Articles | Volume 27, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2607-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2607-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Opinion article
| 
18 Jul 2023
Opinion article |
| 18 Jul 2023
| 18 Jul 2023
HESS Opinions: Are soils overrated in hydrology?
Hongkai Gao
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education of China), East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System and Resources Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Fabrizio Fenicia
Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology,
Dubendorf, Switzerland
Hubert H. G. Savenije
Water Resources Section, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the
Netherlands
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Cited
16 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Global patterns in vegetation accessible subsurface water storage emerge from spatially varying importance of individual drivers F. van Oorschot et al. 10.1088/1748-9326/ad8805
- Inclusion of bedrock vadose zone in dynamic global vegetation models is key for simulating vegetation structure and function D. Lapides et al. 10.5194/bg-21-1801-2024
- Closure to “Infiltration Model Parameters from Rainfall Simulation for Sandy Soils” G. Schoener et al. 10.1061/JHYEFF.HEENG-6312
- Root zone in the Earth system H. Gao et al. 10.5194/hess-28-4477-2024
- Recent ground thermo-hydrological changes in a southern Tibetan endorheic catchment and implications for lake level changes L. Martin et al. 10.5194/hess-27-4409-2023
- Advancing hydrological understanding in cold regions: development and application of the WEP model for lateral flow estimation in the Great Lakes Depression of Mongolia B. Dorjsuren et al. 10.2166/nh.2025.149
- Monthly Runoff Prediction Via Mode Decomposition-Recombination Technique X. Yang et al. 10.1007/s11269-023-03668-w
- The physics and the biology of the water balance: A personal journey through the critical zone into the water balance A. Hunt 10.1002/hyp.15209
- Comment on “Are soils overrated in hydrology?” by Gao et al. (2023) Y. Zhao et al. 10.5194/hess-28-4059-2024
- Land use and climate change exacerbate the root zone maximum water deficit in the Loess Plateau Z. Zhao et al. 10.1007/s11430-025-1583-9
- Streamflow prediction in ungauged basins: How dissimilar are drainage basins? P. Istalkar & B. Biswal 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131357
- HESS Opinions: Towards a common vision for the future of hydrological observatories P. Nasta et al. 10.5194/hess-29-465-2025
- 土地利用和气候变化加剧黄土高原根区最大水分亏缺 梓. 赵 et al. 10.1360/SSTe-2025-0005
- Explicit predictions of species richness from net primary productivity: setting and discussion A. Hunt 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2025.111111
- Application of hydrological models to streamflow estimation at ungauged transboundary Himalayan River basin, Nepal B. Budhathoki et al. 10.2166/nh.2024.026
- Changes in the hydrological and sediment regimes of two neighboring catchments in the past sixty years Y. Zhao et al. 10.1016/j.catena.2023.107248
15 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Global patterns in vegetation accessible subsurface water storage emerge from spatially varying importance of individual drivers F. van Oorschot et al. 10.1088/1748-9326/ad8805
- Inclusion of bedrock vadose zone in dynamic global vegetation models is key for simulating vegetation structure and function D. Lapides et al. 10.5194/bg-21-1801-2024
- Closure to “Infiltration Model Parameters from Rainfall Simulation for Sandy Soils” G. Schoener et al. 10.1061/JHYEFF.HEENG-6312
- Root zone in the Earth system H. Gao et al. 10.5194/hess-28-4477-2024
- Recent ground thermo-hydrological changes in a southern Tibetan endorheic catchment and implications for lake level changes L. Martin et al. 10.5194/hess-27-4409-2023
- Advancing hydrological understanding in cold regions: development and application of the WEP model for lateral flow estimation in the Great Lakes Depression of Mongolia B. Dorjsuren et al. 10.2166/nh.2025.149
- Monthly Runoff Prediction Via Mode Decomposition-Recombination Technique X. Yang et al. 10.1007/s11269-023-03668-w
- The physics and the biology of the water balance: A personal journey through the critical zone into the water balance A. Hunt 10.1002/hyp.15209
- Comment on “Are soils overrated in hydrology?” by Gao et al. (2023) Y. Zhao et al. 10.5194/hess-28-4059-2024
- Land use and climate change exacerbate the root zone maximum water deficit in the Loess Plateau Z. Zhao et al. 10.1007/s11430-025-1583-9
- Streamflow prediction in ungauged basins: How dissimilar are drainage basins? P. Istalkar & B. Biswal 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131357
- HESS Opinions: Towards a common vision for the future of hydrological observatories P. Nasta et al. 10.5194/hess-29-465-2025
- 土地利用和气候变化加剧黄土高原根区最大水分亏缺 梓. 赵 et al. 10.1360/SSTe-2025-0005
- Explicit predictions of species richness from net primary productivity: setting and discussion A. Hunt 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2025.111111
- Application of hydrological models to streamflow estimation at ungauged transboundary Himalayan River basin, Nepal B. Budhathoki et al. 10.2166/nh.2024.026
1 citations as recorded by crossref.
Latest update: 13 Jul 2025
Short summary
It is a deeply rooted perception that soil is key in hydrology. In this paper, we argue that it is the ecosystem, not the soil, that is in control of hydrology. Firstly, in nature, the dominant flow mechanism is preferential, which is not particularly related to soil properties. Secondly, the ecosystem, not the soil, determines the land–surface water balance and hydrological processes. Moving from a soil- to ecosystem-centred perspective allows more realistic and simpler hydrological models.
It is a deeply rooted perception that soil is key in hydrology. In this paper, we argue that it...
Special issue