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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #239962
Title: Quantification of chemical transfer from soil to runoff under simulated rainfall and runoff

Author
item TIAN, KUN - Northwest Agricultural & Forestry University
item Huang, Chi Hua

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/2009
Publication Date: 11/1/2009
Citation: Tian, K., Huang, C. 2009. Quantification of chemical transfer from soil to runoff under simulated rainfall and runoff [abstract]. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting, November 1-5, 2009, Pittsburgh, PA. 2009 CDROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Although there is a conceptual understanding of processes governing chemical transport from soil to surface runoff, there are little experimental results actually quantifying these individual processes. Experiments were conducted in a laboratory box to measure bromide (Br) loading from soil to runoff water where near-surface hydraulic gradient, rainfall and added runoff are carefully controlled. By controlling the near-surface hydraulic gradient and the amount of rainfall and surface runoff, we quantified Br transport through each of the individual processes: i.e., 1) erosion; 2) convection under a vertical hydraulic gradient; 3) convection from surface flow or the Bernoulli Effect; and 4) diffusion. Our data showed that rainfall alone can accelerate diffusion by as much as 11% at 30 mm/h to ~600% at 90 mm/h intensity. The significant rainfall intensity effect in chemical loading needs to be incorporated in current water quality models.