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Salt Balance of Moderately Saline-Alkaline Rangeland Soil and Runoff Water Quality from Rainfall Simulation Studies near Moab, Utah U.S.A.



Author(s)

Awadis Arslan¹, Kossi Nouwakpo² and Mark Weltz³

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2193/2020.01.001

1. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV 89512, USA
2. Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Kimberly, ID 83341, USA
3. Great Basin Rangelands Research Unit, Reno, Agriculture Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, NV 89512, USA

A Walnut Gulch rainfall simulator was used to determine runoff water quality and salt balance of a Sandy Loam moderately saline-alkaline site containing 0.27% of gypsum near Moab, Utah. Four rainfall intensities corresponding to 2, 10, 25 and 50-year storm return intervals were applied to dry soil. During each rainfall simulation, time-stamped runoff samples were also collected for the determination of ions concentration. Soil water and solute content by depth increments were determined before and after simulations. All correlation coefficients between the applied simulation water and the amounts of Cl-, SO4 2-, NO3 - and sum of anions in runoff water were positive and ranged between 0.922 and 0.999. The correlation coefficients for Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+ and sum of cations ranged between 0.783 and 0.983. We concluded from the data analysis that: (1) The amounts of ions in simulation water and in runoff water represent less than 1% of sum of the soil soluble content before rainfall simulation. (2) The CEC contained about 250% the sum of cation in saturated extract. (3) The very small amount of gypsum in the soil contained 50% the sum of saturated extract ions. This means that special attention should be paid to CEC and gypsum content in the management of such soils. Moreover, when modeling runoff and water quality from soils with these properties the modelers must include suitable subroutines considering gypsum and CEC of the soil for accurate prediction of runoff water quality.

Erosion modeling, rainfall simulation, rangeland, water quality, salinity.