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Spatial uncertainty analysis of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity in a subtropical watershed

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Abstract

The high spatial variability of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) and the effort required for its data sampling have been a challenge for soil scientists to obtain its representativeness at a scale resolution required by watershed management. The objective of this work was to simulate the spatial variability of Ksat and evaluate its uncertainties through sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS) in a subtropical watershed, Southern Brazil. Ksat data were obtained in an experimental grid of 179 points established in a watershed with shallow soils and relief varying from undulating to strong undulating. Experimental and theoretical semivariograms were calculated and the SGS was used to generate 100 equiprobable fields. Local and spatial uncertainties of Ksat were assessed. Lower Ksat uncertainty estimates were found in densely sampled areas. Higher Ksat uncertainty estimates were obtained in soils located at steeper areas of the watershed and on soils formed alongside the main watercourse. Spatial variability maps of Ksat are quite useful for supporting hydrological simulation of the floods in watersheds, identifying areas more prone to groundwater recharge and the effects of different tillage systems on soil water dynamics at watershed scale as well.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for the financial support and scholarships provided, and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel-Brazil (CAPES), Finance Code 001, for scholarships.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Water Resources Post-Graduate Program, Center of Technological Development, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Rodrigo César Vasconcelos dos Santos & Mauricio Fornalski Soares

  2. Department of Rural Engineering, Faculty of Agronomy, Federal University of Pelotas, Campus Universitário s/n, Capão Do Leão, Rio Grande do Sul, 96010-900, Brazil

    Luís Carlos Timm

  3. Engineering Center, Federal University of Pelotas, Campus Cotada, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, 96010-020, Brazil

    Tirzah Moreira Siqueira

  4. Water Resources Department, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Carlos Rogério Mello

  5. Center of Technological Development, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Samuel Beskow

  6. Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Cerro Largo, RS, Brazil

    Douglas Rodrigo Kaiser

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  1. Rodrigo César Vasconcelos dos Santos
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Correspondence to Luís Carlos Timm.

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dos Santos, R.C.V., Soares, M.F., Timm, L.C. et al. Spatial uncertainty analysis of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity in a subtropical watershed. Environ Earth Sci 80, 707 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-10017-w

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