Abstract
A key parameter for the design of soil drainage and irrigation facilities and for the modelling of surface runoff and erosion phenomena in land-formed areas is the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). There are many methods for determining its value. In situ and laboratory measurements are commonly regarded as the most accurate and direct methods; however, they are costly and time-consuming. Alternatives can be found in the increasingly popular models of pedotransfer functions (PTFs), which can be used for rapid determination of soil hydrophysical parameters. This study presents an analysis of the Ks values obtained from in situ measurements conducted using a double-ring infiltrometer (DRI). The measurements were conducted using a laboratory permeability meter (LPM) and were estimated using five PTFs in the Rosetta program, based on easily accessible input data, i.e., the soil type, content of various grain sizes in %, density, and water content at 2.5 and 4.2 pF, respectively. The degrees of matching between the results from the PTF models and the values obtained from the in situ and laboratory measurements were investigated based on the root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), and determination coefficient (R2). The statistical relationships between the tested variables tested were confirmed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rho). Data analysis showed that in situ measurements of Ks were only significantly correlated with the laboratory tests conducted on intact samples; the values obtained in situ were much higher. The high sensitivity of Ks to biotic and abiotic factors, especially in the upper soil horizons, did not allow for a satisfactory match between the values from the in situ measurements and those obtained from the PTFs. In contrast, the laboratory measurements, showed a significant correlation with the Ks values, as estimated by the models PTF-2 to PTF-5; the best match was found for PTF-2.
Highlights
Water permeability is a key property of soils, especially with regard to the design of soil irrigation and drainage facilities, modelling of surface runoff and erosion phenomena in land-formed areas, and environmental processes occurring in porous media [1,2,3]
V is the volume of water flowing through the sample; K is the permeability coefficient or ‘Ks’; h is the water level difference inside and outside ringholder or sample cylinder; L is the length of the soil sample; i is the permeability rise gradient or h/L (–); A is the cross-sectional area of the sample (m2); and t is the time used for flow through of water volume
The ‘efficiency Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE)’ = 0 indicated that the calculations of Ks using the Rosetta program were as accurate as the mean of the measured data; in contrast, an efficiency NSE < 0 occurred when the measured mean was a better predictor than the model or, in other words, when the residual variance, as described by the numerator in the equation above, was larger than the data variance described by the denominator
Summary
Water permeability is a key property of soils, especially with regard to the design of soil irrigation and drainage facilities, modelling of surface runoff and erosion phenomena in land-formed areas, and environmental processes occurring in porous media [1,2,3]. Global climate change, as characterised by an increased frequency of periods of excesses and shortages of water, may hinder the development of modern agriculture, i.e., by reducing the quantity and quality of crop yields. To counteract these adverse phenomena, water engineering and land reclamation facilities are being used in many regions of the world [10,11]. Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) have become popular and have been used to estimate time-consuming and difficult-to-measure soil properties, such as Ks or soil water retention (pF) values [1,20,21,22]. It was considered that for engineering purposes, such as irrigation or drainage pgttwatthhoyrldaeaaapdvntsmesientcTs,ohTtioatgeihneholbnrregemalKstde,yianaesdiiiptiunttmmeoveeeliroars,ketomolmdhgnauffdreoieettntahvhwsthKneriiaioisssustcttbahhrlvfrcboetoeeeaaoslmrsleieKKmuneeaetseasenprotsrdcrpvgocihkociaashfnnfriwrltuceooawaioaemoemwrarsmasnisebtnt,PopothltdgefTeooetreaFeps.sntKrsiosuetatsiissirbliotntpsthplnyetobet,ah,hsaraspedeeasonoseempiRd,sldnosssoeswiusotbsbisetcneaaiiyrhltbtsi.et,eteiaaayrldasisptncoiyiolordfryonnruoigatwgfseerciaauannactsmsettgiie.ioslnyPrsnWfgiTobacoerFlPocreschanTdeiryitFnnsarepssapbntoiiluhibtnetn.etlhaesWdtgeRohiseaonieeitlzsppaseRehl,uctaoyittotn.ahseprdne.apro,aitetrtntttshohatagphgee,,poesriisria.ntKoezomdi.ei-ss,l tvoatlhueesvoablutaeisnoedbtfarionmedPfTroFms in(i)thdeirReoctseinttasipturoagnrdam(iif)olraabroarbalteorsyoimls ecaosrurersepmoenndtst.oTtohetevsatltuhees hoybptaoitnheedsifsrowme (ei)xdamireicnteidn tshiteuaarnadbl(eii)solaiblsorinatoCreynmtraeal sEuurerompeent(sd.iTstoritcetstotfhReahcyibpóortzh,essiosuwthe Peoxlaamnidn)eidntahe15a0racbmledseopiltshinsoCilepnittrsa.l Europe (district of Racibórz, south Poland) in a 150 cm depth soil pits
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
