According to a new study, published in the journal Science Advances, soil hydraulic properties can be affected by altered precipitation caused by climate change.
The impact of climate change could reduce the water absorbance rates of soils in many regions worldwide. Increased water retention may lead to extreme flooding and affect groundwater table resulting in severe ramifications for ecosystems. "Soil hydraulic properties influence the partitioning of rainfall into infiltration versus runoff, determine plant-available water, and constrain evapotranspiration. Although rapid changes in soil hydraulic properties from direct human disturbance are well documented, climate change may also induce such shifts on decadal time scales," the study mentions.
Previous research has proved that soil's infiltration may change over 10-20 years as a result of increased precipitation, a phenomenon that is expected in many regions of the world due to climate change. A last year's study showed that in certain lands that experienced increased rainfalls, the soil was eroded and was less permeable.
The study presents a 25-year experimental investigation in a land of Kansas that was watered with sprinklers. Scientists found out that a 35% increase in rainfall results in a 21%-33% reduction of the water's infiltration and a smaller increase in water retention.
A major alteration in soil's behavior is linked to its large pores which, normally, capture and store water that plants may use. However, increased rainfall made the plants' roots thicker and, as a result, they blocked those pores. Moreover, soil experienced reduced shrink-swell cycles when water was removed or added, respectively.
The mechanisms that led to the observed behavior have not been fully understood yet and the research is still in progress. Future work includes studying the behavior of more soil types, implementing the findings in other regions and generate prediction models for more ecosystems worldwide. "Given that precipitation regimes are expected to change at accelerating rates globally, shifts in soil structure could occur over broad regions more rapidly than expected and thus alter water storage and movement in numerous terrestrial ecosystems," the study states.
Source: Rutgers University
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