Hydrological consequences of artificial drainage of grassland

Hydrological consequences of artificial drainage of grassland

1991

Soil water regimes and water balances are presented for a series of drained and undrained experimental grassland plots, intended to examine the agronomic consequences of drainage. Although drainage has lowered the watertables and reduced the duration of waterlogging in the drained plots, its effects in terms either of the total water quantities leaving the site or of peak flows is quite small. The major effect of drainage is to alter the route of water loss from the site. In its undrained state, the soil is waterlogged for the majority of the winter, incident rainfall cannot infiltrate, and water leaves as surface runoff or near-surface flow. The introduction of fissures by mole drainage both provides an outlet and enhances the macroporosity, so that the rain moves rapidly through the soil and appears as drainflow. Consequently, the additional delay in generating peak runoff through the drainage system is only of the order of 30 minutes on this site.

Armstrong, A. C.
Garwood, E. A.

18

Hydrology

artificial recharge
artificial recharges
artificially recharge
artifically recharges
surface runoff
surface runoffs
hydrology
hydrologic
peak flow
peak flows
grassland
grasslands
mole drainage

1990-1999

Yes

Do Not Have Copyright Permission

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