How does precipitation affect soil?

How does precipitation affect soil?

Changes in precipitation affect vegetation which has impacts on soil organic matter cycle and the texture of soil. This can influence the runoff rate and formation of surface crusts, which affect erosion and cause deterioration. The status of the soil was better in wet areas and worse in drier areas.

How rainfall affects soil moisture?

In general, low and irregular annual rainfall tend to result in high soil moisture in the surface soil and low soil moisture in the deep soil layer because when rainfall amount is too small, most of them will be retained in the shallow layer.

What affects moisture content in soil?

Soil moisture is the water stored in the soil and is affected by precipitation, temperature, soil characteristics, and more. Air and water, the gas and liquid phases, exist in the pores. The size of the soil particles and pores affects how much water a soil can hold, and how that water moves through the soil.

How does precipitation and temperature affect soil?

First, during the first precipitation, the soil volumetric water content increased, occupying the soil pores, increasing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, and inducing soil respiration; Second, after the first precipitation event, the temperature increased, the soil moisture decreased, and the organic matter was …

What are the major forms of precipitation?

The most common types of precipitation are rain, hail, and snow. Rain is precipitation that falls to the surface of the Earth as water droplets. Raindrops form around microscopic cloud condensation nuclei, such as a particle of dust or a molecule of pollution.

How does rain impact erosion?

Rain may move soil directly: this is known as ‘rainsplash erosion’ (or just ‘splash erosion’). Spash is only effective if the rain falls with sufficient intensity. If it does, then as the raindrops hit bare soil, their kinetic energy is able to detach and move soil particles a short distance.

What is the relationship between soil moisture and precipitation?

Similarly, precipitation and soil moisture have the strongest correlations in regions that are arid and dry or cold, and weaker correlations in humid, temperate locations. Overall, this study revealed that the relationship between precipitation and soil moisture goes deeper than what is seen on the surface.

How does temperature affect soil moisture?

As the temperature rises the evaporation rate of soil moisture increases. The increased soil moisture evaporation helps cool the ground. In physics, when things expand they cool their surroundings.

Which soil has highest moisture content?

Generally speaking, clay-rich soils have the largest pore space, hence the greatest total water holding capacity. However, total water holding capacity does not describe how much water is available to plants, or how freely water drains in soil.

What is a good moisture content in soil?

Soil moisture is a measure of soil health, the water content present in a certain area of the ground. All plants need to be in a specific soil moisture range — the majority of plants thrive in soil with a moisture level that ranges between 20% and 60%.

How does time affect the formation of soil?

Time is the fifth factor in soil formation. Over time, vegetation and climate act on parent material and topography. Development, not chronological age, determines a soil’s age. The degree of aging depends on the intensity of the other four soil-forming factors.