Unraveling the hydraulic properties of loess for landslide prediction:A study on variations in loess landslides in Lanzhou,Dingxi,and Tianshui,China

Loess has distinctive characteristics,leading to frequent landslide disasters and posing serious threats to the lives and properties of local re sidents.The involvement of water repre sents a critical factor in inducing loess landslides.This study focuses on three neighboring cities sequentially situated on the Loess Plateau along the direction of aeolian deposition of loess,namely Lanzhou,Dingxi,and Tianshui,which are densely populated and prone to landslide disasters.The variations in hydraulic properties,including water retention capacity and permeability,are investigated through Soil Water Characteristic Curve(SWCC)test and hydraulic conductivity test.The experimental findings revealed that Tianshui loess exhibited the highest water retention capacity,followed by Dingxi loess,while Lanzhou loess demonstrated the lowest water retention capacity.Contrastingly,the results for the saturated permeability coefficient were found to be the opposite:Tianshui loess showed the lowest permeability,whereas Lanzhou loess displayed the highest permeability.These results are supported and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM)observation.In addition,the water retention capacity is mathematically expressed using the van Genuchten model and extended to predict unsaturated hydraulic properties of loess.The experimental results exhibit a strong accordance with one another and align with the regional distribution patterns of disasters.

Mechanical and hydraulic properties of fault rocks under multi‑stage cyclic loading and unloading

The rock mass in fault zones is frequently subjected to cyclic loading and unloading during deep resource exploitation and tunnel excavation.Research on the mechanical and hydraulic characteristics of fault rock during the cyclic loading and unloading is of great signifcance for revealing the formation mechanism of water-conducting pathways in fault and preventing water inrush disasters.In this study,the mechanical and seepage tests of fault rock under the multi-stage cyclic loading and unloading of axial compression were carried out by using the fuid–solid coupling triaxial experimental device.The hysteresis loop of the stress–strain curve,peak strain rate,secant Young's modulus,and permeability of fault rock were obtained,and the evolution law of the dissipated energy of fault rock with the cyclic number of load and unloading was discussed.The experimental results show that with an increase in the cyclic number of loading and unloading,several changes occur.The hysteresis loop of the stress–strain curve of the fault rock shifts towards higher levels of strain.Additionally,both the peak strain rate and the secant Young's modulus of the fault rock increase,resulting in an increase in the secant Young's modulus of the fault rock mass.However,the growth rate of the secant Young's modulus gradually slows down with the increase of cyclic number of loading and unloading.The permeability evolution of fault rock under the multi-stage cyclic loading and unloading of axial compression can be divided into three stages:steady increase stage,cyclic decrease stage,and rapid increase stage.Besides,the calculation model of dissipated energy of fault rock considering the efective stress was established.The calculation results show that the relationship between the dissipated energy of fault rock and the cyclic number of loading and unloading conforms to an exponential function.

Variation of soil organic carbon and bulk density during afforestation regulates soil hydraulic properties

Grain to Green program on arable land has been conducted for decades in semi-arid regions of North China.However,it remains uncertain how afforestation practices affect soil hydraulic properties(SHP).Two afforestation types,i.e.shrubland(SL)and woodland(WL),and the adjacent cropland(CL)were investigated to determine afforestation effects on SHP in this area.Disturbed and undisturbed soil cores were collected in three experimental sites.Soil field capacity(FC),wilting point(WP),and available water capacity(AWC)increased in SL compared to the CL.Soil saturated water content,however,decreased significantly in both SL and WL.Correlation and redundancy analysis identified that bulk density(BD)and soil organic carbon(SOC)were the main factors regulating SHP across different land uses.Lower saturated water contents in afforestation sites were likely driven by the higher BD,compared to the adjacent cropland.FC,WP,and AWC were positively correlated to SOC content.While afforestation may not increase the saturated water content of a landscape,our results indicate that it can improve soil water retention and could be an effective practice for soil and water conservation.

Effects of Carboxymethylcelluloses (CMC) on Some Hydraulic Properties of Sandy Soil

The property of hydrophilic polymers capable absorbing huge volumes of water led to many practical applications of these new materials in arid regions for improving the water retention in sandy soils. Effects of four carboxymethylcelluloses （CMC） mixed at various rates with the sandy soil, on the water-holding capacity and hydraulic conductivity （Ks） when leached with distilled water （simulating rain）, tap water, and saline water were evaluated. The maximum water absorption of CMCs ranged between 80 and 100 kg. kg^-1 of polymer; however, the absorbent swelling capacity decreased significantly with increasing the salt concentration in the solution. The water absorption capacity of CMCs decreased significantly when incorporated in the sandy soil compared to that of the absorbent alone. Application of CMC increased significantly the available water content up to 3 ± 0.5 times. All soils treated with CMCs showed a significant lower in Ks compared to the control soil. Meanwhile, Ks was found increased with increasing the salt concentration in the leaching solution. This understanding of characteristics of the absorbents and the interactions among absorbents, soil, and irrigation water quality would be of help in water management of sandy soil

Efects of Tectonic Setting and Hydraulic Properties on Silent Large‑Scale Landslides: A Case Study of the Zhaobishan Landslide,China

Unlike strong earthquake-triggered or heavy rainfall-triggered landslides,silent large-scale landslides(SLL)occur without signifcant triggering factors and cause unexpected signifcant disaster risks and mass casualties.Understanding the initiation mechanism of SLLs is crucial for risk reduction.In this study,the mechanism of the Zhaobishan SLL was investigated,and the SLL was jointly controlled by weak-soil(fractured rock mass)and strong-water(abundant water replenishment)conditions under the impact of active tectonism and complex hydraulic properties.Strong tectonic uplift,high fault density,and historical earthquakes led to weak-soil conditions conducive to the Zhaobishan SLL.The combined efect of unique lithology,antiform,and cultivated land contributed to the water replenishment characteristics of extensive runof confuence(3.16 times that of the landslide body)and supported long-distance groundwater replenishment,thereby forming strongwater conditions for the landslide.The amplifed seepage amount caused the strength of the soil mass on the sliding surface to decrease to 0.4 times its initial strength,eventually triggering the Zhaobishan SLL,which occurred 4.6 days after the peak rainfall.Moreover,the landslide deposits have accumulated on the semi-diagenetic clay rock,thereby controlling the subsequent recurring debris fows in the Lengzi Gully.To reduce disaster risk of SLL in vulnerable mountainous regions,the water confuence area behind the main scarp of the landslides and the hysteresis characteristics between landslides and peak rainfall should be further considered,and recurring debris fows following massive landslides also should be focused.

Effects of Soil Hydraulic Properties on Soil Moisture Estimation

Accurate quantification of soil moisture is essential to understand the land surface processes.Soil hydraulic properties influence water transport in soil and thus affect the estimation of soil moisture.However,some soil hydraulic properties are only observable at a few field sites.In this study,the effects of soil hydraulic properties on soil moisture estimation are investigated by using the one-dimensional(1-D)Richards equation at ELBARA,which is part of the Maqu monitoring network over the Tibetan Plateau(TP),China.Soil moisture assimilation experiments are then conducted with the unscented weighted ensemble Kalman filter(UWEnKF).The results show that the soil hydraulic properties significantly affect soil moisture simulation.Saturated soil hydraulic conductivity(Ksat)is optimized based on its observations in each soil layer with a genetic algorithm(GA,a widely used optimization method in hydrology),and the 1-D Richards equation performs well using the optimized values.If the range of Ksat for a complete soil profile is known for a particular soil texture(rather than for arbitrary layers within the horizon),optimized Ksat for each soil layer can be obtained by increasing the number of generations in GA,although this increases the computational cost of optimization.UWEnKF performs well with optimized Ksat,and improves the accuracy of soil moisture simulation more than that with calculated Ksat.Sometimes,better soil moisture estimation can be obtained by using optimized saturated volumetric soil moisture content Ksat.In summary,an accurate soil profile can be obtained by using soil moisture assimilation with optimized soil hydraulic properties.

In situ observations of soil hydraulic properties and soil moisture in a high,cold mountainous area of the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Information on soil hydraulic properties(SHPs)and soil moisture(SM)is essential to understand and model water and energy cycles at terrestrial surfaces.However,information regarding these soil properties in existing datasets is often scarce and inaccurate for high,cold mountainous areas such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP).To help bridge this gap,we have compiled an SHP and SM dataset for the northeastern QTP(a major high,cold mountainous area)using measurements of soil collected at 5 and 25 cm depths from 206 sampling sites,and in-situ observations from 32 SM monitoring stations at 5,15,25,40,and 60 cm depths.We used this dataset to explore large-scale variations(spatial and temporal)in SHPs and SM across the study area.We also evaluated several widely used SHP(soil texture,bulk density,and saturated hydraulic conductivity)and SM datasets derived by remote-sensing methods,reanalysis and data assimilation.Our datasets showed that SM significantly decreases from the southeastern part to the northwestern part in the study area,and SM decreases with increases in depth over 0–70 cm.Moreover,the regional annual SM showed decreased trend from 2014 to 2020 in the study area.Additionally,we detected substantial bias in the currently available large SHP datasets,which do not capture the spatial variability recorded in the in-situ observations.Especially,clay and sand estimates from both HWSD and SoilGrid datasets were significantly overestimated,and silt was significantly underestimated within the depth of 0–30 cm in the study area.We also found that SM values derived from remote sensing datasets fitted the in-situ SM observations better than those derived from the reanalysis data(which had higher bias)and data assimilation(which did not capture the temporal variability of SM).Our findings emphasize the unneglectable bias of the widely-used large-scale SHP datasets,especially for the soil texture data.Thus,an urgent need for large-scale field sampling of SHP in mountainous areas.The in-situ observation dataset presented here provides important information with unprecedented coverage and resolution regarding the SHP variability and long-term SM trends across a large,high,cold mountainous area,thereby enhancing our understanding of water cycles and energy exchange processes over the QTP.

INVERSE METHOD TO DETERMINE SOIL HYDRAULIC PROPERTIES FROM TRANSIENT OUTFLOW EXPERIMENTS

Transient outflow experiments coupling with an inverse method are promisingto derive soil hydraulic information. The water retention curves obtained from one-step andmulti-step outflow experiments were compared with those from the pressure cell method. We found thatin one-step experiments the increment of pressure would reduce the non-uniqueness of inversetechnique and that in multi-step experiment the combination of cumulative outflow with pressure headin the objective function would improve the final estimation and also reduce the non-uniqueness ofinverse problem.

Hydraulic properties of typical salt-affected soils in Jiangsu Province, China

Every year about 1,500 ha of land is reclaimed from the sea along the coastline of Jiangsu Province,China.It is important to characterize the hydraulic properties of this reclaimed land to be able to predict and manage salt and water movement for amelioration of these saline soils.In this paper,we report hydraulic properties of these salt-affected soils.The pressure-plate method,constant head method,the crust method and Klute’s method were used in this study.The satu-rated hydraulic conductivities of the soils ranged from 128.66 to 141.26 cm/day and decreased with increasing soil depth.The unsaturated hydraulic conductivities followed an expo-nential function of pressure head.The soil water retention curves were similar for three soil layers in the soil.The satu-rated water content,field capacity and wilting point decreased with increasing soil depth.Plant available water contents of the three layers in the soil profile were 0.21,0.20 and 0.19 cm3/cm3,respectively.The unsaturated soil water diffu-sivity of the studied soils ranged from 0.07 to 10.46 cm^(2)/min,and was related to the water content via an exponential relationship.

Inverse modeling approach for determining soil hydraulic properties as affected by application of cattle manure

Numerical codes are extensively used in the modeling of water and solute transport in the vadose zone.The application of these codes depends on knowledge of soil hydraulic properties such as soil water retention curve and hydraulic conductivity.Application of cattle manure to the soil can increase soil organic matter(SOM)contents.Increases in SOM associated with changes in the structure and adsorption properties of soil and,thus,their hydraulic properties.In this study the effect of cattle manure on soil hydraulic properties was investigated using inverse method.Applied inverse method was based on Levenberg-Marquart optimization algorithm to estimate hydraulic properties of soil in transient condition using C++programming language along with forward model(HydroGeoSphere)as a numerical code.Nine iron cylinders of 57 cm in inner diameter and about 40 cm in height were filled with Sandy clay loam soil of 30 cm in height.Cattle manure applied at 0,30,and 60 Mg/ha at three replications in a completely random design.One year after cattle manure application,saturated hydraulic conductivity,porosity,and water retention curve parameters(van Genuchten function,αandβ)were estimated using inverse method.Statistical analysis showed that the automatic calibration is sensitive toαmore than the other parameters.The results showed that porosity,saturated hydraulic conductivity,residual water content,αandβincreased significantly(P<0.05)with application 30 and 60 Mg/ha cattle manure.But there was no significant difference(P<0.05)inβbetween application of 30 and 60 Mg/ha cattle manure.The study also indicated thatαwas 25.0%and 50.0%higher andβwas 9.6%and 12.6%lower than control treatment in 30 and 60 Mg/ha treatments.In addition,application cattle manure showed positive effect on hydraulic parameters of soil.

Modeling unsaturated flow in fractured rocks with scaling relationships between hydraulic parameters

Modeling unsaturated flow in fractured rocks is essential in various subsurface engineering applications,but it remains a great challenge due to the difficulties in determining the unsaturated hydraulic properties of rocks that contain various scales of fractures.It is generally accepted that the van Genuchten(VG)model can be applied to fractured rocks,provided that the hydraulic parameters could be representatively determined.In this study,scaling relationships between the VG parameters(a and n)and hydraulic conductivity(K)across 8 orders of magnitude,from 10^(-10)m/s to 10^(-2)m/s,were proposed by statistical analysis of data obtained from 1416 soil samples.The correlations were then generalized to predict the upper bounds of VG parameters for fractured rocks from the K data that could be obtained more easily under field conditions,and were validated against a limited set of data from cores,fractures and fractured rocks available in the literature.The upper bound estimates significantly narrow the ranges of VG parameters,and the representative values of a and n for fractured rocks at the field scale can then be determined with confidence by inverse modeling using groundwater observations in saturated zones.The proposed methodology was applied to saturated-unsaturated flow modeling in the right-bank slope at the Baihetan dam site with a continuum approach,showing that most of the flow behaviors in fractured rocks in this complex hydrogeological condition could be properly reproduced.The proposed method overcomes difficulties in suction measurement in fractured rocks with strong heterogeneity,and provides a feasible way for modeling of saturated-unsaturated flow in fractured rocks with acceptable engineering accuracy.

The Effects of Farmyard Manure and Mulch on Soil Physical Properties in a Reclaimed Coastal Tidal Flat Salt-Affected Soil

Careful soil management is important for the soil quality and productivity improvement of the reclaimed coastal tidal flat saline land in northern Jiangsu Province, China. Farmyard manure（ FYM） and mulch applications, which affect soil characteristics and plant significantly, are regard as an effective pattern of saline land improvement. As a conventional management in the study region, FYM and mulch are used for the amendment of the new reclaimed tidal flat regularly, but little is known about their effects on soil physical properties functioning. A study was conducted on a typical coastal tidal flat saline land, which was reclaimed in 2005, to evaluate the effects of FYM, polyethylene film mulch（PM）, straw mulch（SM）, FYM combined with PM（FYM＋PM）, FYM combined with SM（FYM＋SM）, on soil hydraulic properties and soil mechanical impedance. CK represented conventional cultivation in study area without FYM and mulch application and served as a control. The experiment, laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications, was studied in Huanghaiyuan Farm, which specialized in the agricultural utilization for coastal tidal flat. Result showed that capillary water holding capacity（CHC）, saturated water content（SWC）, saturated hydraulic conductivity（ Ks） and bulk density（BD）, cone index（CI） were affected significantly by the FYM and mulch application, especially in the 0-10 cm soil layer. FYM and mulch management increased CHC, SWC and Ks over all soil depth in the order of FYM＋SM〉FYM＋PM〉FYM〉SM〉PM〉CK. With the contrary sequence, BD and CI decreased significantly; however, FYM and mulch application affected BD and CI only in the upper soil layers. CHC, SWC and Ks decreased significantly with the increasing of soil depth, BD and CI, and a significant liner equation was found between CHC, SWC, Ks and BD, CI. With the highest CHC（38.15%）, SWC（39.55%）, Ks（6.00 mm h-1） and the lowest BD（1.26 g cm-3） and CI（2.71 MPa）, the combined management of FYM and SM was recommend to be an effective method for the melioration of reclaimed coastal tidal flat saline soil.

Variation in soil infiltration properties under different land use/cover in the black soil region of Northeast China

Soil infiltration properties(SIPs)of infiltration rate and saturated hydraulic conductivity significantly affect hydrological and erosion processes,thus,knowledge of SIPs under different land use/cover are vital for land use management to control soil erosion for realizing the sustainable development of the small agricultural watershed.Nevertheless,few studies have been carried out to investigate the differences in SIPs and their dominant influencing factors between different land use/cover in the black soil region of Northeast China.Therefore,eight typical land use/cover were selected to clarify the variations in SIPs between different land use/cover and further identify their dominant influencing factors.SIPs of initial infiltration rate(IIR),steady infiltration rate(SIR),and saturated hydraulic conductivity(Ks)were determined under eight typical land use/cover(forestland,shrub land,grassland,longitudinal shelterbelt,transverse shelterbelt,agricultural road,and cropland of Zea mays L.and Glycine max(Linn.)Merr)using a tension disc infiltrometer with three pressure heads of−3,−1.5,and 0 cm.The results of one-way ANOVA analysis showed that SIPs varied greatly between different land use/cover.Shelterbelt plant with Populus L.had the maximum IIR,SIR,and Ks,and then followed by shrub land,agricultural road,cropland,grassland,and forestland.Spearman correlation analysis indicated that SIPs were significantly correlated with soil and vegetation properties.Redundancy analysis revealed that differences in SIPs between different land use/cover were dominantly attributed to the differences in soil texture,field capacity,and plant root mass density,which explained 79.36%of the total variation in SIPs.Among these dominant influencing factors,the results of structural equation model indicated that the indirect effects of plant root and soil texture played the most important role in variations of SIPs via affecting soil texture and pore characteristics.These results have significant implications for the precise prediction of watershed hydrological and erosion processes,also provide a scientific basis for guiding the distribution pattern of land use in the cultivated watershed.

Groundwater flow through fractured rocks and seepage control in geotechnical engineering: Theories and practices

Groundwater flow through fractured rocks has been recognized as an important issue in many geotechnical engineering practices.Several key aspects of fundamental mechanisms,numerical modeling and engineering applications of flow in fractured rocks are discussed.First,the microscopic mechanisms of fluid flow in fractured rocks,especially under the complex conditions of non-Darcian flow,multiphase flow,rock dissolution,and particle transport,have been revealed through a com-bined effort of visualized experiments and theoretical analysis.Then,laboratory and field methods of characterizing hydraulic properties(e.g.intrinsic permeability,inertial permeability,and unsaturated flow parameters)of fractured rocks in different flow regimes have been proposed.Subsequently,high-performance numerical simulation approaches for large-scale modeling of groundwater flow in frac-tured rocks and aquifers have been developed.Numerical procedures for optimization design of seepage control systems in various settings have also been proposed.Mechanisms of coupled hydro-mechanical processes and control of flow-induced deformation have been discussed.Finally,three case studies are presented to illustrate the applications of the improved theoretical understanding,characterization methods,modeling approaches,and seepage and deformation control strategies to geotechnical engi-neering projects.

A new classification of seepage control mechanisms in geotechnical engineering

Seepage flow through soils,rocks and geotechnical structures has a great influence on their stabilities and performances,and seepage control is a critical technological issue in engineering practices.The physical mechanisms associated with various engineering measures for seepage control are investigated from a new perspective within the framework of continuum mechanics;and an equation-based classification of seepage control mechanisms is proposed according to their roles in the mathematical models for seepage flow,including control mechanisms by coupled processes,initial states,boundary conditions and hydraulic properties.The effects of each mechanism on seepage control are illustrated with examples in hydroelectric engineering and radioactive waste disposal,and hence the reasonability of classification is demonstrated.Advice on performance assessment and optimization design of the seepage control systems in geotechnical engineering is provided,and the suggested procedure would serve as a useful guidance for cost-effective control of seepage flow in various engineering practices.

Estimating Evapotranspiration of Maize under Different Management Practices in a Semiarid Tropical Area Using the Soil Water Balance Method

Smallholder farmers in semiarid areas face low and erratic rainfall and need field management practices that conserve water in the root zone. This work evaluated the effect of mulching and DD (deep tillage) practices as a way to conserve soil moisture and thus improve water availability and maize crop yield in this water-scarce environment. The field experiment was carried out in which the soil moisture content (SMC) was monitored and the other water balance components were measured to quantify the crop ET with the soil water balance (SWB) method. The components of the SWB (rainfall, supplemental irrigation, runoff, deep percolation and change of soil moisture content) were measured for three consecutive seasons of 2018-2019, i.e. two long rain seasons (Masika 2018 and 2019) and one short-rains season (Vuli 2018). The estimation of the deep percolation (DP) involved calculating water fluxes from hydraulic properties measured in the laboratory and from hydraulic gradients measured with tensiometers in the field plots. Treatments significantly affected ET (p < 0.05) during the Vuli 2018 season. The estimated ET was highest in FC plots, medium in DD, and FCM recorded the lowest ET value. The significant difference in ET was between FCM and other treatments. Relative to a control treatment (farmers’ cultivation, FC), mulching (FCM) reduced evapotranspiration by 14% and 18% during more water-stressed seasons of Vuli 2018 and Masika 2019. The ET reduction among the treatments was in line with the reduction in soil evaporation, as reflected in the results (of the other article of the same work). The crop transpiration was observed higher, which was consistent with the higher canopy cover observations for the two treatments relative to the FC treatment. Also, while the mulch practice did not affect ET during the first and less water-stressed season of Masika 2018, DD reduced it by 9% and showed no effect during other seasons.

Hydrogeological and Hydrochemical Characterization of Coastal Aquifers with Special Reference to Submarine Groundwater Discharge in Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, India

In coastal areas of our country,in spite of having excess rainfall(more than 3000 mm),groundwater become a rare commodity during summer.Number of researchers have discussed the issues related to water scarcity of coastal areas where there is a huge pressure on environment due to increased population,tourism,agriculture and industrial growth.Fast depletion of groundwater is also reported in coastal districts due to continuous discharge of direct runoff and also through subterranean flow which is termed as Submarine Groundwater Discharges(SGD).Large quantity of contaminants enter the ocean system through runoff.This necessitated a detailed investigation to understand the hydrological processes involved and the source of contaminants.The present investigation is an attempt to make quantitative and qualitative assessment of SGD based on hydrological,hydrogeological and hydrochemical components.Accordingly,water balance components were evaluated based on hydrological and hydrogeological investigations.Hydrochemical parameters were also evaluated to understand the impact of seawater intrusion in pre and post-monsoon of 2019.Study revealed that,there are signatures of considerable quantity of submarine groundwater discharge in parts of Honnavara,Kumta,Ankola and Karwar talukas.The influence of seawater in coastal aquifers is quite rare all along the coast of Uttara kannada district which is attributed to high groundwater recharge(15-20%)occurring in catchment areas.

Prediction criteria for groundwater potential zones in Kemuning District,Indonesia using the integration of geoelectrical and physical parameters

The presence of groundwater is strongly related to its geological and geohydrological conditions.It is,however,important to study the groundwater potential in an area before it is utilized to provide clean water.Werner-Schlumberger’s method was used to analyze the groundwater potential while hydraulic properties such as soil porosity and hydraulic conductivity were used to determine the quality and ability of the soil to allow water’s movement in the aquifer.The results show that the aquifer in the Sekara and Kemuning Muda is at a depth of more than 6 meters below the ground level with moderate groundwater potential.It is also found that the aquifer at depths of over 60 m have high groundwater potential.Moreover,soil porosity in Kemuning is found to be average while the ability to conduct water was moderate.This makes it possible for some surface water to seep into the soil while the remaining flows to the rivers and ditches.

Spatial Estimation of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity from Terrain Attributes Using Regression,Kriging,and Artificial Neural Networks

Several methods,including stepwise regression,ordinary kriging,cokriging,kriging with external drift,kriging with varying local means,regression-kriging,ordinary artificial neural networks,and kriging combined with artificial neural networks,were compared to predict spatial variation of saturated hydraulic conductivity from environmental covariates.All methods except ordinary kriging allow for inclusion of secondary variables.The secondary spatial information used was terrain attributes including elevation,slope gradient,slope aspect,profile curvature and contour curvature.A multiple jackknifing procedure was used as a validation method.Root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) were used as the validation indices,with the mean RMSE and mean MAE used to judge the prediction quality.Prediction performance by ordinary kriging was poor,indicating that prediction of saturated hydraulic conductivity can be improved by incorporating ancillary data such as terrain variables.Kriging combined with artificial neural networks performed best.These prediction models made better use of ancillary information in predicting saturated hydraulic conductivity compared with the competing models.The combination of geostatistical predictors with neural computing techniques offers more capability for incorporating ancillary information in predictive soil mapping.There is great potential for further research and development of hybrid methods for digital soil mapping.

A comprehensive review of the effects of biochar on soil physicochemical properties and crop productivity

Intensive land use has several detrimental effects on land function and imposes an undue burden on the environment.Continuous farming and pollution by heavy metals have negatively influenced many soils.Biochar is now gaining attention as a major research subject in the areas of agriculture,environment,and energy as an eco-friendly soil conditioner.The use of biochar for agricultural and environmental purposes has been widely studied and reviewed.Unfortunately,there are few reviews on biochar structures and other biochar uses.This review presents an overview of current developments in the effects of numerous biochar physicochemical properties and biochar uses,such as utilization as a soil microbial activity,contaminant adsorbent,ion exchange,soil amendment,gas storage and water retention.The physical,chemical and biological properties have been discussed following amendments to the soil and conditions of preparation.However,scientific observation and research are required to identify the negative effects of biochar in preparations and applications.It is envisaged that further in-depth studies of biochar amendment will lead to a deeper understanding of biochar's relationships with soils and that reviews of the negative impacts of biochar could reveal ways in which they might be mitigated.