Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Soil moisture potential and water content in the unsaturated zone within the arid Ejina Oasis in Northwest China

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Geology

Abstract

Three soil profiles were selected in the Ejina Oasis, northwest China, to determine water content profiles and evolution of soil moisture potentials in the unsaturated zone within the arid area. The total soil moisture potentials have been monitored for about 3 months in 2001 at different depths in the soil profiles. The occurrence and movement of water in the unsaturated zone was analyzed using the zero flux plane (ZFP) method. It is shown that convergent ZFPs and divergent ZFPs may occur at depths between 0.5 and 3.0 m, and that the depth of the ZFPs was controlled by the root zone of plants growing on the land surface. Profiles of the total soil moisture potentials were observed to be coincident with those of the water contents at the three experimental sites. The total soil moisture potential showed a slight increasing trend and the ZFPs tend to vanish from summer to winter as the water extraction by roots decreased. Evapotranspiration through vegetation has an important bearing on the water content and the total potential in the unsaturated zone.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Chen LH (1996) Desertization and its control in the lower reach of the Heihe River (in Chinese). Natural Resour 2:35–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper JD, Gardner CMK, Mackenzie N (1990) Soil controls on recharge to aquifers. J Soil Sci 41:613–630

    Google Scholar 

  • Dreiss SJ, Anderson LD (1985) Estimating vertical soil moisture flux at a land treatment site. Ground Water 23(4):503–511

    Google Scholar 

  • Feng Q, Cheng GD, Endo KN (2001) Water content variations and respective ecosystem of sandy land in China. Environ Geol 40:1075–1083

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jing EC (1994) A study of the experiments on soil water flux methods (in Chinese). Seismologic Publishing House, Beijing, 173 pp

  • Li J, Islam S (2002) Estimation of root zone soil moisture and surface fluxes partitioning using near surface soil moisture measurements. J Hydrol 259:1–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mdaghri-Alaoui A, Eugster W (2001) Field determination of the water balance of the Areuse River delta, Switzerland. Hydrolog Sci J 46(5):747–760

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ragab R, Finch J, Harding R (1997) Estimation of groundwater recharge to chalk and sandstone aquifers using simple soil models. J Hydrol 190:19–41

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shen ZR, Zhang YF, Yang SX, Jing EC, Wang L, Yu FL, Lu Q, He YP and others (1992) Water resources scientific experiment and research—atmospheric, surface, soil and ground water interactions (in Chinese). China Science and Technology Press, Beijing, 569 pp

  • Wellings SR (1984) Recharge of the chalk aquifer at a site in Hampshire, England, 1. Water balance and unsaturated flow. J Hydrol 69:259–273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu XM (2000) Groundwater exploitation and ecological environment protection in the Ejina Basin of the Heihe Watershed, northwestern China (in Chinese). PhD Thesis, China University of Geosicences-Wuhan, 183 pp

  • Zhang HC (1994) Thinking of the degradation of the Ejina Oasis in Inner Mongolia (in Chinese). Hydrogeol Eng Geol 6:48–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang HC, Shi PZ, Wu XZ (1998) A study of the mechanism of imbalance transport of water in dunes and its developmental utilization (in Chinese). Seismologic Publishing House, Beijing, 143 pp

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported financially by the fund from the Ministry of Land and Resources of China for the Special Research Plan of Science and Technology in the Year 2000 (No. 200010302). The authors wish to thank Academician Zhang Zonghu, Professor Shen Zhaoli, Professor Ha Chengyou, Professor Qiu Xinfei and Dr. Shan Weidong for their suggestions in the course of the work. Dr. J. M. Zuppi’s critical reviewing of an early draft of the article is very much appreciated.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Xueyuan Road 29, 100083, Beijing, China

    X. Zhou, L. Wan, B. Fang, W. B. Cao, S. J. Wu, F. S. Hu & W. D. Feng

Authors
  1. X. Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. L. Wan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. B. Fang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. W. B. Cao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. S. J. Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. F. S. Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. W. D. Feng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to X. Zhou.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhou, X., Wan, L., Fang, B. et al. Soil moisture potential and water content in the unsaturated zone within the arid Ejina Oasis in Northwest China. Env Geol 46, 831–839 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-1068-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-1068-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation