Quantifying the impact of preferential flow on solute transport to tile drains in a sandy field soil

Abstract The objective of this study was to quantify the impact of preferential finger flow on solute leaching to tile drains and shallow groundwater in a water repellent sandy soil. Measurements of site hydrology and bromide movement were made during a six-month period following application in autumn 1994 to a 900 m 2 plot. A dye tracing study was also conducted and this confirmed the presence of finger flow in the water repellent topsoil. Water flow and bromide transport was simulated using a mobile-immobile concept, in which a fraction of the soil volume is assumed not to participate in transport. With calibration of ‘difficult’ parameters (e.g. the fractional mobile volume), and accounting for significant water inflows to the plot from the surroundings, there was a good agreement between simulated and observed hydrology and solute transport patterns at the site. Mass balance calculations showed that ca. 46% of the bromide application was lost to the tile drains in the winter period following application, while 16% was lost in shallow lateral groundwater flow. Comparisons between one- and two-domain simulations showed that preferential flow reduced soil water contents and increased drainflow in the early autumn, leading to a more rapid bromide transport to depth. Nevertheless, the impact of preferential finger flow on leaching was minor for the non-reactive tracer bromide in this experiment, presumably because it was applied to relatively wet soil. However, scenario simulations for autumn application of a short half-life pesticide showed more significant effects, with leaching increased by ca. 80% because of preferential flow (from 1.2% to 2.2% of the applied amount).

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