Water transport under winter conditions

Winter as well as summer floods result in soil loss and sedimentation. Up to now the winter events cannot be adequately predicted. This paper focuses on the infiltration processes under frozen winter conditions in order to model soil erosion processes in winter by adapting the computer model EROSION 3D [Schmidt, J., Werner, M. v., 2000. Modeling Sediment and Heavy Metal Yields of Drinking Water Reservoirs in the Osterzgebirge Region of Saxony (Germany). In: Soil Erosion - Application of Physically Based Models, Schmidt, J.(Editor). Berlin, Heidelberg, New York., pp. 93-108.]. snow accumulation and snow melt module has been implemented in order to estimate erosion rates during snowmelt events. Tests show that infiltration still occurs in frozen soils, however, infiltration rates are reduced compared to unfrozen soils [Weigert, A., Wenk, G., Ollesch, G., Fritz, H., 2003. Simulation of snowmelt erosion using the EROSION 3D model. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Sciences, 1/2003.]. In order to improve the EROSION 3D model regarding partly frozen soils a physical based infiltration model extension has been developed and experimentally verified. ses of infiltration into partly frozen soils are successfully quantified by a newly designed experimental set-up using a soil column (height 50 cm, diameter 21.5 cm). At the bottom of this column a negative pressure can be applied in order to establish unsaturated hydraulic conditions. The volume rate of the percolating water is constantly measured by an online balance. In addition the column is equipped with three TDR and temperature probes. haviour of two soil samples (sandy vs. loamy soil) are investigated under saturated, unsaturated and frozen conditions. The improved physical infiltration model based on the combination of Darcyʹs Law, Hagen-Poiseuilleʹs Law, the capillary-rise equation and the van Genuchten θ(h) function determines with considerable accuracy both the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity and the effective saturated hydraulic conductivity of a partly frozen soil for rigid soil matrix conditions. This approach is compared with the Mualem concept for predicting unsaturated hydraulic conductivities. Fractures were observed due to freezing cracks in case of loamy material. For fractured soils the calibration with a skinfactor is found to be absolutely necessary to give reliable results.