Investigating Near-Surface Hydrologic Connectivity in a Grass-Covered Inter-Row Area of a Hillslope Vineyard Using Field Monitoring and Numerical Simulations

Vedran Krevh (), Lana Filipović, Jasmina Defterdarović, Igor Bogunović, Yonggen Zhang, Zoran Kovač, Andrew Barton and Vilim Filipović ()
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Vedran Krevh: Department of Soil Amelioration, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Lana Filipović: Department of Soil Amelioration, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Jasmina Defterdarović: Department of Soil Amelioration, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Igor Bogunović: Department of General Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Yonggen Zhang: Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Zoran Kovač: Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Faculty of Mining Geology and Petroleum Engineering, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Andrew Barton: Future Regions Research Centre, Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Engineering Research Group, Federation University, Gippsland, VIC 3841, Australia
Vilim Filipović: Department of Soil Amelioration, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-18

Abstract: The interplay of surface and shallow subsurface fluxes plays a critical role in controlling water movement in hillslope agroecosystems and impacting soil and plant health during prolonged dry periods, demonstrating a need for in-field monitoring. This study was conducted for two years (2021–2022) by combining field monitoring of the grass-covered inter-row area (passive wick lysimeter, surface runoff, and meteorological data), laboratory determination of soil hydraulic properties (SHPs), and numerical modeling with the aim to explore near-surface fluxes at the SUPREHILL Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) located on a hillslope vineyard. Additionally, sensitivity analysis for basic root water uptake (RWU) parameters was conducted. The model was evaluated (R 2 , RMSE, and NSE) with lysimeter (hillslope) and runoff (footslope) data, producing good agreement, but only after the inverse optimization of laboratory estimated hydraulic conductivity was conducted, demonstrating that adequate parameterization is required to capture the hydropedological response of erosion-affected soil systems. Results exhibit the dependence of runoff generation on hydraulic conductivity, rainfall, and soil moisture conditions. The data suggest different soil-rewetting scenarios based on temporal rainfall variability. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that Leaf Area Index (LAI) was the most responsive parameter determining the RWU. The study offers an approach for the investigation of fluxes in the topsoil for similar sites and/or crops (and covers), presenting the methodology of self-constructed soil–water collection instruments.

Keywords: passive wick lysimeters; surface runoff; topsoil; hillslope; critical zone observatory (CZO) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:5:p:1095-:d:1151401

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