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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Analysis of Soil Water-Holding Capacity
and Hydraulic Conductivity of Alpine
Meadow Soil Based on Soil Pore Curvature
1
College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China
2
State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources
and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China
3
Yinshanbeilu National Field Research Station of steppe Eco-hydrological System, China Institute of Water Resources
and Hydropower Research, Hohhot, 010020, China
Submission date: 2024-02-23
Final revision date: 2024-03-21
Acceptance date: 2024-04-13
Online publication date: 2024-11-21
Publication date: 2025-01-09
Corresponding author
Baisha Weng
State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China
State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(2):1921-1943
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Soil’s water-holding and conducting properties are crucial for studying soil-water relations.
This research explores how soil pore structure affects water-holding capacity and hydraulic conductivity
in alpine meadow soils of the central Tibetan Plateau. The study critiques the Campbell formula for
inaccurately predicting these factors, citing a lack of consideration for specific soil properties and
contexts. Incorporating soil pore curvature, a revised method enhances the accuracy of the Campbell
formula. During the growing season, independent pores in alpine meadow soils often interconnect,
featuring large surface areas but small volumes. These soils, with higher clay content than loamy and
sandy soils, demonstrate a high water-holding capacity. However, in the growing season, this capacity
diminishes, and hydraulic conductivity rises due to reduced pore curvature in these cold alpine
meadows.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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