Influence of Benggang slope cracks on soil water regimes: Comparison of model simulation and time‐domain reflectometry

Abstract

Cracks greatly influence the saturated hydraulic conductivity (K s ) of soil and are one of the most important factors for increasing K s . Moreover, both cracks and K s influence soil water distribution. This study aimed to investigate the consistency of the effects of cracks and K s on the water distribution along slopes. K s was measured in three soil layers along two typical Benggang (a severe gully erosion landform) slopes using a double-ring infiltrometer. The K s values show a gradual decrease with increasing distance from the gully head in the same soil layer, and this phenomenon is consistent with the distribution of cracks on the slope measured by the staining tracer method. This indicates