Soil Water Characteristic Estimates by Texture and Organic Matter for Hydrologic S...

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Soil Water Characteristic Estimates by Texture and Organic

Matter for Hydrologic Solutions: Prediction Equations
New predictive equations for soil water content at selected tensions were derived by correlation form
1722 samples for tensions of 1500, 33, 0-33 and e kPa as summarized in Table 1, Eqs. 1-4.
Variable definitions are shown in Table 2. The coefficient of determination (R2) and standard error
of estimate (Se) define their expected predictive accuracy.

Variable

1500

Table 1: Equation summary for soil water characteristic estimates.

Equation

R2
Se

Moisture Regressions
1500 = 1500t + 0.14*1500t - 0.02
0.86
1500t = -0.024S + 0.487C + 0.006OM + 0.005(S*OM) - 0.013(C*OM) +
0.02
0.068(S*C) + 0.031
33 = 33t + 1.283*33t2 - 0.374*33t - 0.015
33t = -0.251S + 0.195C + 0.011OM + 0.006(S*OM) - 0.027(C*OM) +
0.452(S*C) + 0.299

Eq.
No.

0.63
0.05

(S-33)

(S-33) = (S-33)t + 0.636*(S-33)t - 0.107

0.36
(S-33)t = 0.278S + 0.034C + 0.022OM - 0.018(S*OM) - 0.027(C*OM) 0.06
0.584(S*C) + 0.078

e = et + 0.02et2 - 0.113et - 0.70

0.78
et = -21.67S - 27.93C - 81.97(S-33) + 71.12(S*(S-33)) + 8.29(C*(S2.9
33)) + 14.05(S*C) + 27.16

33

S = 33 + (S-33) - 0.097S + 0.043

N = (1-S)*2.65

DF

Density Adjustments
DF = N*DF

S-DF

S-DF = 1 - (DF/2.65)

33-DF

33-DF = 33 - 0.2(S - (S-DF)

(S-33)-DF = S-DF - 33-DF

10

(S-33)DF

Tension - Moisture
1500-33

= A()-B

11

33-

= 33.0 - [( - 33)(33.0 - e/(S - 33)]

12

-0
e

= S

13

A = exp[ln(33) + B ln(33)]

14

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B = [ln(1500) - ln(33)] / [ln(33) - ln(1500)]

15

Moisture - Conductivity
KS

KS = 1930 (S-33)(3-)

16

K = KS(/S)(3+2/)

17

18

Rv

=1/B
Gravel Effects
Rv = (*Rw)/[1-Rw(1-)]

B = N(1-Rv) + (Rv*2.65)

20

PAWB

PAWB = PAW*(1-Rv)

21

Kb/KS

Kb/KS = (1-Rw) / [1 - Rw (1 - 3/2)]

22

Salinity Effects
O = 36 * EC

23

O = (S/) * (36 * EC)

24

Symbol
SAT
FC
WP
PAW
DF

19

Table 2: Equation symbol definitions.

Definition
Saturation (0 kPa moisture), %v
Field Capacity (33 kPa moisture), %v
Wilting Point (1500 kPa moisture), %v
Plant Available Water (33-1500 kPa moisture), %v
Density Factor (0.9-1.3)
Moisture Content at tension , %v

1500t

1500 kPa moisture, first solution, %v

1500

1500 kPa moisture, normal density, %v

33t

33 kPa moisture, first solution, %v

33

33 kPa moisture, normal density, %v

33-DF

33 kPa moisture, adjusted density, %v

(S-33)t

0-33 kPa moisture, first solution, %v

(S-33)

0-33 kPa moisture, %v

0 kPa moisture (Saturated), normal density, %v

S-DF

0 kPa moisture, adjusted density, %v

Tension at moisture , kPa

Tension at air entry (bubbling pressure), kPa

KS

Saturated conductivity, mm/hr

Unsaturated conductivity at moisture , mm/hr

Normal density, g/cc

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DF

Adjusted density, g/cc

Rv

Slope of logarithmic tension-moisture curve

Rw

Weight fraction of gravel (decimal), g/g

Bulk soil density with gravel, %v

PAWB

Plant Available Water with gravel, %v

Kb

Saturated conductivity of bulk soil, mm/hr

EC

Electrical conductance of a saturated soil extract, dS/m (Deci-siemen/meter (dS/m) = milimho/cm).

Osmotic potential, kPa

Osmotic potential at < S, kPa

Volume fraction of gravel (decimal), g/cc

Moisture at the selected tensions was correlated with S, C, and OM plus interactions while air entry
tension (bubbling pressure), e, was correlated with S, C and S-33 plus interactions. Supplemental
analyses of the initial predictive error provided "lack of fit" secondary adjustment equations for each
equation as defined in methodology. A few variable or interaction terms were statistically
insignificant contributors to the equations (5 % T test), however these were not omitted to provide
uniform equation form and maximum regression accuracy.
Graphical results of the correlations are shown in Figure 1 for soil moisture and air entry. Best
correlations were obtained for 1500 (R2 = 0.86) with progressively more variability for 33 (R2 =
0.63) and (S-33) (R2 = 0.36) . Calculated air entry pressures, e, were reasonably well estimated
(R2 = 0.74) .
(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

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Figure 1 -- Correlation of measured 1500, 33, 0-33 and e versus predicted values by correlation
Eqs. 1-4.
A preliminary correlation for S with both A-horizon and BC-horizon data showed poor results (R2
< 0.25). The reason is likely related to the A horizon sample density being subject to factors not
related to the sample texture and organic matter such as tillage, compaction or roots and worms
(Rawls, 1983). As shown in Fig. 1, the (S - 33) values had a slightly better correlation (R^2 =
0.36) than S , thus S value was determined by the two estimates, {33S + (S - 33)}, plus a
small sand adjustment estimated by an error analyses (Eq. 5).
A normal (average) density (N) can be computed from the estimated S assuming a particle density
of 2.65 (Eq. 6). Soil management can cause changes in soil density, thus a density adjustment factor
(DF) with a range of 0.9-1.3 was incorporated to calibrate DF and associated S-DF values to
calibrate to local soil representations. This adjustment effects the associated 33 and S-33 values
(Eqs. 7-10 ).
The correlation equations for soil moisture were combined with tension and conductivity equations
from recent literature to form a full-range computational scheme of moistures, tensions and
conductivities. The moisture-tension relationship was represented by three tension segments of 150033, 33-e, and e-0, kPa. The 1500-33 kPa range was estimated by an exponential equation (Eq.11)
with A and B parameters developed from the logarithmic form of equation 3 using estimated values
1500 and 33 (Eqs. 14-15, ). The 33-e kPa segment was assumed linear (Eq. 12), and the e-0
range held the moisture content equal to saturation (Eq. 13). The logarithmic segment could be
continued to 10 kPa rather than 33 kPa as described by Saxton et al. (1986) but high silt soils may
have e > 10 kPa. Example moisture-tension relationships using these equations are shown in figure
2.

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Figure 2: Example moisture-tension relationships estimated by equations 1-15.

The saturated (KS) and unsaturated (K) conductivity equations (Eq.16-17) were adapted from those
of Rawls et al. (1998) and Campbell (1974). The KS equation, of the form suggested by KozenyCarman (Carman, 1956) and Ahuja et al. (1984), is a power function for that moisture held at low
tension within the larger pores which most effectively conduct water. The value of is the inverse
slope of the exponential moisture-tension curve, B (Eq. 18).
Several published equations have represented K to estimate the decrease of water conductivity as
soil water dries below saturation (Brooks and Corey (1964), Campbell (1974), Van Genuchten
1980). We used the one reported by Campbell (1974) because not including a residual moisture
makes it more applicable. Example moisture-conductivity relationships are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Example moisture-conductivity relationships estimated by Eq. 1-18.

Gravel measurements may be expressed as either bulk soil weight (%w) or volume (%v) basis. These
can be interchanged by equation 19. Thus, water characteristics of gravelly soils can be estimated
using equations 1-18 for the matric soil, then modified for gravel content. Bulk density,B<./SUB>,
and plant available water for the bulk soil, PAWB, are adjusted by equations 20 and 21.
Conductivity reduction by gravel has been estimated using a thermal corollary equation in which non-conducting
portions were interspersed within a conducting medium, thus assumed similar to rocks within a matric soil with flow
only in the matric soil (Peck and Watson, 1979; Flint and Childs, 1984; Brakensiek et al., 1986). The ratio of saturated

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conductivity for the bulk soil, Kb, to that of the matric soil, Ks, was reported as equation 22.
Salinity, measured as electrical conductance (EC) of the saturated solution, effects osmotic potential ( ) by equation 23
O
(Tanji, pg. 221). As soil water is reduced by evapotranspiration from saturation, EC the measurement standard, the
chemical quantity will generally remain constant causing a linear increase in concentration and osmotic potential,
although this process may be modified by chemical interactions such as forming by precipitates or bonds. Thus, osmotic
potential for a partially saturated soil is represented by equation 24.

Abstract | Introduction | Literature Review | Methodology | Prediction Verifications

Variable Effects: Organic Matter | Density | Gravel | Salinity
Hydrologic Applications | Summary | Acknowledgements | References

Revised: Aug 25, 2016

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