential Network Detection

3 Hydrologic Connectivity and Threshold Behavior

4 Conceptual Models of Subsurface Flow Networks

5 Subsurface Flow Network Modeling

6 State of the Science and a Way Forward

References

Chapter 19. Hydrologic Information in Pedologic Models

1 Introduction

2 Brief Overview of Models that Do Not Explicitly Consider Water Transfer

3 Models to Predict Soil Evolution due to Climatic Change, or Land Use

4 The Pedogenesis Model SoilGen

5 The WITCH Weathering Model

6 Conclusions and Perspectives

References

Chapter 20. Modeling and Mapping Soil Spatial and Temporal Variability

1 Modeling Soil–Landscape Variability

2 Mapping Soil Variability

3 Conclusions

References

Chapter 21. Digital Soil Mapping

1 Soil Mapping, Soil Survey, and the Value of Spatial Soil Information

2 Digital Soil Mapping—Spatial Prediction of Soil Properties and Types

3 Digital Soil Mapping for Hydropedologic Applications

4 Research Needs and Future Considerations

5 Summary

References

Chapter 22. Coupling Biogeochemistry and Hydropedology to Advance Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling Science

1 Introduction

2 Bridging Scales

3 Nitrogen Biogeochemistry and the Role of Hydropedology

4 Future Directions

5 Conclusions

References

Chapter 23. Coupling Ecohydrology and Hydropedology at Different Spatio-Temporal Scales in Water-Limited Ecosystems

1 Introduction

2 Water Flow at the Soil Pore and Plant Stomata Scale

3 Canopy Partition of Precipitation and Preferential Flow in Soils at the Individual Plant Scale

4 Vegetation Pattern and its Effects on Water Flow and Soil Properties at the Patch Scale

5 Surface and Subsurface Flow at the Hillslope and Catchment Scales

6 Vegetation Evolution and Soil Development at Different Temporal Scales

7 Summary and Future Outlooks

Acknowledgments

References

Chapter 24. Hydropedology

1 Introduction

2 Summary of the Book Chapters

3 Outlook for Advancing Hydropedology

4 Concluding Remarks

Acknowledgments

References

Index

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