Articles | Volume 25, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-983-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-983-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Sigmoidal water retention function with improved behaviour in dry and wet soils
Gerrit Huibert de Rooij
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Soil System Science Department, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
Juliane Mai
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Raneem Madi
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Soil System Science Department, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
current address: GFI Grundwasser-Consulting-Institut GmbH, Meraner Strasse 10, 01217 Dresden, Germany
Related authors
Gerrit Huibert de Rooij
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 6921–6950, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-6921-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-6921-2025, 2025
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Water flows ever more slowly in soil when the soil dries out. This can be described by the conductivity curve that accounts for water filling up small spaces, sticking to grains in films, and water vapour diffusion. This paper introduces a relatively simple model for this curve that needs one fewer parameter than most others. It works well for most soils, but some need the extra parameter. The paper also presents a computer program to determine the parameter values of this and other models.
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The way infiltrating water moves in soil affects vegetation as well as groundwater recharge. This flow of soil water is captured by a mathematical function that covers all water contents from very dry to water-saturated. We tested several such functions for different soils and climates to see how model-calculated water fluxes are affected. Luckily, the effects of weather and the soil are much more important than the choice of the mathematical function.
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The way soils capture infiltrating water affects crops and natural vegetation as well as groundwater recharge. This retention of soil water is captured by a mathematical function that covers all water contents from very dry to water-saturated. Unfortunately, data in the dry range are often absent or unreliable. I modified an earlier function to be more robust in the absence of dry-range data, and present a computer program to estimate the parameters of the new function.
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Export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from riparian zones (RZs) is an important yet poorly understood component of the catchment carbon budget. This study chemically and spatially classifies DOC source zones within a RZ of a small catchment to assess DOC export patterns. Results highlight that DOC export from only a small fraction of the RZ with distinct DOC composition dominates overall DOC export. The application of a spatial, topographic proxy can be used to improve DOC export models.
Gerrit Huibert de Rooij
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 6921–6950, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-6921-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-6921-2025, 2025
Short summary
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Water flows ever more slowly in soil when the soil dries out. This can be described by the conductivity curve that accounts for water filling up small spaces, sticking to grains in films, and water vapour diffusion. This paper introduces a relatively simple model for this curve that needs one fewer parameter than most others. It works well for most soils, but some need the extra parameter. The paper also presents a computer program to determine the parameter values of this and other models.
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Short summary
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The way infiltrating water moves in soil affects vegetation as well as groundwater recharge. This flow of soil water is captured by a mathematical function that covers all water contents from very dry to water-saturated. We tested several such functions for different soils and climates to see how model-calculated water fluxes are affected. Luckily, the effects of weather and the soil are much more important than the choice of the mathematical function.
Gerrit Huibert de Rooij
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 5849–5858, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5849-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5849-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The way soils capture infiltrating water affects crops and natural vegetation as well as groundwater recharge. This retention of soil water is captured by a mathematical function that covers all water contents from very dry to water-saturated. Unfortunately, data in the dry range are often absent or unreliable. I modified an earlier function to be more robust in the absence of dry-range data, and present a computer program to estimate the parameters of the new function.
Benedikt J. Werner, Oliver J. Lechtenfeld, Andreas Musolff, Gerrit H. de Rooij, Jie Yang, Ralf Gründling, Ulrike Werban, and Jan H. Fleckenstein
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 6067–6086, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6067-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6067-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from riparian zones (RZs) is an important yet poorly understood component of the catchment carbon budget. This study chemically and spatially classifies DOC source zones within a RZ of a small catchment to assess DOC export patterns. Results highlight that DOC export from only a small fraction of the RZ with distinct DOC composition dominates overall DOC export. The application of a spatial, topographic proxy can be used to improve DOC export models.
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Short summary
The way soils capture infiltrating water affects crops and natural vegetation and groundwater recharge. This retention of soil water is described by a mathematical function that covers all water contents from very dry to water saturated. We combined two existing lines of research to improve the behaviour of a popular function for very dry and very wet conditions. Our new function could handle a wider range of conditions than earlier curves. We provide fits to a wide range of soils.
The way soils capture infiltrating water affects crops and natural vegetation and groundwater...