Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

2015 Annual Meeting of the W-3188 Multi-State Research Project: Soil, Water, and Environmental Physics across Scales January 3-5, 2015, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV January 3, 2015 Robert Heinse was Chair and Manoj Shukla was secretary. Chair brought the house to order at 1 PM. Ray Knighton, USDA spoke about the new project W3188. He told that depending upon an Institution, separate project proposals are required by experimental stations. ES Directors (not the USDA) normally decide on all the issues including how many proposals or persons will be involved. Regarding acknowledging NIFA in publications, use the lines provided by NIFA (award number that is provided to each Institute’s ES). In the report system, there is a six digit number also known as report identifier can be used. In 2014 a new water program is offered by AFRI. Plan in 2015 is to continue the water program as well as cap and standard grant programs. CAP will be good to writing a multistate type of project. Stephen Sparrow, Administrate Advisor, told that W3188 approved for next five years (2019). There are 34 participants listed on the project and are from 18 states. Michael Young, University of Texas at Austin talked about the permafrost soils in Alaska. High resolution C inventory and dynamics in permafrost soils, north slope Alaska. Methane emissions and C fate and transport are important in Arctic tundra. Paul Stoy, Montana State University talked about the underappreciated role of soil physics in surface atmosphere exchange. Yan Jin, University of Delaware, talked about colloid mobilization and biogeochemical recycling of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus in wetlands. Todd Skaggs, USDA-ARS, Salinity Lab showed the analytical steady state solutions for water-limited cropping systems using saline irrigation water. Raymond Anderson, USDA-ARS, Water Management, talked about the constraining consumptive water use and water use efficiency in a production peach orchard in California’s San Joaquin valley. January 4, 2015 Markus Flurry, Washington State University talked about colloid fate and transport in unsaturated zone. Surachet Aramrak, Washington State University presented colloid mobilization and transport during capillary fringe fluctuation. Ole Wendroth, University of Kentucky, discussed temporal dynamics and stability of spatial processes of soil water status is important for efficient soil water monitoring and water and solute modeling. Jiri Simunek, University of California, Riverside talked about Hydrus and PHREEQC and the recent updates made on HYDRUS. Mostafa Moradzadeh, University of California, Riverside (PhD student) presented optimal estimation of van Genuchten parameters for preferential water flow conditions in soil. Jing Liang, University of California, Riverside (PhD student), presented a duel permeability model to describe overland flow and microbial transport. Alex Furman, Technion Israel Institute of Technology (not from the group), spoke about the microbial effects on the hydraulic properties of unsaturated soils. Andres Patrignani (PhD student of Tyson Ochsner), Oklahoma State University presented soil water dynamics under different crops. Shannon Andrews, Oregon State University (PhD student) (Maria is the soil physicist) presented results on water repellency investigations using infrared spectroscopy. Rose Shillito and Markus Berli, Desert Research Institute presented a talk on where does water go in desert soils? Alex Furman, Technion Israel Institute of Technology (not from the group) talked about the elemental signature of contaminated soil. John Nieber, University of Minnesota, assessed the total phosphorus load for the watershed and quantified each component. Business Next meeting: motion was moved for Las Vegas and was unanimously approved. Dates of next meetings were approved as: Sunday January 3rd- January 5th, 2016. Chair: Manoj Shukla, New Mexico State University took over as Chair. New secretary: Teamrat Ghezzehei, University of California, Merced is elected as new Secretary Next year: theme based presentation, using the project objectives is proposed. January 5th, 2015 Markus Tuller, The University of Arizona, presented results on soil physicochemical properties derived from water vapor sorption. Scott Jones, Utah State University talked about ET assessment in experimental forest. Wenyi (Postdoc) Utah State Univ., presented data on sensor development and calibration were performed in soils. Morteza (Postdoc) Utah State Univ. presented similar media concept of miller and miller (1956) can be used for similar soils. Teamrat Ghezzehei, University of California, Merced, showed that the soil water potential decreases influence the C emissions from soil. Manoj Shukla, NMSU-ACES presented on irrigation water efficiency using partial rot zone drying. Thijs Kelleners, University of Wyoming talked about coupled soil water flow and transport and other processes related to the model development.

Short-term outcomes Participants from USDA-ARS Conservation & Production Research Laboratory, Bushland, Texas determined that the cosmic ray soil moisture observing system (COSMOS) was not useful for irrigation management by comparing it with an in situ sensor network (EM and neutron probe sensors) and a large weighing lysimeter. AquaCrop model has serious problems with the soil evaporation algorithms and the discretization for soil water flux calculations that result in the model grossly overestimating early season soil water evaporative losses, reducing the water available for plant growth over time. (Evett, Schwartz) Washington State University showed that the capillary fringe is an important part of the vadose zone, it is the region where the groundwater meets the unsaturated zone. The action of the moving air-water interfaces in the capillary fringe can scour colloidal contaminants, zone, thereby making these contaminants more mobile. It is important to understand which topographic features influence the distribution of exposed mineral soil following wildfire, with simple GIS tools. To reduce the pollution of surface water bodies, techniques, including rain gardens and bioretention facilities, have been developed. (Flury, Wu) Oregon State University improved method to determine contact angles (Dragila). Participants from University of Minnesota developed (Objective 1) a whole watershed balance of phosphorus in a 377 km2 watershed in southcentral Minnesota has shown that phosphorus is used very efficiently and for the year of study the P leaving the watershed in the form of agricultural products was 1.7 times the amount entering. They also worked on groundwater contributions to Minnehaha Creek. As part of Objective 3, estimation of soil effective saturated hydraulic conductivity using the Modified Philip-Dunne method was found to be predicted within 65% of the true value for layered soil and 30% for a soil containing a single vertical macropore. (Nieber) Participants from Montana State University measured the surface-atmosphere exchange of water, energy, and CO2 using the eddy covariance system in the Judith Basin, MT. They contributed on the role of forest management on climate-relevant exchanges of energy and carbon dioxide. They also synthesized radiometric and eddy covariance data and model output and performed analyses for multiple manuscripts on surface temperature and evapotranspiration. (Stoy) Participants from U.S. Salinity Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Riverside did the critical review of existing microbial transport and survival models, and assessment of their ability to simulate E.coli species under a variety of environmentally relevant scenarios. They developed new mathematical models to manage irrigation under water-limited conditions. Column studies investigated long-term retention behavior of nanoparticles under different solution chemistry and water velocity and transport of E coli. (Skaggs, Bradford, Anderson) Participants from University of Delaware developed sampling and analysis protocols for quantification of colloids in different size fractions. They measured total organic carbon (TOC) content in different size colloid fractions. Research also incorporated surface roughness into a triangular pore space model and significantly improved predictions of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity over the entire range of matric potentials compared with the van Genucthen-Mualem model while keeping the same number of parameters. (Jin) Participants from Utah State University continued to collect a sixth year of climate, snow and soil data across 15 monitoring towers were collected at the T.W. Daniel Experimental Forest (TWDEF) in Northern Utah. Data are available at http://danielforest.usu.edu. (Jones) Participants from New Mexico State University developed fracturing technologies, examined chemical composition of oil/gas waste water (i.e., produced water), and developed oxidant complexation and delivery technologies (Carrol). Improved irrigation strategies were developed for irrigating chile with limited water and helophytes with RO concentrate. Suitability of popular desert restoration sequence was evaluated with Northwest University, China. (Shukla, Qi) Participants from University of Arizona developed and tested a Fully Automated Microlysimeter for measurement of soil evaporation. They tested a Novel Penta-Needle Heat Pulse Probe Array. 3D multiphase segmentation capabilities for X-Ray CT data and fully-automated multiplexed surface chamber system were improved. A new 2-stage method was developed to predict the soil water characteristic from saturation to oven-dryness. Novel methods were developed to predict soil specific surface area (SSA) and clay content from water vapor sorption isotherms in collaboration with Aarhus and Aalborg Universities in Denmark (Markus Tuller). Participants from University of Arizona developed the framework for three educational modules on reclamation, environmental. Impacts of mining, and socio-­?cultural impacts of mining were studied. Partnerships were developed with tribal college on the Navajo Nation to develop educational modules on uranium and impacts of uranium mining. A water balance model was developed for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and developed hypothetical scenarios using climate change projects for climate adaptation planning. (Karletta Chief) Participants from University of Arizona developed a Lattice Boltzmann model (LB) for simulating single-phase flow in large volumes of sparse poposity (macro-pores), added equations of state to LB model to simulate physical pressure, temperature and density of environmental air-solid-water systems (soils) and geological media (geological CO2 dequestration of super-critical CO2), and updated the Rosetta model for estimation of soil hydraulic properties. (M Schaap) Participants from Virginia Tech developed a new parsimonious framework to model soil-water interactions in shrink-swell clay soils. VT developed novel infiltration solutions to analyze soil physical properties from single ring infiltration sources in collaboration with Oregon State University and American University of Beirut. (R Stewart) Participants from North Dakota State University investigated soil water retention and conductivities for smectite clay soils subjected to various levels of salinity and sodicity. Brine spills from oil and gas development were surveyed. New equations were developed for relating EC among the three methodologies. A comprehensive model was used to simulate the coupled sorption and transformation of asulfate estrogen conjugate, 17 beta-estradiol-17-sulfate (E2-17S), in various soil-water systems (non-sterile/sterile; topsoil/subsoil). (Daigh, Casey) Participants from University of Wyoming continued to improve and test a 1-D vertical model for calculating water, heat, and carbon fluxes in the soil-plant-atmosphere system. They used USDA-SCAN soil moisture data along a latitudinal gradient between Montana and Texas to study drought conditions in shortgrass prairie soils. UW parameterized the GEOtop integrated model for the calculation of water flow in snow-dominated complex mountainous terrain as part of the NSF-EPSCOR project on the Wyoming Center for Environmental Hydrology and Geophysics in the Medicine Bow National Forest. (Thijs Kelleners) Participants from University of California Riverside improved HYDRUS model by developing specialized modules for more complex applications. UCR adapted the HP models so that we can dynamically update various physical properties, such as porosity, soil hydraulic properties, tortuosity, dispersion, and heat conductivity and dispersivity in response to changing chemical properties. They reviewed approaches to model the microorganism transport and survival in the subsurface and release of E. coli D21g is affected by transients in water content. (Šim?nek) Participants from University of California Riverside continued to develop an efficient integrated Bayesian approach for optimal sampling location design in groundwater contaminant source identification, and also worked on determining the fate and transport of two natural pesticides from plant extracts in soils. Participants from Texas A&M University developed a number of spatio-temporal scaling algorithms that may be applied for various agricultural, hydrologic, soil-vegetation-atmosphere-transfer, and contaminant fate and transport modeling and remediation strategies. They organized of a symposium on “Arid Zone Hydrology under Climate Change Scenarios for the 21st Century” during February 27-28, 2014 at Texas A&M University. (B Mohanty) Participants from University of Nevada, Reno has submitted a number of proposals that will include activities related to the working group. (Verburg) Participants from University of Kentucky, Lexington worked on subsurface irrigation through tile drains in heavy clay soils. Other project involved identification of the right “dirt” for the Keeneland racetrack, internal drainage experiment with implications of a “well-drained” soil, and water management in stony soils – handling of soil hydraulic properties in the presence of stones (cooperation with University of Navarra). (Wendroth). Participants from University of California, Davis worked on Innovative state-of-the-art wireless sensor networks and tested and deployed them to monitor soil moisture and soil water potential real-time and 24/7, across various cropped fields in the San Joaquin Valley, with specific application to tree crops. Development of alternative and robust heat pulse probe design was carried out towards a soil-in dependent soil moisture measurement technique. Participants from Iowa State University developed an improved thermo-TDR sensor, quantified the magnitude of subsurface soil water evaporation, developed continuum percolation theory further, determined the impact of transient soil porosity on soil gas diffusivity, and developed an improved algorithm for analyzing waveforms of short TDR probes. Developed an empirical model to estimate soil thermal conductivity. (R. Horton, R. Ewing) Participants from University of Idaho continued to improve and test a method to combine spatial measurements of soil heterogeneity with spatiotemporal variability in soil moisture. (Heinse) Outputs USDA-ARS Research Laboratory, Bushland, TX patented WOAT TDR sensor system. Research results were disseminated through 4 peer-reviewed journal articles and 2 proceedings articles, 18 conference presentations, 4 of them international and 12 of them invited. Washington State University published our research results in 4 peer-reviewed journal publications, one thesis and presented research results in national and international conferences. Oregon State University published one peer-reviewed journal article and four presentations. University of Minnesota published two refereed journal articles based on the outcomes of the project activities. Three project reports have been completed. Five abstracts were published, five conference presentations (oral or poster) were made, and one article was published. Montana State University published 8 peer-reviewed journal articles, collaborated with different universities on various projects, and gave two conference presentations. US Salinity Lab Riverside published 13 refereed journal publications, conference proceedings, and presentations at national and international meetings. Collaborative research is ongoing with researchers in Australia, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. University of Delaware published research results in collaboration with various involved groups through 3 peer-refereed journal publications (3 more in review) and 6 conference contributions. Utah State University published 4 peer-reviewed journal articles and 8 conference presentations. New Mexico State University disseminated research results were in collaboration with various groups through 12 peer-refereed international journal publications, and 18 conference contributions. One text-book on Soil Physics an Introduction was also published in 2014. One YouTube video on use of RO concentrate for agriculture was produced and 3 newspaper articles. University of Arizona disseminated research results in collaboration with various groups through 13 peer-refereed journal publications, 1 book chapter, and 22 conference contributions. University of Arizona research results and extension programs were disseminated through 5 submitted conference presentations, 2 invited seminars, 8 guest lectures, 4 seminars/webinars, 9 extension presentations, 2 refereed journal publications, 1 extension publication, 5 technical reports, 1 newsletter, and 2 websites. University of Arizona published two peer-reviewed papers and 6 conference presentations. Virginia Tech research results were presented through 6 peer-refereed international journal publications, 2 conference presentations, 1 seminar presentation, and 1 conference poster. North Dakota State University had 4 presentations at conferences, 11 publications in peer-reviewed journals, 1 thesis, and 1 video. University of Wyoming’s one peer-reviewed journal paper was accepted on the disturbance of salt-affected soils in Wyoming. Three conference contributions were submitted. University of California Riverside disseminated research findings were via 22 refereed journal publications, 2 conference proceedings, and 26 number of presentations at national and international meetings. HYDRUS models have been updated with several new capabilities and options that have been developed for various research projects. University of California Riverside disseminated research findings were via 12 refereed journal publications, book chapter, and 7 presentations at national and international meetings. Texas A&M University published 2 peer-reviewed journal articles and 17 presentations and abstract. A new integrated scaling/modeling platform was developed. University of Nevada, Reno submitted several proposals have been to federal agencies including the USDA, DOE and NSF focusing on interactions between hydrology and biogeochemical processes in managed and unmanaged soils in (semi)arid regions. University of Kentucky disseminated research results in collaboration with various involved groups through dissertations, short courses, and 7 conference presentations. University of California, Davis development of a field protocol to assess soil nitrate leaching at the field-scale, including the design of a new tensiometer allowing water leaching measurements at large depths below the rooting zone. Model sensitivity of drip irrigation management scenarios to assist farmers and managers as they adoption sustainable and efficient irrigation systems. Develop simple and reliable soil water sensing systems to accurately quantify soil water balance and other hydrological processes. Several presentations were also made in conferences. Iowa State University disseminated research results in collaboration with various involved groups through 20 peer-refereed international journal publications. University of Idaho published two peer-reviewed journal papers in 2014. One on the morphology of lateral preferential pathways in forest soils, the other on land-use change impacts on soil hydraulic properties. Eight conference contributions were submitted. Activities USDA-ARS Conservation & Production Research Laboratory, Bushland, TX developed and calibrated a new model of spatially varying infiltration, overland flow and soil water flux that includes a cotton growth module and applied it to situations of center pivot and lateral move sprinkler irrigation. Two prototypes were developed and tested in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs and improve durability. Results were reported and a demonstration was conducted to the IAEA and international research partners in Beijing, China and Vienna, Austria. They also continued characterization and testing of the cosmic ray soil moisture observing system (COSMOS) unit at Bushland. Washington State University studied the effects of capillary fringe fluctuations on colloid mobilization and transport. Our previous microscopic and theoretical investigations have shown that moving air-water interfaces can effectively remove colloids attached to a stationary surface when a three-phase contact line forms where strong capillary forces act between the air-water interface and the colloidal particle. We investigated the relationship between select topographic features and the distribution of exposed mineral soil following wildfire in forested watersheds. The spatial distribution of fire effects along hill slopes was assessed using geographic information system (GIS), and a regression relationship was derived. We characterized the transport and fate of urban stormwater pollutants. Oregon State University have used Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to investigate the changes in molecular orientation of various types of organic matter through wetting and drying cycles. measured the effect of polymeric-model substances (starch based polymers) on the moisture retention curve, and measured the effect of initial soil moisture on dynamic hydraulic diffusivity using transient capillary rise data. University of Minnesota for Objective 1 monitored riparian zone flow processes in two watersheds in Minnesota to quantify the sources of water contributing to erosion of streambanks in those watersheds. Used stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen to derive the groundwater contribution to Minnehaha Creek, a stream in the Twin Cities Metro Area of Minnesota, monitored three stormwater infiltration practice sites, and total Petroleum Hydrocarbon and conducted analysis of soil moisture, soil temperature, and flow data. As part of Objective 3, we performed assessments of the quantity of near-channel erosion in three watersheds representing different various regions of Minnesota. Montana State University. in a collaboration with colleagues from Ohio State University and elsewhere, explored the ability of ecosystem models to replicate the observed hydrodynamic drawdown of ET observed across multiple eddy covariance sites across North America. They determined that the effect of wind speed on forest transpiration is dominated by the reduction of vapor pressure deficit and corresponding decreases in stomatal conductance rather than a reduction of aerodynamic resistance to water flux. The role of plant functional type and climate on ecosystem radiative entropy production was quantified and carbon dioxide and water flux observations from adjacent deciduous and evergreen forests were synthesized. U.S. Salinity Laboratory, USDA-ARS as part of Objective 1 continued the development of new technologies for improved modeling of coupled overland and subsurface flow and transport. As part of Objective 3 they continued work on the development of new modeling tools. Research activities in 2014 included investigations of different possible model representations of processes (model complexity) affecting crop growth and soil salinization at spatial and temporal scales relevant to managers and regulators. University of Delaware measured mobile colloid concentrations and associated OC content for samples from different aquatic ecosystems, including agricultural, forestry, estuarine and wetlands. They developed a roughness-triangular-pore-space model (R-TPSM), in which soil pores were represented by a series of triangular tubes and the inside walls of the tubes were assumed as rough. In a collaborative project, they examined the impacts of citrate-coated silver nanoparticles (c-AgNPs) on two species of bacteria. Utah State University continued to collect data and quality control and management of climate towers. Work continued on Penta-needle Heat Pulse Probe and evaporation and transpiration processes at the TW Daniel Experimental Forest. New Mexico State University continued to work on a vadose-zone gas-phase contaminant characterization technology, developed monitoring capabilities to allow reservoir stimulation for renewable energy production, developing in situ chemical oxidation for 1,4-dioxane groundwater plume remediation by enhancing the solubility, stability, and transportability of strong oxidants, and developing methods and data needed for implementing environmentally sound strategies and beneficial use of produced waters. We are also working on utilizing RO concentrate to grow helophytes, establish threshold salinity levels for chile peppers and irrigation management. In collaboration with Northwest University, China, we tested the popular “grass-shrub-tree” restoration sequence. University of Arizona further improved 3D multiphase segmentation capabilities for X-Ray CT data. In collaboration with Utah State University, UA developed and improved a fully-automated multiplexed surface chamber system (12-chamber unit) to measure greenhouse and regulated gas emissions from animal feeding operations with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In collaboration with Aarhus and Aalborg Universities, UA tried to establish links between biodiversity loss and soil ecosystem functions. Another collaborative project with Aarhus and Aalborg Universities, UA developed a novel 2-stage approach to predict the soil water characteristic from saturation to oven-dryness from the particle size distribution. University of Arizona worked on vulnerability of tribes in the Southwest to climate change. Project ‘incorporating climate information and stakeholder engagement in groundwater management” developed a novel method to engage stakeholders and to apply and refine a decision tool, which can be applied to tribal stakeholders. Project on water resource management is credited for the development of educational material for the Navajo Nation on climate change education, where language is a primary barrier to understanding hydrology and climate change. University of Arizona worked on transformative behavior of energy, Water and carbon in the critical zone II: Interactions between long- and short-term processes that control delivery, colloid mobility in soils, and physical mechanisms controlling CO2-Brine capillary trapping in the subsurface. Virginia Tech, in collaboration with Oregon State University and American University of Beirut in Lebanon, developed a new framework to describe how the porosity distribution of shrink-swell clay soils shifts with water content. In collaboration with Oregon State University, VT developed and field-validated a new economical and accurate instrument for measuring plot-scale runoff. Research group at VT has begun recently work on using a vapor sorption analyzer to analyze physical properties in shrink-swell clay soils, and started the development of new visualization techniques that can be used to demonstrate differences in soil properties and soil function. North Dakota State University, conducted laboratory soil column studies to determine the impact of soil salinity and sodicity level on soil hydraulic properties, soil shrinking and swelling of soils containing smectite clays Brine spills from oil and gas development were surveyed including spill sites, soil types, prior agricultural use, and management histories. The fate of the estradiol conjugate 17sulfate-17beta-estradiol (E2-17S) was investigated as a natural process that might explain the greater than expected detections of estradiol in the environment. University of Wyoming tested the 1-D vertical model for water, heat, and carbon fluxes in the soil-plant-atmosphere system using soil moisture & temperature data from three different ecosystems: A bare desert soil, a mixed-grass rangeland soil, and a snow-dominated mountainous forest soil. UW assisted with field work, maintained an automated soil moisture network consisting of 15 sites in Wyoming rangelands to assess the impact of drought on biomass production, improved three soil-snow monitoring stations and Conducted soil CO2 efflux monitoring at a mixed-grass rangeland site near Laramie, WY. University of California Riverside, offered short courses on how to use HYDRUS models at a) Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic, b) Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, c) Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science, China, d) to the participants of the Second Research Coordination Meeting (RCM) of the Coordinated Research Project on “Landscape Salinity and Water Management for Improving Agricultural Productivity” and e) at the Chinese Agricultural University, Beijing. Over 200 students participated in these short courses. University of California Riverside developed collaboration with University of Nevada-Reno to study salinity, developed collaboration with China Agricultural University on a project titled “Water Saving Agriculture” ad was invited to give a seminar at the project conference and served on USDA/NIFA panel. Texas A&M University organized sessions in American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, characterized Hydrological and Linked Processes in Arid and Semi-Arid regions, and organized third In-situ and remote soil moisture sensing technology conference: challenges and opportunities in a changing World. University of Nevada activities have focused on submitting proposals to federal agencies and getting my lab set up. University of Kentucky organized short course on Spatial and Temporal Statistics at University of Valdivia, Chile and at University of Rio de Janeiro, Seropedica, Brazil. Additionally taught a course PLS 655 Spatial and Temporal Statistics during fall. Iowa State University evaluated the effectiveness of the thermo-TDR technique for monitoring the temporal dynamics of soil BD under field conditions, introduced a simple model for estimating thermal conductivity from soil properties, examined the SHB method for determining soil freezing and thawing rates, and performed sensitivity analysis for thermal properties and temperature measurements. Comparison between the results of tangent-line methods and second order BMO showed that for most of the waveforms, all of the methods provide similar results. Canopy chambers were constructed to measure ET in different cropping systems (prairie, corn, and soybean) during the 2013 and 2014 growing seasons. University of Idaho started a research project on irrigation optimization using soil tension measurements coupled with spatiotemporal variability in soil resources, continued work on soil terracettes including the collection of terrestrial lidar data, and Finalized data analysis for oxygen diffusion data collected on the ISS. Milestones USDA-ARS Research Laboratory, Bushland developed down-hole waveguide-on-access-tube TDR system developed in cooperation with CRADA partner Acclima, Inc. was and is nearing commercial availability. A new method for determining travel time from TDR waveforms was developed and tested. They developed and calibrated the PALMScot model of spatially varying infiltration, overland flow, soil water flux and plant growth and water uptake. Washington State University’s work on capillary forces and colloidal processes has led to better understanding of processes controlling environmental and biochemical processes in soils. They have developed numerical and experimental methods to predict, and measure capillary forces acting on colloidal particles in porous media and also shown that micro-scale results of colloid removal can be applied to colloid fate and transport in the capillary fringe of porous media. Oregon State University have determined that low molecular weight organic acids display a different spectral response when wet and dry but amino acids do not. regardless of the reported polarity and hydrophobicity, and the addition of a microbial community can initiate a strong spectral response in the alkyl region of a spectra when applied to organic matter or mineral soils. University of Minnesota found that lead was the only heavy metal found at concentrations that exceed its MCL at significant depths beneath stormwater infiltration practices. They found that the contribution of ground water to the baseflow of the Minnehaha Creek was very small (about 0.5%) compared to the amount of water estimated to recharge the contributing surficial aquifer. UM demonstrated that whole watershed phosphorus balances can be conducted and that the efflux of phosphorus out of the watershed in streamflow is only 5% of the total balance. University of California Riverside developed KDW model and modify it by combining with van Genuchten model (KDW-VG). Montana State University completed eddy covariance and micrometeorological observations along an entire winter wheat– spring wheat–fallow sequence commonly used in central MT. U.S. Salinity Laboratory showed that enhanced nanoparticle transport occurs as retention sites become occupied. This research suggests that nanoparticle movement in the environment may be substantial. ARS Researchers at Riverside, California developed a new agricultural systems model that can be used to manage irrigation and salinity while targeting submaximal crop yields. This research will help growers to predict end-of-season crop yields under drought conditions, when both the availability and quality of water for irrigation is limited. University of Delaware developed sampling and analysis protocols for quantification of colloids in different size fractions. They improved a pore-scale-model for predicting unsaturated hydraulic conductivity by incorporating surface roughness effects. New Mexico State University anticipates that the vadose-zone characterization technology will produce information that will greatly improve the assessment of vadose-zone source impacts on groundwater. Our evaluation of produced water composition and variability examines potential environmental impacts and the potential for partial treatment and beneficial use of this unconventional water source. The use of concentrate for growing halophytes would ensure cost-effective disposal technology and food security for semi-arid regions. University of Arizona developed a solid method for prediction of soil specific surface area and clay content from water vapor sorption isotherms. UA developed a novel 2-stage approach to predict the soil water characteristic from saturation to oven-dryness from the particle size distribution, significantly improved X-Ray CT data segmentation capabilities, and designed and fabricated a completely self-contained and fully automated GHG measurement system that consists of 12 multiplexed surface chambers connected to a FTIR spectrometer. Virginia Tech developed a novel method to quantify physical size of surface-connected macropore using shear-thinning fluids. VT developed a parsimonious framework that describes soil-water interactions in shrinking soils. VT developed and validated a low-cost and accurate method to measure surface runoff across a range of flowrates. They developed and validated a low-cost and accurate method to measure surface runoff. North Dakota State University improved the understanding of soil sodicity effects on soil pore size distributions in smectite dominated soils. A comprehensive model was used to simultaneously simulate the coupled sorption and transformation of a sulfate estrogen conjugate, 17 beta-estradiol-17-sulfate (E2-17S), in various soil-water systems. University of Arizona recruited a Native American research analyst who is a Dartmouth engineering graduate and who recently converted to a doctoral student and will conduct his dissertation work on collaborative hydrologic approaches to working with tribes. University of Arizona developed a new method for preserving substrate heterogeneity within large scale model inversions of saturated flow. University of Wyoming developed a new rigorous method to solve the coupled water flow and heat transport equations in soil and snow. UW developed a new method to weigh soil moisture anomalies as part of a Palmer-like drought index. University of California Riverside improved the Hydrus model. Texas A&M University developed fundamental understanding of dominant physical controls for soil moisture dynamics ranging from pore, field, catchment, watershed, to region. University of Nevada, Reno’s proposal was funded to assess the effects of long-term irrigation on biogeochemical processes in arid soils in Nevada. The research on use of halophytes would allow salt-affected areas to be used for agricultural purposes. University of Kentucky’s research results contributed to developing knowledge on scale-appropriate to enhance the management of vadose zone resources that benefit agricultural, and environmental sustainability. A new experimental field approach was evaluated. Experimental design was developed to allow the quantification of soil water and solute transport. The design studies conducted directly helped farmers’ fields without the transformation to the vicinity of a plot experiment at a research farm. University of California Davis developed a hydrodynamic flow model, simulating unsaturated flow in the soil and tree with stress functions controlling spatially distributed root water uptake and canopy transpiration. Using the van Genuchten functions, we parameterized retention and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity functions of the tree sapwood and soil. UCD used the recently developed identical-cylinder perfect-conductor model to solving for heat transport across the sensor with thick-walled probes. UCD developed an improved tensiometer design. Iowa State University developed an empirical model that estimates soil thermal conductivity as a function of water content, texture, and bulk density, an improved thermo-TDR sensor that measures dynamic, in situ bulk density following tillage, and an algorithm for analyzing waveforms obtained from short TDR probes. ISU developed relationships between saturated hydraulic conductivity and air permeability, based on continuum percolation theory. University of Idaho identified significant differences in oxygen diffusion thresholds in zero gravity root zones as compared to terrestrial gravity, characterized soil water storage in dryland agriculture as a function of crop rotations, and how these can be utilized to predict available soil water prior to planting, and provided the first morphological data set on soil pipes in forested watersheds to be used in future hillslope hydrological modeling.