Spatiotemporal Variability of Soil Water Repellency in Urban Parks of Berlin
Urban green spaces are important components of city spaces that are vulnerable to degradation in soil–water–climate processes. This vulnerability is exacerbated by current climate change and park usage density. This study examines the dynamics of soil water repellency in the topsoils of selected urb...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Soil Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/9/2/31 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1839652650649387008 |
|---|---|
| author | Ehsan Razipoor Subham Mukherjee Brigitta Schütt |
| author_facet | Ehsan Razipoor Subham Mukherjee Brigitta Schütt |
| author_sort | Ehsan Razipoor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Urban green spaces are important components of city spaces that are vulnerable to degradation in soil–water–climate processes. This vulnerability is exacerbated by current climate change and park usage density. This study examines the dynamics of soil water repellency in the topsoils of selected urban parks in Berlin, aiming to assess the relationships between weather conditions, soil water content, and soil water repellency. This study is based on monthly sampled soils from spots originating from three selected parks—Fischtal Park, Stadtpark Steglitz, and Rudolph-Wilde Park—between September 2022 and October 2023; two of the parks are exclusively rainwater fed, and one is irrigated during summer months. For each sample soil, water repellency persistence and severity were analyzed. Time series analysis was conducted including soil water content. In addition, the total organic carbon content (TOC) and sample texture were analyzed. The results show that the rainfall amount, number of dry days, and maximum temperature during different time intervals prior to the sampling date predominantly control the variation in the soil water repellency via the soil water content. Soil water repellency variations observed appear more event-related than monthly or seasonal, as rainfall is evenly distributed through the years without a distinct dry or wet season in Berlin. The non-repellency of the soil samples was usually observed when the associated water content was increased, which is linked to high cumulative rainfall and short dry periods. Low rainfall amounts and long dry periods in summer result in the re-establishment of the soil water repellency, possibly affecting increased runoff generation and soil erosion risk. Spatially, the repellency properties were observed at locations under healthy vegetation cover, while soils located on the upper slope locations and on the pathways lacked repellency characteristics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4fcd339e18994b51ab4ebc06a556459d |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2571-8789 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Soil Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-4fcd339e18994b51ab4ebc06a556459d2025-06-25T14:26:52ZengMDPI AGSoil Systems2571-87892025-04-01923110.3390/soilsystems9020031Spatiotemporal Variability of Soil Water Repellency in Urban Parks of BerlinEhsan Razipoor0Subham Mukherjee1Brigitta Schütt2Institute of Geographical Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstraße 74-100, 12449 Berlin, GermanyInstitute of Geographical Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstraße 74-100, 12449 Berlin, GermanyInstitute of Geographical Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstraße 74-100, 12449 Berlin, GermanyUrban green spaces are important components of city spaces that are vulnerable to degradation in soil–water–climate processes. This vulnerability is exacerbated by current climate change and park usage density. This study examines the dynamics of soil water repellency in the topsoils of selected urban parks in Berlin, aiming to assess the relationships between weather conditions, soil water content, and soil water repellency. This study is based on monthly sampled soils from spots originating from three selected parks—Fischtal Park, Stadtpark Steglitz, and Rudolph-Wilde Park—between September 2022 and October 2023; two of the parks are exclusively rainwater fed, and one is irrigated during summer months. For each sample soil, water repellency persistence and severity were analyzed. Time series analysis was conducted including soil water content. In addition, the total organic carbon content (TOC) and sample texture were analyzed. The results show that the rainfall amount, number of dry days, and maximum temperature during different time intervals prior to the sampling date predominantly control the variation in the soil water repellency via the soil water content. Soil water repellency variations observed appear more event-related than monthly or seasonal, as rainfall is evenly distributed through the years without a distinct dry or wet season in Berlin. The non-repellency of the soil samples was usually observed when the associated water content was increased, which is linked to high cumulative rainfall and short dry periods. Low rainfall amounts and long dry periods in summer result in the re-establishment of the soil water repellency, possibly affecting increased runoff generation and soil erosion risk. Spatially, the repellency properties were observed at locations under healthy vegetation cover, while soils located on the upper slope locations and on the pathways lacked repellency characteristics.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/9/2/31dry spellsantecedent rainfallwater contentdegradationurban green spaces |
| spellingShingle | Ehsan Razipoor Subham Mukherjee Brigitta Schütt Spatiotemporal Variability of Soil Water Repellency in Urban Parks of Berlin Soil Systems dry spells antecedent rainfall water content degradation urban green spaces |
| title | Spatiotemporal Variability of Soil Water Repellency in Urban Parks of Berlin |
| title_full | Spatiotemporal Variability of Soil Water Repellency in Urban Parks of Berlin |
| title_fullStr | Spatiotemporal Variability of Soil Water Repellency in Urban Parks of Berlin |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatiotemporal Variability of Soil Water Repellency in Urban Parks of Berlin |
| title_short | Spatiotemporal Variability of Soil Water Repellency in Urban Parks of Berlin |
| title_sort | spatiotemporal variability of soil water repellency in urban parks of berlin |
| topic | dry spells antecedent rainfall water content degradation urban green spaces |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/9/2/31 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ehsanrazipoor spatiotemporalvariabilityofsoilwaterrepellencyinurbanparksofberlin AT subhammukherjee spatiotemporalvariabilityofsoilwaterrepellencyinurbanparksofberlin AT brigittaschutt spatiotemporalvariabilityofsoilwaterrepellencyinurbanparksofberlin |