Abstract
Preferential flow in hillslope systems through subsurface networks developed from a range of botanical, faunal and geophysical processes have been observed and inferred for decades and may provide a large component of the bulk transport of water and solutes. However, our dominant paradigm for understanding and modelling hillslope hydrologic processes is still based on the Darcy-Richards matric flow framework, now with a set of additional methods to attempt to reproduce some of the aggregate function of the two-phase system of network and matrix flow. We call for a community effort to design and implement a set of well planned experiments in different natural and constructed hillslopes, coupled with the development of new theory and methods to explicitly incorporate and couple the co-evolution of subsurface flow networks as intrinsic components of hydrological, ecological and geomorphic systems. This is a major community challenge that can now benefit from new experimental infrastructure, renewal of older infrastructure and recent advances in sensor systems and computational capacity but will also require a sustained and organized interdisciplinary approach. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1073-1078 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Ecohydrology |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2014 |
Keywords
- hillslope hydrology
- flow networks
- co-evolution
- community challenge
- plant-root systems
- preferential flow
- solute transport
- constructal theory
- river networks
- water-flow
- macropores
- hillslope
- model
- ecosystems