Hydraulic Properties Within the Complete Moisture Range of Hydric Soil on the Tibetan Plateau
Abstract The Tibetan Plateau is well‐known for its expansive wetland environments. Hydric soils, a fundamental component of these environments, exhibit diverse hydraulic characteristics attributable to their varied botanical and mineralogical composition and their inherent porous structures. Nonethe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-07-01
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| Series: | Water Resources Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036018 |
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| author | X. Wang Z. L. Wang W. Yang R. Liu |
| author_facet | X. Wang Z. L. Wang W. Yang R. Liu |
| author_sort | X. Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Tibetan Plateau is well‐known for its expansive wetland environments. Hydric soils, a fundamental component of these environments, exhibit diverse hydraulic characteristics attributable to their varied botanical and mineralogical composition and their inherent porous structures. Nonetheless, research on the hydraulic properties of such soils in Tibet remains notably underrepresented relative to European and Canadian regions. Consequently, in this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of different unsaturated hydraulic schemes in equilibrium and examine the parameter uncertainty of 14 undisturbed samples collected from four soligenous wetlands. The findings suggest that both the van Genuchten and Kosugi functions, when integrated with the Peters‐Iden‐Durner (PDI) model, yield a nearly consistent fit to experimental observations and demonstrate strong identifiability of parameters. This indicates that the PDI model can accurately characterize hydraulic properties across the complete moisture range of hydric soils. Analysis of samples with a low clay content and no sphagnum suggests that the intertwined, twisted, and hollow residues of herbaceous vascular tissues do not create a distinct, independent macro‐pore system. Therefore, the unimodal scheme integrating the PDI model is adequate. However, for samples that exhibit nonmonotonicity of the first‐order derivative of the retention curve, such as uncompacted samples containing sphagnum or samples rich in clay, the integration of the PDI model into the bimodal scheme boosts accuracy while having almost negligible impact on identifiability. The varied observed hydraulic properties of only 14 samples underscore the necessity for extensive hydric‐soil sampling and hydraulic analysis across the expansive and varied wetland landscapes on the Tibetan Plateau. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-244c84cd2beb41e7ae5404dd1f3228dc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0043-1397 1944-7973 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Resources Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-244c84cd2beb41e7ae5404dd1f3228dc2025-08-20T03:30:56ZengWileyWater Resources Research0043-13971944-79732024-07-01607n/an/a10.1029/2023WR036018Hydraulic Properties Within the Complete Moisture Range of Hydric Soil on the Tibetan PlateauX. Wang0Z. L. Wang1W. Yang2R. Liu3Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaKey Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaKey Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaKey Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaAbstract The Tibetan Plateau is well‐known for its expansive wetland environments. Hydric soils, a fundamental component of these environments, exhibit diverse hydraulic characteristics attributable to their varied botanical and mineralogical composition and their inherent porous structures. Nonetheless, research on the hydraulic properties of such soils in Tibet remains notably underrepresented relative to European and Canadian regions. Consequently, in this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of different unsaturated hydraulic schemes in equilibrium and examine the parameter uncertainty of 14 undisturbed samples collected from four soligenous wetlands. The findings suggest that both the van Genuchten and Kosugi functions, when integrated with the Peters‐Iden‐Durner (PDI) model, yield a nearly consistent fit to experimental observations and demonstrate strong identifiability of parameters. This indicates that the PDI model can accurately characterize hydraulic properties across the complete moisture range of hydric soils. Analysis of samples with a low clay content and no sphagnum suggests that the intertwined, twisted, and hollow residues of herbaceous vascular tissues do not create a distinct, independent macro‐pore system. Therefore, the unimodal scheme integrating the PDI model is adequate. However, for samples that exhibit nonmonotonicity of the first‐order derivative of the retention curve, such as uncompacted samples containing sphagnum or samples rich in clay, the integration of the PDI model into the bimodal scheme boosts accuracy while having almost negligible impact on identifiability. The varied observed hydraulic properties of only 14 samples underscore the necessity for extensive hydric‐soil sampling and hydraulic analysis across the expansive and varied wetland landscapes on the Tibetan Plateau.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036018Tibetan peatlandhydric soilhydraulic propertycomplete moisture range |
| spellingShingle | X. Wang Z. L. Wang W. Yang R. Liu Hydraulic Properties Within the Complete Moisture Range of Hydric Soil on the Tibetan Plateau Water Resources Research Tibetan peatland hydric soil hydraulic property complete moisture range |
| title | Hydraulic Properties Within the Complete Moisture Range of Hydric Soil on the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_full | Hydraulic Properties Within the Complete Moisture Range of Hydric Soil on the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_fullStr | Hydraulic Properties Within the Complete Moisture Range of Hydric Soil on the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydraulic Properties Within the Complete Moisture Range of Hydric Soil on the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_short | Hydraulic Properties Within the Complete Moisture Range of Hydric Soil on the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_sort | hydraulic properties within the complete moisture range of hydric soil on the tibetan plateau |
| topic | Tibetan peatland hydric soil hydraulic property complete moisture range |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036018 |
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