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Water Movement and Loss Under Frozen Soil Conditions¹

ABSTRACT

Soil water and temperature distributions in a silty clay loam soil were studied in the field under freezing winter conditions. Appreciable upward water movement to a frozen zone occurred in plots in which the unfrozen subsoil water was held at tensions of less than about 2 atm. and water held at tensions of less than 5 atm. moved toward the frozen zone. It appears that the upward water movement to the frozen zone conributed to overwinter water losses since soil water losses of 0.36 and 0.50 inches were measured from those plots in which there was appreciable upward water movement. Plots containing 7.9, 6.2, 4.2, and 1.4 inches of available water before freezing occurred conserved –0.36, –0.50, 0.0, and 0.81 inches, respectively, of the 4 inches of precipitation that occurred during the winter.

¹ Contribution from Department of Plant and Soil Science, Montana State College, Bozeman and the Soil and Water Conservation Research Division, ARS, USDA. Approved as Montana Agr. Exp. Sta. Research Paper No. 645.

² Associate Professor of Soils. Montana State College; Soil Scientist, USDA; and Agricultural Research Technician, USDA, Bozeman, Mont., respectively.

Received for publication February 3, 1964. Accepted for publication May 19, 1964.