Spatial analysis of soil hydraulic conductivity in a tropical rain forest catchment
- The topography of first-order catchments in a region of western Amazonia was found to exhibit distinctive, recurrent features: a steep, straight lower side slope, a flat or nearly flat terrace at an intermediate elevation between valley floor and interfluve, and an upper side slope connecting interfluve and intermediate terrace. A detailed survey of soil-saturated hydraulic conductivity (K sat)-depth relationships, involving 740 undisturbed soil cores, was conducted in a 0.75-ha first-order catchment. The sampling approach was stratified with respect to the above slope units. Exploratory data analysis suggested fourth-root transformation of batches from the 0–0.1 m depth interval, log transformation of batches from the subsequent 0.1 m depth increments, and the use of robust estimators of location and scale. The K sat of the steep lower side slope decreased from 46 to 0.1 mm/h over the overall sampling depth of 0.4 m. The corresponding decrease was from 46 to 0.1 mm/h on the intermediate terrace, from 335 to 0.01 mm/h on the upperThe topography of first-order catchments in a region of western Amazonia was found to exhibit distinctive, recurrent features: a steep, straight lower side slope, a flat or nearly flat terrace at an intermediate elevation between valley floor and interfluve, and an upper side slope connecting interfluve and intermediate terrace. A detailed survey of soil-saturated hydraulic conductivity (K sat)-depth relationships, involving 740 undisturbed soil cores, was conducted in a 0.75-ha first-order catchment. The sampling approach was stratified with respect to the above slope units. Exploratory data analysis suggested fourth-root transformation of batches from the 0–0.1 m depth interval, log transformation of batches from the subsequent 0.1 m depth increments, and the use of robust estimators of location and scale. The K sat of the steep lower side slope decreased from 46 to 0.1 mm/h over the overall sampling depth of 0.4 m. The corresponding decrease was from 46 to 0.1 mm/h on the intermediate terrace, from 335 to 0.01 mm/h on the upper side slope, and from 550 to 0.015 mm/h on the interfluve. A depthwise comparison of these slope units led to the formulation of several hypotheses concerning the link between K sat and topography.…
Author details: | Helmut ElsenbeerORCiD, Keith Cassel, Jorge Castro |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-16979 |
Publication series (Volume number): | Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe (paper 051) |
Publication type: | Postprint |
Language: | English |
Publication year: | 1992 |
Publishing institution: | Universität Potsdam |
Release date: | 2008/03/28 |
Source: | Water Resources Research. - 28 (1992), 12, p. 3201 - 3214. - ISSN 0043-1397 |
Organizational units: | Extern / Extern |
Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Umweltwissenschaften und Geographie | |
DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 55 Geowissenschaften, Geologie / 550 Geowissenschaften |
Institution name at the time of the publication: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Geoökologie |
License (German): | Keine öffentliche Lizenz: Unter Urheberrechtsschutz |
External remark: | first published in: Water Resources Research - 28 (1992), 12, p. 3201 - 3214 ISSN: 0043-1397 |