Files and links (1)
CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
The effects of climatic and soil properties on soil water repellency
Catena (Giessen), Vol.258, 109218
2025
Abstract
Soil water repellency (SWR) is a major agro-ecological soil management issue caused by hydrophobic organic compounds that hinder soil water absorption and affect soil function. Recent modelling studies indicate that climate change will increase the severity of SWR, compounding these effects. This study investigated the effects of climatic and soil factors on SWR in surface (0–10 cm) soils from 355 sites under uniform land-use across an area of 60,000 km2 in south-western Australia, a region with a Mediterranean climate. There were marked gradients in temperature (mean minimum temperature (Meanmin, 7.7–12.2 °C), mean maximum temperature (Meanmax, 19.0–22.9 °C), rainfall (507–1443 mm/year) and pan evaporation (Evap, 1169–1772 mm/year) across the sites. SWR was measured in the laboratory on oven dried samples using the ethanol droplet test. Boosted regression tree analysis showed that 10 soil variables explained 78 % of the variance in SWR, with clay, silt and OC contents the main contributors. Incorporating the four climatic variables explained 84 % of the variance of SWR, with Meanmax the major contributing factor. Thus, while soil properties dominated the expression of SWR, climate had a secondary impact. Meanmax however, was inversely related to SWR, suggesting that rising temperatures due to climate change could result in a reduction in SWR. Furthermore, given the strong relationship between SWR and OC content, climate mitigation projects aimed at enhancing soil OC storage may inadvertently increase the expression and severity of SWR. Recognition of this should be included in soil carbon mitigation project protocols.
Details
- Title
- The effects of climatic and soil properties on soil water repellency
- Authors/Creators
- Maria Then - Murdoch UniversitySoudabeh Shemehsavar - Murdoch University, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and MathematicsDavid J. Henry - Murdoch University, Centre for Sustainable Farming SystemsRichard J. Harper - Murdoch University, Centre for Crop and Food Innovation
- Publication Details
- Catena (Giessen), Vol.258, 109218
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V.
- Number of pages
- 9
- Identifiers
- 991005788084107891
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Author(s).
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Crop and Food Innovation; School of Mathematics, Statistics, Chemistry and Physics; Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Sustainability; School of Agricultural Sciences; College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Metrics
193 File views/ downloads
37 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.45 Soil Science
- 3.45.879 Soil Erosion
- Web Of Science research areas
- Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
- Soil Science
- Water Resources
- ESI research areas
- Agricultural Sciences