Soil Hydraulic Properties Characterization for Improving Water Availability: Second Edition
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Earth Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 August 2026 | Viewed by 1040
Special Issue Editors
Interests: soil hydrology; water repellency; soil physics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: modelling soil water flow and solute transport; soil hydraulic properties; infiltration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: soil physics; infiltration; soil hydraulic properties; vadose zone hydrology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Knowledge of the hydraulic properties of soil is crucial for simulating hydrological processes at different spatial and temporal scales. Due to the ongoing threat of climate change, the availability of water is becoming seriously threatened in arid and semi-arid regions, and an enhanced understanding of the vadose zone hydrology and its implications for numerous soil functions will become crucial in the coming years, particularly when aiming to optimize water resources in agricultural, forest, and urban environments.
In this Special Issue, we focus on experimental and theoretical challenges and state-of-the-art approaches to the characterization, measurement, and modelling of the hydraulic properties of soil. To fulfill the scope of Applied Sciences, studies should aim to demonstrate how the hydraulic properties of soil are affected by soil management and external inputs (fertilization, pollutants, low-quality irrigation water, etc.) and how they affect hydrological processes (runoff, erosion, groundwater recharge, etc.), with a specific focus on water availability in the context of climate change.
The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:
- Field and laboratory infiltration measurements;
- Plant water availability for precision agriculture;
- Inverse methods for soil hydraulic characterization;
- Development of PTFs for soil hydraulic characterization at different scales;
- Use of geo-physical techniques for modeling soil structure and water flow;
- Modeling of preferential flows;
- Remote sensing application to soil hydraulic characterization;
- Interaction between soil properties and ecosystems water use efficiency;
- Effects of soil use and management on physical quality and hydraulic properties;
- Interactions between water quality and vadose zone hydrology;
- Use of organic amendments for soil restoration;
- Effects of biogeochemical processes on soil hydraulic properties;
- Influence of soil hydraulic properties on water saving in water-limited environments;
- Urban soils and technosoils characterization for green infrastructures.
Dr. Vincenzo Alagna
Dr. Dario Autovino
Prof. Dr. Massimo Iovino
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- soil hydraulic properties
- inverse modeling
- PTF
- soil physical quality
- plant water availability
- water use efficiency
- vadose zone hydrology
- urban soils
- water saving
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