Soil Hydrology: Soil Physics Basic Concepts

UniLaSalle – Spring semester in Water and Environmental Management March 2020
Soils “SPONGE ROLE”
Yes, it's true
Soil Hydrology I can store water

(very convenient
to avoid flooding!)
I also
filter and
enriched it
And return it all with
year long !! minerals
Soil Physics Basic

Concepts
Cheers !
Carolina Ugarte
Assistant professor in soil science
carolina.ugarte@unilasalle.fr La B.D. du sol https://www.lappeldusol.fr/
Soil Hydrology 1
Detailed program
Introduction
Soil hydrology in agroecosystems : soil agroecosystem services, water cycle and vadose zone
Soil physics basic concepts
a. Texture and structure
b. Soil-water relationships
c. Soil water potential
d. Plant available water
Hydrodynamic properties
a. Water retention
b. Hydraulic conductivity
c. Air permeability
Infiltration
a. Infiltration process
b. Factors affecting infiltration
c. Infiltration models
Conclusions
Take home messages
2
Soil Hydrology

Texture Structure
Proportion of sand, silt and clay of the 3D organization of the solid phase and
fine soil fraction (<2 mm) associated voids
Used to classify soils into several
textural groups
Adapted from : http://m.espacepourlavie.ca/en/soil-

structure?lang=en
➢ More detailed soil
https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/food_supply/student_materials/1029
section
Basic cross-section of approximately 20 mm wide of soil as a porous, biologically active mineral-organic matrix.
Red arrows show non-living components while purple arrows show biological components. Large
macropores resulting from good soil structure allow adequate drainage and air entry to a soil for biological
activity, while smaller mesopores and micropores hold water at varying degree of availability for plant roots.
Macrofauna such as earthworms (2mm approximate dimension) are also very important but would occupy too
much of the diagram to show.
Credit:
Maitrise desSteven
états duVanek,
sol adapted from Steven Fonte. 4
Texture
Proportion of sand, silt and clay of the fine soil fraction (<2 mm)
Used to classify soils into several textural groups
Fraction USDA System International

system
Stones/gravel > 2 mm > 2 mm
Fine fraction < 2 mm
Coarse sand 2-0,2 mm 2-0,2 mm
Fine sand 0,2-0,05 mm 0,2-0,02 mm
Silt 50-2 μm 20-2 μm
Clay < 2 μm < 2 μm
Limits between textural groups depend

on the classification system ! 5
Soil Hydrology
➢ 2 ways to determine and present soil texture

1. Particle size distribution curve (sieving and laser diffraction)
2. Textural triangle (sieving and sedimentation)
Source : Mooc de l’Université Catholique de Louvain « L’eau et les sols. Hydrodynamique des milieux poreux » (2016)
6
Soil Hydrology
➢ 2 ways to represent soil texture

1. Particle size distribution curve (diffraction laser)
2. Textural triangle (sieving and sedimentation)
USDA Triangle de l’Aisne

(French system)
7
Soil Hydrology
Application
Triangle de l’Aisne
Determine and compare (Diagramme de
the textural class for a soil Jamagne)
sample:
• 20% clay
• 45% silt
• 35% sand
USDA
15 classes
ALO Argile lourde
A Argile
AL Argile limoneuse
AS Argile sableuse
LA Limon argileux
LAS Limon argilo-sableux
LSA Limon sablo-argileux
SA Sable argileux
LM Limon moyen
LMS Limon moyen sableux
LS Limon sableux
SL Sable limoneux
S Sable
LL Limon léger
LLS Limon léger sableux
Soil Hydrology 8
Structure
3D organization of the solid phase
and associated voids
Aggregates of different shapes

Granular, prismatic, subangular, platy
=> Soil structure conditions water

movement into the soil profile !
Soil structure describes

the way in which clay,
silt and sand are bond
together in larger units
called « aggregates »
Soil Hydrology 9
Totsche, K. U. et al. Microaggregates in soils. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil

Structure
3D organization of the solid phase and
associated voids
Science (2017).
Soil Hydrology 10
Well-structured soils Vs. Poorly structured soils
11
Soil Hydrology
Exemple of texture and structure

Source https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/topsoil-physical-properties-europe-based-lucas-topsoil-data
Major soil from the Hauts-de-France

region
Texture : The region shows a predominance of
silt and silt loam soils (USDA)
Structure : weak structural stability =>high risk

of crusting and erosion.
 benefit from simplified soil tillage, when

operated shortly before the seeding, because
reducing soil degradation
Soil from RESIAR experimental site at

UniLaSalle-Beauvais
Texture : Silt loam soil
Structure : high risk of crusting
Strip-Till for Fine Seedbed Preparation in Silty Soil 12

● RIZZO et al. 2018
Soil matrix constituents
Volumes Masses
ma
mw
mT
ms
Vw : water volume mw : water masse

VS : solides volume mS : solides masse
Vv : voids volume (pores) = Va + Vw ma : air masse
VT : total volume = Vv + VS mT : total masse = mw + mS + ma
13
Soil Hydrology
Root
Solid phase :
Mineral particles (95%),
organic constituents (5%)
Water
Air
(Après B.K. Bellingham)
✓ Solid phase = 30 to 60% of the total volume
✓ The remaining 70 to 40% are occupied by "voids“ or “pores”
2 soil-water conditions :
• Saturated condition : when pores are completely filled of water => soil is « saturated »
• Unsaturated condition : when pores are partially filled of water (e.g. vadose zone)
14
Soil Hydrology
Soil-water relationships : bulk density, porosity, and water content
|Bulk density ➢ Weight of soil in a given volume
Volumetric mass of soil particles (particle density)

𝒎𝑺
𝝆𝒑 = ≈ 2,65 [g/cm3]
𝑽𝒔
Volumetric mass (in French : masse volumique apparente) Dry bulk density
𝒎𝑺
𝒎𝑺 𝝆𝒔
𝝆𝑺 = [g/cm3] 𝑩𝑫 = =
𝑽𝑻
[-]
𝑽𝑻 𝝆𝒘
𝒎𝒘
𝑽𝑾
1 g/cm3
|Porosity
𝝆
𝑽 𝑽𝑻 −𝑽𝑺 𝑽 ∅ = 𝟏 − 𝝆𝒔
∅ = 𝑽𝑽 = 𝑽𝑺
= 𝟏 − 𝑽𝑺 [-] 𝒑
𝑻 𝑻
𝒎𝑺
ൗ𝝆𝒑 𝝆
∅ =𝟏− 𝒎𝑺 = 𝟏 − 𝝆𝒔
ൗ𝝆𝑺 𝒑
Soil Hydrology 15
➢Dry bulk density and

porosity values according to
textural class
➢Optimal bulk density

thresholds for different soil
textures
Soil Hydrology
16
|Gravimetric water content

ma
𝒎𝑾 mw
𝑾= [g/g]
𝒎𝑺 mT
ms
|Volumetric water content
Vw : water volume
𝑽𝒘 VS : solides volume
𝜽= [cm3 /cm3 ]
𝑽𝑻 VT : total volume = Vv + VS
𝜽 = 𝑾 𝒙 𝑩𝑫
mw : water masse
𝒎𝑺
𝒎𝑾 𝑽𝑻 𝑽𝑾
mS : solides masse
𝜽= 𝒙 𝒎𝒘 =
𝒎𝑺 𝑽𝑻
𝑽𝑾
Soil Hydrology 17
➢ Method for characterizing water content

International Standard ISO 16586 for the determination of the
gravimetric and volumetric water content of soil samples
➢ The gravimetric water content is calculated as the ratio between the mass of water
in the soil sample and the mass of the dry soil (drying for 24 hours at 105 ° C)
Gravimetric water content (g g-1) Volumetric water content(cm3 cm- 3)
𝑚𝑤 𝑚𝑇 −𝑚𝑆
W= = θ = 𝐵𝐷 𝑊
𝑚𝑠 𝑚𝑠
mw : water masse BD : bulk density

mS : solides masse
mT : total masse = mw + mS + ma
18
Soil Hydrology
Application
i. Determine the gravimetric and volumetric water content for both tests
Test Observation Ksat Moist soil + Dry soil + Container Sample

container container volume
mm/h g g g cm3
1 Undisturbed soil 63 149,3 122,4 7,6 100
sample containing a
field bean plant
2 Repacked soil 31 151,2 124,5 7,4 100
sample
ii. Discuss the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) values based on data
(Ks is the soil capacity to transfer soil water)
Soil Hydrology 19

Why water potential is an essential soil
property ?
Because, in many situations, water content data can be limiting

Water content, does not determine how soil-water moves or gets retain (stock) and
neither if it is available for plants or contributing to groundwater flow
Example :
✓ Sandy soil with 30% water content => close to saturation (almost all pores are filled
of water)
✓ Clayey soil with 30 % water content => soil only appear moist (still some pores filled
with air)
20
Soil Hydrology
Soil water potential definition

Water potential is the energy required, per quantity of water, to transport an
infinitesimal quantity of water unit from the sample to a reference pool of free
water
Water in a glass Vs. Water in a sponge
Water in the glass is free and Water in the sponge is bound

available It has a lower energy state than the
water in the glass
Free water can be accessed
without exerting any energy We know that because, to retrieve the
water from the sponge, we need to apply
energy to it by squeezing the sponge !
Soil Hydrology Source : Decagon devices. Fundamentals of Water Potential in Ceramics (Application note). 21
Soil water potential definition

water
Water potential expresses how much

energy you would need to expend to
pull that water out of a soil sample
We need energy because the water in

the soil is bound to surfaces, diluted
by solutes, and under pressure or
tension
Soil Hydrology 22
Soil water potential definition Ψ

water
Unit Unités SI
Energy/masse J kg-1
Energy/ volume J m-3 = Pa
Energy/weight J kg-1 m-1 s-2 = m water column
1 Pa = 10-2 cm water column
1 Pa = 10-5 bar
Water in the soil moves along a decreasing gradient of potential
Ψ Ψ
Soil Hydrology 23
Total soil water potential

Sum of all specific potentials that are caused by the various forces acting in the
soil
Ψ = Ψz + Ψp
Ψz :gravitational potential
• Work required move a unit (masse, volume) amount of soil solution from
the soil surface (reference energy state) to the depth of the soil unit
considered
• It is therefore a negative value by convention
Ψm : pressure potential, hydrostatic potential in saturated conditions (positive

values) or matric potential in unsaturated conditions (negatives values)
Soil Hydrology 24
The matric potential

• Unsaturated soil => the interaction between the liquid, gaseous and solid
phases creates a pressure at the interface of the water and the air of the
porous soil matrix
• This pressure is called matric pressure
1 Pa = 10-5 bar
1 bar = 10 m water
column
Soil Hydrology 25
• Relationship between the soil matric pressure and soil pores sizes
Jurin’s law
2 𝜎 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝛼
|ℎ| =
𝜌𝑔𝑟
http://theses.ulaval.ca/archimede/fichiers/24555/ch02.html
h is the matric pressure (m)

r is the pore radius (m)
σ is the surface tension: 0.072 N m-1 for pure water at 20 ° C
α is the contact angle between the water-air interface and the solid, usually
assumed to be 0°
ρ is the density of water (1000 kg m-3)
g is the acceleration due to gravity (10 m s-2)
26
Soil Hydrology
➢ The soil water potential and the water needs of crops
Source : Hanks and Ashcroft (2013). Applied Soil Physics: Soil Water and Temperature Applications
Soil Hydrology 27
➢ Characterization of the water potential using a

tensiometer
• Pp (Pa) is the water pressure in the pores at the bottom of the

porous cup
• Pc (Pa) is the pressure measured with the manometer in the top of

a : water the tensiometer devise
column in
the
tensiomet • a (m) is the water column in the tensiometer
er
• ρ𝑤 is the density of the water (1000 kg m-3)
Porous cap • g is gravity

Operating limit : - 800 hPa
28
Soil Hydrology

➢ Soil moisture « states » are useful for the determination of the plant available water
(in French, Réserve en eau Utilisable pour les plantes => RU)
RU = (Wfc –Wpwp) *BD* root

depth
RU in mm of water column
pwp wp fc
Permanent
wilting Wilting Field capacity
point point
Source : Mooc de l’Université Catholique de Louvain « L’eau et les sols. Hydrodynamique des milieux poreux » (2016)
29
Soil Hydrology
pwp wp fc
Permanent Wilting Field
wilting point point capacity
θs, saturated water content
• All soil pores are filled with water (including macro-pores)

• Drainage occurs, most plants are asphyxiated by waterlogging
• The soil behaves like a pipe that transfers water (saturated
hydraulic conductivity )
Soil Hydrology 30
pwp wp fc
• All micropores are filled with water
• For water contents > θfc , the soil no longer retains additional
water and there is percolation / drainage loss under the root
zone, due to gravity flow in the macropores
• This water content imposes minimal effort for the plants to

extract the water and therefore promotes their optimal water
supply
Soil Hydrology 31
pwp wp fc
θwp, water content at the temporary wilting point
• Plants suffer and show signs of reversible stress (temporary wilting)
• Irrigation or water supply can correct the water stress of the plant
Soil Hydrology 32
pwp wp fc
θpwp, water content at permanent wilting point
• The plants are unable to absorb water => irreversibly wilt
• Water supply or irrigation will not longer correct the stress of dying plants
Soil Hydrology 33
Application
The volumetric water content was measured on three different dates (D1, D2, D3). For
different soils depths, the values obtained are :
a) Draw the water profiles
b) One of these profiles

indicates the soil water
content at the field
capacity, another at
saturation and another at
the permanent wilting
point. Identify each of
these profiles
c) Analyse these profiles by determining:
• The "effective" porosity that contributes to the drainage towards the deep aquifers
• Total porosity
• The water available for plants (for 1 m of soil depth and for a bulk density of 1.2 g cm-3)
Soil Hydrology 34
Coming next …
Introduction
Soil hydrology in agroecosystems : soil agroecosystem services, water cycle and vadose zone
Soil physics basic concepts
Hydrodynamic properties
a. Water retention
b. Hydraulic conductivity
c. Air permeability
Infiltration
a. Infiltration process
b. Factors affecting infiltration
c. Infiltration models
Conclusions
Take home messages
35
Soil Hydrology

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UniLaSalle – Spring semester in Water and Environmental Management March 2020

Soils “SPONGE ROLE”

Yes, it's true

Soil Hydrology I can store water

Soil Physics Basic

a. Texture and structure

Adapted from : http://m.espacepourlavie.ca/en/soil-

➢ More detailed soil

Fraction USDA System International

Coarse sand 2-0,2 mm 2-0,2 mm

Fine sand 0,2-0,05 mm 0,2-0,02 mm

Silt 50-2 μm 20-2 μm

Clay < 2 μm < 2 μm

Limits between textural groups depend

➢ 2 ways to determine and present soil texture

➢ 2 ways to represent soil texture

USDA Triangle de l’Aisne

Aggregates of different shapes

=> Soil structure conditions water

Soil structure describes

Totsche, K. U. et al. Microaggregates in soils. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil

Well-structured soils Vs. Poorly structured soils

Exemple of texture and structure

Major soil from the Hauts-de-France

Structure : weak structural stability =>high risk

 benefit from simplified soil tillage, when

Soil from RESIAR experimental site at

Structure : high risk of crusting

Strip-Till for Fine Seedbed Preparation in Silty Soil 12

Vw : water volume mw : water masse

(Après B.K. Bellingham)

✓ Solid phase = 30 to 60% of the total volume

✓ The remaining 70 to 40% are occupied by "voids“ or “pores”

Soil-water relationships : bulk density, porosity, and water content

|Bulk density ➢ Weight of soil in a given volume

Volumetric mass of soil particles (particle density)

➢Dry bulk density and

➢Optimal bulk density

|Gravimetric water content

|Volumetric water content

➢ Method for characterizing water content

Gravimetric water content (g g-1) Volumetric water content(cm3 cm- 3)

mw : water masse BD : bulk density

Test Observation Ksat Moist soil + Dry soil + Container Sample

(Ks is the soil capacity to transfer soil water)

c. Soil water potential

Because, in many situations, water content data can be limiting

Soil water potential definition

Water in the glass is free and Water in the sponge is bound

Soil water potential definition

Water potential expresses how much

We need energy because the water in

Soil water potential definition Ψ

Water in the soil moves along a decreasing gradient of potential

Total soil water potential

Ψm : pressure potential, hydrostatic potential in saturated conditions (positive

The matric potential

RU = (Wfc –Wpwp) BD root