A first approach to the characterization of solute transfer from soil to runoff in transient shallow flows

Abstract

Solute transfer from soil to runoff is a complex process in which soil properties and flow runoff conditions interact. This process has been described when the runoff is generated from rainfall, but there has been very little research into sudden flooding of soil by runoff from upstream water sources. This article outlines the experimental design used to describe this process in shallow water flows, and to study the relationships between water flow conditions and the transfer process. Experimental work was carried out in a laboratory flume under different water inflow rates over a narrow fringe along the soil surface with a conservative tracer. The transfer process from the soil was described as an exponential load function, with a decreasing duration and an increasing load to the surface flow as the water inflow rate increased. Non-linearity was tested and parameterized in a final run to include upstream loads to the flow. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.