St Andrews Research Repository

St Andrews University Home
View Item 
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • View Item
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • View Item
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • View Item
  • Login
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Modeling subsurface hydrology in floodplains

Thumbnail
View/Open
Evans_2018_WRR_Floodplains_FinalPubVersion.pdf (2.236Mb)
Date
03/2018
Author
Evans, Cristina M.
Dritschel, David G.
Singer, Michael B.
Keywords
Subsurface hydrology
Mathematical modelling
Riparian soils
Riparian vegetation
Vadose zone
Capillary fringe
GE Environmental Sciences
QA Mathematics
DAS
Metadata
Show full item record
Altmetrics Handle Statistics
Altmetrics DOI Statistics
Abstract
Soil-moisture patterns in floodplains are highly dynamic, owing to the complex relationships between soil properties, climatic conditions at the surface, and the position of the water table. Given this complexity, along with climate change scenarios in many regions, there is a need for a model to investigate the implications of different conditions on water availability to riparian vegetation. We present a model, HaughFlow, which is able to predict coupled water movement in the vadose and phreatic zones of hydraulically connected floodplains. Model output was calibrated and evaluated at 6 sites in Australia to identify key patterns in subsurface hydrology. This study identifies the importance of the capillary fringe in vadose zone hydrology due to its water storage capacity and creation of conductive pathways. Following peaks in water table elevation, water can be stored in the capillary fringe for up to months (depending on the soil properties). This water can provide a critical resource for vegetation that is unable to access the water table. When water table peaks coincide with heavy rainfall events, the capillary fringe can support saturation of the entire soil profile. HaughFlow is used to investigate the water availability to riparian vegetation, producing daily output of water content in the soil over decadal time periods within different depth ranges. These outputs can be summarised to support scientific investigations of plant-water relations, as well as in management applications.
Citation
Evans , C M , Dritschel , D G & Singer , M B 2018 , ' Modeling subsurface hydrology in floodplains ' , Water Resources Research , vol. 54 , no. 3 , pp. 1428-1459 . https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR020827
Publication
Water Resources Research
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR020827
ISSN
1944-7973
Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. This work is made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the final published version of the work, which was originally published at: https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR020827
Description
Evans would also like to acknowledge the generous funding provided by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the University of St Andrews 600 Fund, without which this work would not have been possible. Singer was supported by funding from NSF EAR #700555. The data output files are hosted online by the NERC Environmental Information Data Centre [Evans et al., 2018].
Collections
  • University of St Andrews Research
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/15939

Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Advanced Search

Browse

All of RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateNamesTitlesSubjectsClassificationTypeFunderThis CollectionBy Issue DateNamesTitlesSubjectsClassificationTypeFunder

My Account

Login

Open Access

To find out how you can benefit from open access to research, see our library web pages and Open Access blog. For open access help contact: openaccess@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Accessibility

Read our Accessibility statement.

How to submit research papers

The full text of research papers can be submitted to the repository via Pure, the University's research information system. For help see our guide: How to deposit in Pure.

Electronic thesis deposit

Help with deposit.

Repository help

For repository help contact: Digital-Repository@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Give Feedback

Cookie policy

This site may use cookies. Please see Terms and Conditions.

Usage statistics

COUNTER-compliant statistics on downloads from the repository are available from the IRUS-UK Service. Contact us for information.

© University of St Andrews Library

University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013532.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter