Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Preferential flow (PF) in soil causes the rapid transport of water, nutrients, and contaminants into the subsurface, influencing groundwater recharge and streamflow. Data scarcity has hindered the quantification of PF occurrence and the identification of its drivers across diverse ecoregions. We address this gap by analyzing high‐frequency, multi‐depth soil moisture data across 17 ecoregions in the USA, using ∼1,500 sensors at 40 sites. We discovered that PF is widespread, with sites experiencing PF in up to 60% of rainfall events ≥2 mm. Multiple approaches consistently show that PF is more likely to occur with increased peak rainfall intensity, finer textured material, low soil moisture variability, humid climate, and higher net primary productivity. This suggests that PF patterns could shift with projected climate changes, increasing uncertainty in predictions of groundwater recharge, water quality, and streamflow generation.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1029/2025gl118045
Institutions: Oregon State University, Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, North Carolina State University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Texas A&M University, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Texas Tech University, University of California, Riverside, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, University of Bonn, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, United States Geological Survey, Auburn University, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, University of California, Santa Barbara, San Diego State University, Arizona State University
Language: English
Topic: Soil and Unsaturated Flow
Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,190
Awards: G1079818582, G1143651532, G1286236842, G3083819904, REWET Vorhersage, Herkunft und Validierung von Tau, Raureif, Nebel und die Adsorption von Wasserdampf im Boden in landwirtschaftlichen Ökosystemen mithilfe eines Energiebilanzmodells, stabilen Isotopen des Wassers und Lysimeterdaten, G3685081974, G419881185, G42916606, G4501827968, G498139845, G6652958823, G7354628648, G969889393
OpenAlex ID: W4415025129