Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Water Edit a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue "Identification and Quantification of Water Flow and Solute Transport Processes in Agricultural, Natural and Artificial Hillslopes"

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecohydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2023 | Viewed by 2978

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Vilim Filipović

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Department of Soil Amelioration, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
2. Future Regions Research Centre, Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Engineering Research Group, Federation University, Gippsland, VIC 3841, Australia
Interests: water flow and solute transport processes in soils; numerical modeling; vadose zone processes – soil physics; unsaturated soil hydraulic properties estimation; nutrient and pesticide leaching and modeling; preferential flow

Prof. Dr. Thomas Baumgartl

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

Future Regions Research Centre, Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Engineering Research Group, Federation University, Gippsland, VIC 3841, Australia
Interests: rehabilitation; soil structure; soil hydrology; geomechanics; water balance; soil-plant-atmosphere interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hillslope landscapes are well known to present challenges for estimating the dynamics of vadose zone processes due to the variety of transport-related processes that are present, such as surface runoff; vertical flow; erosion; subsurface preferential flow; non-linear chemical behavior affected by soil structure, slope, and layering; evapotranspiration; erosion; slope stability etc. These processes are present in agricultural, natural or human-affected (i.e., artificial) hillslopes, and the various slope shapes (e.g., concave, convex) have a major impact on these processes. The quantification of hillslope processes is still very challenging, and its success is directly linked to the presence of topsoil and subsoil layer heterogeneity as well as the present plant species. These complex interactions result in nonuniform water flow and solute transport processes which cannot be easily assessed, even with sophisticated analytical or numerical methods.

The topic of the proposed Special Issue is left intentionally broad, as we would like to invite researchers from various disciplines (e.g., agronomy, geology and mining, environmental engineering, hydrology, biogeochemistry) to submit their findings or prepare review papers focusing on the challenge of water flow and solute transport quantification in various hillslope landforms in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum.

We strongly encourage the inclusion of both known and novel methodological approaches. These may include but are not limited to in situ and controlled conditions experiments; as well as analytical, modelling, conceptual and monitoring studies at various scales.

It is our intention to collate state-of-the-art studies and further improve our understanding of complex processes occurring in various hillslope landforms, and to find novel quantification approaches.

Dr. Vilim Filipović
Prof. Dr. Thomas Baumgartl
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

hillslope hydrology
vadose zone transport processes
contaminant transport
critical zone
subsurface lateral flow
preferential flow
modelling
slope stability
erosion
biogeochemical process

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Open AccessArticle

A Field Experiment for Tracing Lateral Subsurface Flow in a Post-Glacial Hummocky Arable Soil Landscape

Annelie Ehrhardt

Sylvia Koszinski

and

Horst H. Gerke

Water 2023, 15(6), 1248; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15061248 - 22 Mar 2023

Viewed by 98

Abstract

Lateral subsurface flow (LSF) is a phenomenon that is widely occurring including the hummocky ground moraine landscape. Due to the heterogeneous structure of the subsurface, transport times of pesticides and nutrients from agricultural areas to adjacent water bodies are difficult to assess. Here, LSF at Luvisol and Regosol plots of an experimental field were studied by applying potassium bromide along a 10 m trench below the plow pan in October 2019. The soil solution was collected in suction cups 3 m downslope of the trench and in April 2021, the soil was sampled down to 1 m depth. Almost no bromide was found in the soil solution except for the 160 cm depth of the Regosol plot after a 541 day period. After the same time, bromide was observed in the 90 cm soil depth directly underneath the application trench of the Luvisol plot. A 3D reconstruction of the subsurface horizon boundaries of the Regosol revealed subsurface heterogeneities such as sand lenses that might have been attributed to the heterogeneous subsurface flow pattern. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Identification and Quantification of Water Flow and Solute Transport Processes in Agricultural, Natural and Artificial Hillslopes)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Estimation of Precipitation Fraction in the Soil Water of the Hillslope Vineyard Using Stable Isotopes of Water

Zoran Kovač

Vedran Krevh

Lana Filipović

Jasmina Defterdarović

Borna-Ivan Balaž

and

Vilim Filipović

Water 2023, 15(5), 988; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15050988 - 04 Mar 2023

Viewed by 460

Abstract

This paper presents research related to the estimation of the precipitation fraction in the soil water of a sloped vineyard at the SUPREHILL Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) in Zagreb, Croatia. Numerous investigations have shown that exploration of hillslope soils can be very challenging due to the existence of heterogeneity and different soil properties, as well as due to anthropogenically induced processes, which can affect precipitation infiltration and soil water flow. Within this research, physicochemical soil properties, soil water content (SWC), and isotopic composition of soil water and precipitation (δ²H and δ¹⁸O) have been examined. The isotopic signature of soil water was monitored in 24 points, at 4 depths, throughout the hillslope vineyard. Soil water isotopic composition from all monitoring points coincided with the Local Meteoric Water Line (LMWL), with almost no variability at 100 cm depth, which was consistent with the smallest variation of SWC at 80 cm depth and indicated that most of water mixing takes place in the shallower part of the hillslope. Results suggested the existence of heterogeneity, uneven erosion processes in the footslope of the observed vineyard, and different infiltration patterns. Fractions of precipitation varied significantly depending on the depth and position in the vineyard, from approximately 1% up to 98%, where more precipitation fraction has been determined in the surface and subsurface runoff. Additionally, statistical analysis and a more detailed evaluation of precipitation fractions at the 40 cm depth, where wick lysimeters are installed, have shown that C_org content is related to the silt fraction, while the first results indicate that the infiltration patterns were dependent on the common influence of all observed physicochemical properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Identification and Quantification of Water Flow and Solute Transport Processes in Agricultural, Natural and Artificial Hillslopes)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Investigation of Hillslope Vineyard Soil Water Dynamics Using Field Measurements and Numerical Modeling

Jasmina Defterdarović

and

Water 2023, 15(4), 820; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15040820 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 531

Abstract

Soil heterogeneities can impact hillslope hydropedological processes (e.g., portioning between infiltration and runoff), creating a need for in-depth knowledge of processes governing water dynamics and redistribution. The presented study was conducted at the SUPREHILL Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) (hillslope vineyard) in 2021. A combination of field investigation (soil sampling and monitoring campaign) and numerical modeling with hydrological simulator HYDRUS-1D was used to explore the water dynamics in conjunction with data from a sensor network (soil water content (SWC) and soil-water potential (SWP) sensors), along the hillslope (hilltop, backslope, and footslope). Soil hydraulic properties (SHP) were estimated based on (i) pedotransfer functions (PTFs), (ii) undisturbed soil cores, and (iii) sensor network data, and tested in HYDRUS. Additionally, a model ensemble mean from HYDRUS simulations was calculated with PTFs. The highest agreement of simulated with observed SWC for 40 cm soil depth was found with the combination of laboratory and field data, with the lowest average MAE, RMSE and MAPE (0.02, 0.02, and 5.34%, respectively), and highest average R² (0.93), while at 80 cm soil depth, PTF model ensemble performed better (MAE = 0.03, RMSE = 0.03, MAPE = 7.55%, R² = 0.81) than other datasets. Field observations indicated that heterogeneity and spatial variability regarding soil parameters were present at the site. Over the hillslope, SWC acted in a heterogeneous manner, which was most pronounced during soil rewetting. Model results suggested that the incorporation of field data expands model performance and that the PTF model ensemble is a feasible option in the absence of laboratory data. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Identification and Quantification of Water Flow and Solute Transport Processes in Agricultural, Natural and Artificial Hillslopes)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Open AccessArticle

Leached Copper Correlation with Dissolved Organic Carbon in Sloped Vineyard Soil

Lana Filipović

Jasmina Defterdarović

and

Water 2023, 15(4), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15040800 - 17 Feb 2023

Viewed by 571

Abstract

The solubility and mobility of copper (Cu) in soil is strongly influenced by the presence of dissolved organic carbon (DOC); however, the interactions between Cu and DOC are complex and not yet fully understood. In this study, Cu and DOC concentrations were measured monthly for two years in leachates from self-constructed lysimeters installed at inter- and intra-row vineyard hilltop, backslope, and footslope areas at the SUPREHILL Critical Zone Observatory, Croatia. The aim was to quantify Cu and DOC leaching from the hilltop towards the backslope and the footslope. The assumed strong relationship between Cu and DOC in the leachates was statistically analyzed and explained using chemical equilibrium software. Leachates were analyzed for pH, EC, DOC, Cu, and major ion concentrations. The highest Cu concentrations found in leachates from the intra-row footslope suggested Cu downhill transport. Although not strong, a significant positive correlation between Cu and DOC in footslope leachates confirmed the relevance of Cu complexation by DOC. Speciation confirmed that more than 99.9% of total Cu in leachates was found as a Cu-DOC complex. Data implied the role of soil water flow pathways in explaining Cu downhill transport. Critical timing for applying Cu fungicides at sloped vineyards was highlighted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Identification and Quantification of Water Flow and Solute Transport Processes in Agricultural, Natural and Artificial Hillslopes)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Quantification of Intra- vs. Inter-Row Leaching of Major Plant Nutrients in Sloping Vineyard Soils

Lana Filipović

Vedran Krevh

Rui Chen

Jasmina Defterdarović

and

Water 2023, 15(4), 759; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15040759 - 14 Feb 2023

Viewed by 624

Abstract

Nutrient leaching from agricultural soils presents an economic loss for farmers and can degrade the quality of the surrounding environment. Thus, leachates from 18 in situ wick lysimeters, installed at 40 cm soil depth at the vineyard hilltop, backslope, and footslope intra- and inter-row area (SUPREHILL Critical Zone Observatory, Croatia) were collected monthly over two years and analyzed for major plant nutrient ions. Our objectives were to quantify nutrient losses via leaching from the hilltop towards the backslope and to the footslope, and to compare leaching from vine plant rows (intra-row) with grassed areas between vine rows (inter-row). We found that the concentrations of nitrate, orthophosphate, and potassium were significantly higher in leachates collected at the footslope as compared to the hilltop and backslope only at intra- and not at inter-row positions, while ammonium was independent of the slope and row positions. The vineyard intra-row is identified as the probable spatial origin of nutrient leaching along the slope, thus confirming spatially different contributions of overall hillslope to major plant nutrients leaching. The experimental field scheme used in this study, which separately analyses vineyard intra- and inter-row, was confirmed to be an adequate approach for optimizing vineyard management practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Identification and Quantification of Water Flow and Solute Transport Processes in Agricultural, Natural and Artificial Hillslopes)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Identification and Quantification of Water Flow and Solute Transport Processes in Agricultural, Natural and Artificial Hillslopes"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (5 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI