Experimental study on evaporation from seasonally frozen soils under various water, solute and groundwater conditions in Inner Mongolia, China

Soil freezing and thawing significantly impact water balance in cold regions. To improve estimations of evaporation from seasonally frozen and saline soils, field experiments representing various water and solute conditions were conducted during a 5-month-period in Inner Mongolia, China. A mass balance method was used to estimate evaporation from frost tubes (5.5 x 300 cm) with treatments combining three solute contents (0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6% g g(-1) dry soil) with three initial groundwater table depth (GWTDs) (2.0, 1.5, and 1.0 m). The dynamics of water, heat and solute transport in the frost tubes and in field plots were also investigated. Seasonal changes in evaporation rates were observed during soil freezing/thawing periods. Low evaporation rates were maintained when the soil was deeply frozen (e.g., in P3), and relatively higher values occurred at the beginning and the end of the experiments (e.g., in P1 and P5). The cumulative evaporation amount increased with an increase in initial solute content and declined with a lowering of the initial GWTDs. Solute accumulation with water in the surface layer during freezing decreased the osmotic potential in soil, resulting in obvious freezing point depressions and higher liquid water contents in the uppermost layer of soil. During the soil thawing periods, no evidence of any control of water availability on evaporation was noticed, although the surface soil contained large amounts of water. This study has led to an improved understanding of the coupled effects of water, heat and solute on evaporation from seasonally frozen saline soils and also has important implications for water and energy balance studies in cold regions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.