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Mario Pirastru
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale Italia 39, 07100 Sassari, Italy

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Journal article
Published: 07 February 2021 in Forests
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Quantifying actual evapotranspiration (ETa) over natural vegetation is crucial in evaluating the water status of ecosystems and the water-use patterns in local or regional hydrological basins. Remote sensing-based surface energy balance models have been used extensively for estimating ETa in agro-environments; however, the application of these models to natural ecosystems is still limited. The surface energy balance algorithm for land (SEBAL) physical-based surface energy balance model was applied to estimate the actual evapotranspiration over a heterogeneous coverage of Mediterranean maquis in a natural reserve in Sardinia, Italy. The model was applied on 19 Landsat 5 and 8 images from 2009 to 2014, and the results were compared to the data of a micrometeorological station with eddy covariance flux measurements. Comparing the SEBAL-based evaporative fraction (ΛS) to the corresponding tower-derived evaporative fractions (ΛT) showed good flux estimations in the Landsat overpass time (Coefficient of determination R 2 = 0.77, root mean square error RMSE = 0.05 and mean absolute error MAE = 0.076). Three methods were evaluated for upscaling instantaneous latent heat flux (λE) to daily actual evapotranspiration (ETa,D). The upscaling methods use the evaporative fraction (Λ), the reference evapotranspiration fraction (EFr) and the ratio of daily to instantaneous incoming shortwave radiation (Rs24/Rsi) as upscaling factors under the hypothesis of diurnal self-preservation. A preliminary analysis performed using only in-situ measured data demonstrated that the three factors were relatively self-preserved during the daytime, and can yield good ETa,D estimations, particularly when obtained at near the Landsat scene acquisition time (≈10:00 UTC). The upscaling factors obtained from SEBAL retrieved instantaneous fluxes, and some ancillary measured meteorological data were used to upscale SEBAL-estimated instantaneous actual λ to daily ET. The Λ EFr and Rs24/Rsi methods on average overestimated the measured ETa,D by nearly 20, 61 and 18%, respectively. The performance of the Λ and Rs24/Rsi methods was considered satisfactory, bearing in mind the high variable ground cover and the inherent variability of the biome composition, which cannot be properly represented in the Landsat moderate spatial resolution. In this study, we tested the potential of the SEBAL model application in a complex natural ecosystem. This modeling approach will be used to represent the spatial dynamics of ET, which will be integrated into further environmental and hydrological applications.

ACS Style

Hassan Awada; Simone Di Prima; Costantino Sirca; Filippo Giadrossich; Serena Marras; Donatella Spano; Mario Pirastru. Daily Actual Evapotranspiration Estimation in a Mediterranean Ecosystem from Landsat Observations Using SEBAL Approach. Forests 2021, 12, 189 .

AMA Style

Hassan Awada, Simone Di Prima, Costantino Sirca, Filippo Giadrossich, Serena Marras, Donatella Spano, Mario Pirastru. Daily Actual Evapotranspiration Estimation in a Mediterranean Ecosystem from Landsat Observations Using SEBAL Approach. Forests. 2021; 12 (2):189.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hassan Awada; Simone Di Prima; Costantino Sirca; Filippo Giadrossich; Serena Marras; Donatella Spano; Mario Pirastru. 2021. "Daily Actual Evapotranspiration Estimation in a Mediterranean Ecosystem from Landsat Observations Using SEBAL Approach." Forests 12, no. 2: 189.

Editorial
Published: 18 July 2018 in Water
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Human needs like food and clean water are directly related to good maintenance of healthy and productive soils. A good understanding of human impact on the natural environment is therefore necessary to preserve and manage soil and water resources. This knowledge is particularly important in semi-arid and arid regions, where the increasing demands on limited water supplies require urgent efforts to improve water quality and water use efficiency. It is important to keep in mind that both soil and water are limited resources. Thus, wise use of these natural resources is a fundamental prerequisite for the sustainability of human societies. This Special Issue collects 15 original contributions addressing the state of the art of soil and water conservation research. Contributions cover a wide range of topics, including (1) recovery of soil hydraulic properties; (2) erosion risk; (3) novel modeling, monitoring and experimental approaches for soil hydraulic characterization; (4) improvement of crop yields; (5) water availability; and (6) soil salinity. The collection of manuscripts presented in this Special Issue provides more insights into conservation strategies for effective and sustainable soil and water management.

ACS Style

Simone Di Prima; Mirko Castellini; Mario Pirastru; Saskia Keesstra. Soil Water Conservation: Dynamics and Impact. Water 2018, 10, 952 .

AMA Style

Simone Di Prima, Mirko Castellini, Mario Pirastru, Saskia Keesstra. Soil Water Conservation: Dynamics and Impact. Water. 2018; 10 (7):952.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Simone Di Prima; Mirko Castellini; Mario Pirastru; Saskia Keesstra. 2018. "Soil Water Conservation: Dynamics and Impact." Water 10, no. 7: 952.

Journal article
Published: 20 April 2018 in Water
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This study aimed at determining the field-saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Kfs, of an unmanaged field affected by fire by means of single-ring infiltrometer runs and the use of transient and steady-state data analysis procedures. Sampling and measurements were carried out in 2012 and 2017 in a fire-affected field (burnt site) and in a neighboring non-affected site (control site). The predictive potential of different data analysis procedures (i.e., transient and steady-state) to yield proper Kfs estimates was investigated. In particular, the transient WU1 method and the BB, WU2 and OPD methods were compared. The cumulative linearization (CL) method was used to apply the WU1 method. Values of Kfs ranging from 0.87 to 4.21 mm·h−1 were obtained, depending on the considered data analysis method. The WU1 method did not yield significantly different Kfs estimates between the sampled sites throughout the five-year period, due to the generally poor performance of the CL method, which spoiled the soil hydraulic characterization. In particular, good fits were only obtained in 23% of the cases. The BB, WU2 and the OPD methods, with a characterization based exclusively on a stabilized infiltration process, yielded an appreciably lower variability of the Kfs data as compared with the WU1 method. It was concluded that steady-state methods were more appropriate for detecting slight changes of Kfs in post-fire soil hydraulic characterizations. Our results showed a certain degree of soil degradation at the burnt site with an immediate reduction of the soil organic matter and a progressive increase of the soil bulk density during the five years following the fire. This general impoverishment resulted in a slight but significant decrease in the field-saturated soil hydraulic conductivity.

ACS Style

Simone Di Prima; Laurent Lassabatere; Jesús Rodrigo-Comino; Roberto Marrosu; Manuel Pulido; Rafael Angulo-Jaramillo; Xavier Úbeda; Saskia Keesstra; Artemi Cerdà; Mario Pirastru. Comparing Transient and Steady-State Analysis of Single-Ring Infiltrometer Data for an Abandoned Field Affected by Fire in Eastern Spain. Water 2018, 10, 514 .

AMA Style

Simone Di Prima, Laurent Lassabatere, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino, Roberto Marrosu, Manuel Pulido, Rafael Angulo-Jaramillo, Xavier Úbeda, Saskia Keesstra, Artemi Cerdà, Mario Pirastru. Comparing Transient and Steady-State Analysis of Single-Ring Infiltrometer Data for an Abandoned Field Affected by Fire in Eastern Spain. Water. 2018; 10 (4):514.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Simone Di Prima; Laurent Lassabatere; Jesús Rodrigo-Comino; Roberto Marrosu; Manuel Pulido; Rafael Angulo-Jaramillo; Xavier Úbeda; Saskia Keesstra; Artemi Cerdà; Mario Pirastru. 2018. "Comparing Transient and Steady-State Analysis of Single-Ring Infiltrometer Data for an Abandoned Field Affected by Fire in Eastern Spain." Water 10, no. 4: 514.

Journal article
Published: 09 April 2018 in Water
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Knowledge of soil hydraulic properties after forest restoration is essential for understanding the recovery of hydrological processes, such as water infiltration. An increase of forest cover may improve water infiltration and soil hydraulic properties, but little is known about the response and extent to which forest restoration can affect these properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of forest restoration on surface-saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ks), and to verify the Ks recovery to the pre-disturbance soil conditions. We sampled field Ks at the surface in Campinas municipality, São Paulo State, Brazil, at 18 plots under three land-cover types: (i) a pasture; (ii) a restored forest using a high-diversity mix of plantings (85 regional native species) of 9 years of age; and (iii) a remnant forest patch. We used the Beerkan method for soil hydraulic characterization. Bulk density (ρb), soil organic carbon content (OC), soil porosity and particle size data were also sampled. We found considerable differences in soil hydraulic properties between land-cover classes. The highest Ks were observed in remnant forest sites and the lowest Ks were associated with pasture sites. The Ks recovery differs markedly between restored forests. Our results strongly suggest that soil attributes and Ks recovery are influenced by the duration and intensity of land use prior to forest restoration. Attention needs to be given to management activities before, during and after forest restoration, especially where the soil is still compacted and Ks is low.

ACS Style

Sergio E. Lozano-Baez; Miguel Cooper; Silvio F. B. Ferraz; Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues; Mario Pirastru; Simone Di Prima. Previous Land Use Affects the Recovery of Soil Hydraulic Properties after Forest Restoration. Water 2018, 10, 453 .

AMA Style

Sergio E. Lozano-Baez, Miguel Cooper, Silvio F. B. Ferraz, Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues, Mario Pirastru, Simone Di Prima. Previous Land Use Affects the Recovery of Soil Hydraulic Properties after Forest Restoration. Water. 2018; 10 (4):453.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sergio E. Lozano-Baez; Miguel Cooper; Silvio F. B. Ferraz; Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues; Mario Pirastru; Simone Di Prima. 2018. "Previous Land Use Affects the Recovery of Soil Hydraulic Properties after Forest Restoration." Water 10, no. 4: 453.

Journal article
Published: 25 December 2017 in Water
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Soil infiltration processes manage runoff generation, which in turn affects soil erosion. There is limited information on infiltration rates. In this study, the impact of vine age on soil bulk density (BD) and hydraulic conductivity (Ks) was assessed on a loam soil tilled by chisel plough. Soil sampling was conducted in the inter row area of six vineyards, which differed by the age from planting: 0 (Age 0; just planted), 1, 3, 6, 13, and 25 years (Age 1, Age 3, Age 6, Age 13, and Age 25, respectively). The One Ponding Depth (OPD) approach was applied to ring infiltration data to estimate soil Ks with an α* parameter equal to 0.012 mm−1. Soil bulk density for Age 0 was about 1.5 times greater than for Age 25, i.e., the long-term managed vineyards. Saturated hydraulic conductivity at Age 0 was 86% less than at Age 25. The planting works were considered a major factor for soil compaction and the reduction of hydraulic conductivity. Compared to the long-term managed vineyards, soil compaction was a very short-term effect given that BD was restored in one year due to ploughing. Reestablishment of Ks to the long-term value required more time.

ACS Style

Vincenzo Alagna; Simone Di Prima; Jesús Rodrigo-Comino; Massimo Iovino; Mario Pirastru; Saskia D. Keesstra; Agata Novara; Artemio Cerdà. The Impact of the Age of Vines on Soil Hydraulic Conductivity in Vineyards in Eastern Spain. Water 2017, 10, 14 .

AMA Style

Vincenzo Alagna, Simone Di Prima, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino, Massimo Iovino, Mario Pirastru, Saskia D. Keesstra, Agata Novara, Artemio Cerdà. The Impact of the Age of Vines on Soil Hydraulic Conductivity in Vineyards in Eastern Spain. Water. 2017; 10 (1):14.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vincenzo Alagna; Simone Di Prima; Jesús Rodrigo-Comino; Massimo Iovino; Mario Pirastru; Saskia D. Keesstra; Agata Novara; Artemio Cerdà. 2017. "The Impact of the Age of Vines on Soil Hydraulic Conductivity in Vineyards in Eastern Spain." Water 10, no. 1: 14.

Journal article
Published: 06 November 2017 in Water
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Evaluating the lateral saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks,l, of soil horizons is crucial for understanding and modelling the subsurface flow dynamics in many shallow hill soils. A Ks,l measurement method should be able to catch the effects of soil heterogeneities governing hydrological processes at the scale of interest, in order to yield Ks,l representative values over large spatial scales. This study aims to develop a field technique to determine spatially representative Ks,l values of soil horizons of an experimental hillslope. Drainage experiments were performed on soil monoliths of about 0.12 m3 volume, encased in situ with polyurethane foam. Median Ks,l of 2450 mm·h−1 and 552 mm·h−1 were estimated in the A and B horizon, respectively. In the upper part of the B horizon, the median Ks,l was 490 mm·h−1, whereas it mostly halved near the underlying restricting layer. The decline of Ks,l values with depth was consistent with the water-table dynamics observed at the same site in previous studies. Moreover, the Ks,l from the monoliths were in line with large spatial-scale Ks,l values reported from the hillslope in a prior investigation based on drain data analysis. This indicated that the large-scale hydrological effects of the macropore network were well represented in the investigated soil blocks. Our findings suggest that performing drainage experiments on large-volume monoliths is a promising method for characterizing lateral conductivities over large spatial scales. This information could improve our understanding of hydrological processes and can be used to parameterize runoff-generation models at hillslope and catchment scale.

ACS Style

Mario Pirastru; Roberto Marrosu; Simone Di Prima; Saskia Keesstra; Filippo Giadrossich; Marcello Niedda. Lateral Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity of Soil Horizons Evaluated in Large-Volume Soil Monoliths. Water 2017, 9, 862 .

AMA Style

Mario Pirastru, Roberto Marrosu, Simone Di Prima, Saskia Keesstra, Filippo Giadrossich, Marcello Niedda. Lateral Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity of Soil Horizons Evaluated in Large-Volume Soil Monoliths. Water. 2017; 9 (11):862.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mario Pirastru; Roberto Marrosu; Simone Di Prima; Saskia Keesstra; Filippo Giadrossich; Marcello Niedda. 2017. "Lateral Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity of Soil Horizons Evaluated in Large-Volume Soil Monoliths." Water 9, no. 11: 862.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2017 in Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics
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The lateral saturated hydraulic conductivity,Ks,l, is the soil property that mostly governs subsurface flow in hillslopes. Determinations ofKs,lat the hillslope scale are expected to yield valuable information for interpreting and modeling hydrological processes since soil heterogeneities are functionally averaged in this case. However, these data are rare since the experiments are quite difficult and costly. In this investigation, that was carried out in Sardinia (Italy), large-scale determinations ofKs,lwere done in two adjacent hillslopes covered by a Mediterranean maquis and grass, respectively, with the following objectives: i) to evaluate the effect of land use change onKs,l, and ii) to compare estimates ofKs,lobtained under natural and artificial rainfall conditions. HigherKs,lvalues were obtained under the maquis than in the grassed soil since the soil macropore network was better connected in the maquis soil. The lateral conductivity increased sharply close to the soil surface. The sharp increase ofKs,lstarted at a larger depth for the maquis soil than the grassed one. TheKs,lvalues estimated during artificial rainfall experiments agreed with those obtained during the natural rainfall periods. For the grassed site, it was possible to detect a stabilization ofKs,lin the upper soil layer, suggesting that flow transport capacity of the soil pore system did not increase indefinitely. This study highlighted the importance of the experimental determination ofKs,lat the hillslope scale for subsurface modeling, and also as a benchmark for developing appropriate sampling methodologies based on near-point estimation ofKs,l.

ACS Style

Mario Pirastru; Vincenzo Bagarello; Massimo Iovino; Roberto Marrosu; Mirko Castellini; Filippo Giadrossich; Marcello Niedda. Subsurface flow and large-scale lateral saturated soil hydraulic conductivity in a Mediterranean hillslope with contrasting land uses. Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics 2017, 65, 297 -306.

AMA Style

Mario Pirastru, Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo Iovino, Roberto Marrosu, Mirko Castellini, Filippo Giadrossich, Marcello Niedda. Subsurface flow and large-scale lateral saturated soil hydraulic conductivity in a Mediterranean hillslope with contrasting land uses. Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics. 2017; 65 (3):297-306.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mario Pirastru; Vincenzo Bagarello; Massimo Iovino; Roberto Marrosu; Mirko Castellini; Filippo Giadrossich; Marcello Niedda. 2017. "Subsurface flow and large-scale lateral saturated soil hydraulic conductivity in a Mediterranean hillslope with contrasting land uses." Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics 65, no. 3: 297-306.

Journal article
Published: 22 May 2015 in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
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In Mediterranean environments, evaporation is a key component of lake water budgets. This applies to Lake Baratz in Sardinia, Italy, a closed lake that almost dried up in 2008 after a succession of years with low seasonal rainfall. We used the energy budget method and Penman's equation to estimate evaporation over Lake Baratz. We measured, using a raft station, water temperature at the surface, at 1, 2, 4, 6 m depth and at the bottom of the lake, as well as air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and net radiation over a period of 3 years. We also compared Penman's equation and the energy budget method in two other climatic zones using published data. Our results indicate that mean yearly evaporation over Lake Baratz was 950 mm. On an annual scale, evaporation estimated by Penman's method omitting heat storage as is usually done was 18% higher than by the energy budget method that included heat storage, with monthly differences ranging between −38 and +60%. Including the heat storage term in Penman's equation changed the monthly values but did not change the yearly value significantly. Solar radiation and heat storage were found to be the most important energy fluxes to and from the lake and had the greatest effect on evaporation rates for the energy budget method. The bias between the two methods has a seasonal cycle due to the storage and release of energy from the lake. Energy advected to and from the lake by precipitation, surface water and ground water had minor effect on evaporation rates. Lake Baratz, like other lakes in a Mediterranean environment, is particularly sensitive to the summer hot and dry climate. In contrast, we found that rates of evaporation estimated from Penman and the energy budget methods over tropical African lakes were nearly constant over the entire year and the difference between the two methods smaller. Difference between the two methods for North American lakes is also smaller probably owing to the ice-cover season and to lower radiation and lower temperatures during summer.

ACS Style

F. Giadrossich; M. Niedda; D. Cohen; M. Pirastru. Evaporation in a Mediterranean environment by energy budget and Penman methods, Lake Baratz, Sardinia, Italy. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 2015, 19, 2451 -2468.

AMA Style

F. Giadrossich, M. Niedda, D. Cohen, M. Pirastru. Evaporation in a Mediterranean environment by energy budget and Penman methods, Lake Baratz, Sardinia, Italy. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 2015; 19 (5):2451-2468.

Chicago/Turabian Style

F. Giadrossich; M. Niedda; D. Cohen; M. Pirastru. 2015. "Evaporation in a Mediterranean environment by energy budget and Penman methods, Lake Baratz, Sardinia, Italy." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 19, no. 5: 2451-2468.

Journal article
Published: 21 December 2014 in Journal of Agricultural Engineering
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Many hillslopes covered with maquis in the semi-arid Mediterranean environment have been cleared in recent decades. There is little information on what effect this has on the hydrology of the soil. We compared the hydraulic properties of the soil and the subsurface hydrological dynamics on two adjacent sites on a hillslope. One site was covered with maquis, the other with grass. The grass started to grow some 10 years ago, after the maquis had been cleared and the soil had been ploughed. Our study found that the hydraulic properties and the hydrological dynamics of the maquis and the grassed soil differed greatly. The grassed soil had less organic matter and higher apparent density than did the soil covered in maquis. Moreover, the maquis soil retained more water than the grassed soil in the tension range from saturation to 50 cm of water. Infiltration tests performed in summer and in winter indicated that the field saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs) of the maquis soil was higher than that of the grassy soil. However the data showed that the Kfs of the two soils changed with the season. In the maquis soil the Kfs increased from summer to winter. This was assumed to be due to water flowing more efficiently through wet soil. By contrast, in the grassy soil the Kfs decreased from summer to winter. This was because the desiccation cracks closed in the wet soil. As result, the influence of the land use change was clear from the Kfs measurements in winter, but less so from those in the summer. Changes in land use altered the dynamics of the infiltration, subsurface drainage and soil water storage of the soil. The maquis soil profile never saturated completely, and only short-lived, event based perched water tables were observed. By contrast, soil saturation and a shallow water table were observed in the grass covered site throughout the wet season. The differences were assumed to be due to the high canopy interception of the maquis cover, and to the macropores in the grassed soil being destroyed after the maquis had been cleared and the soil ploughed. The results of this work are helpful for predicting the changes in the hydraulic properties of the soil and in the near-surface hydrological processes in similar Mediterranean environments where the natural vegetation has been cleared. These changes must be taken into consideration when developing rainfall-runoff models for flood forecasting and water yield evaluation.

ACS Style

Mario Pirastru; Marcello Niedda; Mirko Castellini. Effects of maquis clearing on the properties of the soil and on the near-surface hydrological processes in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment. Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2014, 45, 176 .

AMA Style

Mario Pirastru, Marcello Niedda, Mirko Castellini. Effects of maquis clearing on the properties of the soil and on the near-surface hydrological processes in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment. Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2014; 45 (4):176.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mario Pirastru; Marcello Niedda; Mirko Castellini. 2014. "Effects of maquis clearing on the properties of the soil and on the near-surface hydrological processes in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 45, no. 4: 176.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2014 in Journal of Hydrology
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ACS Style

Marcello Niedda; Mario Pirastru; Mirko Castellini; Filippo Giadrossich. Simulating the hydrological response of a closed catchment-lake system to recent climate and land-use changes in semi-arid Mediterranean environment. Journal of Hydrology 2014, 517, 732 -745.

AMA Style

Marcello Niedda, Mario Pirastru, Mirko Castellini, Filippo Giadrossich. Simulating the hydrological response of a closed catchment-lake system to recent climate and land-use changes in semi-arid Mediterranean environment. Journal of Hydrology. 2014; 517 ():732-745.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marcello Niedda; Mario Pirastru; Mirko Castellini; Filippo Giadrossich. 2014. "Simulating the hydrological response of a closed catchment-lake system to recent climate and land-use changes in semi-arid Mediterranean environment." Journal of Hydrology 517, no. : 732-745.

Journal article
Published: 07 August 2014 in Soil Use and Management
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ACS Style

M. Castellini; Marcello Niedda; Mario Pirastru; Domenico Ventrella. Temporal changes of soil physical quality under two residue management systems. Soil Use and Management 2014, 30, 423 -434.

AMA Style

M. Castellini, Marcello Niedda, Mario Pirastru, Domenico Ventrella. Temporal changes of soil physical quality under two residue management systems. Soil Use and Management. 2014; 30 (3):423-434.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Castellini; Marcello Niedda; Mario Pirastru; Domenico Ventrella. 2014. "Temporal changes of soil physical quality under two residue management systems." Soil Use and Management 30, no. 3: 423-434.

Journal article
Published: 13 September 2013 in Hydrological Processes
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ACS Style

Marcello Niedda; Mario Pirastru. Field investigation and modelling of coupled stream discharge and shallow water-table dynamics in a small Mediterranean catchment (Sardinia). Hydrological Processes 2013, 28, 5423 -5435.

AMA Style

Marcello Niedda, Mario Pirastru. Field investigation and modelling of coupled stream discharge and shallow water-table dynamics in a small Mediterranean catchment (Sardinia). Hydrological Processes. 2013; 28 (21):5423-5435.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marcello Niedda; Mario Pirastru. 2013. "Field investigation and modelling of coupled stream discharge and shallow water-table dynamics in a small Mediterranean catchment (Sardinia)." Hydrological Processes 28, no. 21: 5423-5435.

Journal article
Published: 09 September 2013 in Italian Journal of Agronomy
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No-tillage (NT) is an alternative way of reducing costs and lessening the burden of working the land, but in essence it is a method of sustainable land use in dryland cropping systems. The physical quality of the soil is the fundamental factor that defines the sustainability of agro-ecosystems, and its evaluation can be obtained using both capacitive and dynamic indicators. The main objectives of this study were: i) to assess the physical quality of the soil in an almond orchard where long-term different soil tillage systems and weed control methods, such as NT with chemical control and surface tillage (ST), were used; and ii) to compare the indicators under consideration with the proposed reference values, using the information gathered to evaluate the effects of NT and ST. The following physical properties were determined: bulk density, air capacity, macroporosity, plant available water capacity, relative field capacity, Dexter’s index, field saturated hydraulic conductivity, as well as the location (modal, median, and mean pore diameter) and shape (standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis) parameters which corresponded to the equivalent pore size distribution functions. Our results showed that the physical soil indicators adopted were sufficiently sensitive to identify tillage-induced changes and then to quantify the physical quality of rigid to moderately expansive agricultural soils. After thirty years of NT, a set of capacitive indicators, along with measurements of hydraulic conductivity, used in conjunction with an optimal pore volume distribution and the water release curve, unanimously classified the quality of the studied soil as optimal or near optimal.

ACS Style

Mirko Castellini; Mario Pirastru; Marcello Niedda; Domenico Ventrella. Comparing physical quality of tilled and no-tilled soils in an almond orchard in southern Italy. Italian Journal of Agronomy 2013, 8, e20 .

AMA Style

Mirko Castellini, Mario Pirastru, Marcello Niedda, Domenico Ventrella. Comparing physical quality of tilled and no-tilled soils in an almond orchard in southern Italy. Italian Journal of Agronomy. 2013; 8 (3):e20.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mirko Castellini; Mario Pirastru; Marcello Niedda; Domenico Ventrella. 2013. "Comparing physical quality of tilled and no-tilled soils in an almond orchard in southern Italy." Italian Journal of Agronomy 8, no. 3: e20.

Journal article
Published: 08 September 2013 in Journal of Agricultural Engineering
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Runoff generation processes in a Mediterranean research catchment (Sardinia)

ACS Style

Marcello Niedda; Mirko Castellini; Filippo Giadrossich; Mario Pirastru. Runoff generation processes in a Mediterranean research catchment (Sardinia). Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2013, 44, 1 .

AMA Style

Marcello Niedda, Mirko Castellini, Filippo Giadrossich, Mario Pirastru. Runoff generation processes in a Mediterranean research catchment (Sardinia). Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2013; 44 (2s):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marcello Niedda; Mirko Castellini; Filippo Giadrossich; Mario Pirastru. 2013. "Runoff generation processes in a Mediterranean research catchment (Sardinia)." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 44, no. 2s: 1.

Journal article
Published: 06 September 2013 in Journal of Agricultural Engineering
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ACS Style

Marcello Niedda; Mirko Castellini; Filippo Giadrossich; Mario Pirastru. Runoff generation processes in a Mediterranean research catchment (Sardinia). Journal of Agricultural Engineering 2013, 44, 1 .

AMA Style

Marcello Niedda, Mirko Castellini, Filippo Giadrossich, Mario Pirastru. Runoff generation processes in a Mediterranean research catchment (Sardinia). Journal of Agricultural Engineering. 2013; 44 (2):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marcello Niedda; Mirko Castellini; Filippo Giadrossich; Mario Pirastru. 2013. "Runoff generation processes in a Mediterranean research catchment (Sardinia)." Journal of Agricultural Engineering 44, no. 2: 1.

Original articles
Published: 02 April 2013 in Hydrological Sciences Journal
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Citation Pirastru, M. and Niedda, M., 2013. Evaluation of the soil water balance in an alluvial flood plain with a shallow groundwater table. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (4), 898–911.

ACS Style

Mario Pirastru; Marcello Niedda. Evaluation of the soil water balance in an alluvial flood plain with a shallow groundwater table. Hydrological Sciences Journal 2013, 58, 898 -911.

AMA Style

Mario Pirastru, Marcello Niedda. Evaluation of the soil water balance in an alluvial flood plain with a shallow groundwater table. Hydrological Sciences Journal. 2013; 58 (4):898-911.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mario Pirastru; Marcello Niedda. 2013. "Evaluation of the soil water balance in an alluvial flood plain with a shallow groundwater table." Hydrological Sciences Journal 58, no. 4: 898-911.

Journal article
Published: 14 August 2012 in Hydrological Processes
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ACS Style

Marcello Niedda; Mario Pirastru. Hydrological processes of a closed catchment-lake system in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment. Hydrological Processes 2012, 27, 3617 -3626.

AMA Style

Marcello Niedda, Mario Pirastru. Hydrological processes of a closed catchment-lake system in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment. Hydrological Processes. 2012; 27 (25):3617-3626.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marcello Niedda; Mario Pirastru. 2012. "Hydrological processes of a closed catchment-lake system in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment." Hydrological Processes 27, no. 25: 3617-3626.

Journal article
Published: 05 October 2010 in Journal of Hydrology
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Environmental monitoring was carried out in order to investigate the role of topsoil, rock matrix and fractures in controlling the water flow in unsaturated zone of calcareous rocks and in determining the timing and the magnitude of groundwater recharge. A comprehensive dataset of climate data, soil moisture and rock pressure heads was used to evaluate a physically based 1D dual permeability model, in order to simulate the water flow in the vertical profile to the groundwater table. The parameters of water retention and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity curves in soil and rock matrix were estimated using two evaporation experiments in the laboratory and the tension infiltrometer in the field. The other sensitive parameters of the model were calibrated using an optimization procedure based on combinations of randomly sampled parameters. Once the model had been calibrated, it was used to obtain insights into the hydrological processes through the unsaturated profile, down to the water table. The soil acts as a attenuation layer, determining the timing and the magnitude of drainage fluxes towards the unsaturated rock zone. The low permeability petrocalcic horizon below the soil, which frequently occurs in semi-arid regions, plays a key role in controlling the water exchanges between the soil and the rock. Most water flow in the top of the rock profile occurs through the fractures. This fracture flow becomes less along the profile, as a part of it gradually infiltrates into the unsaturated rock matrix. Fracture water infiltrates entirely into the matrix only when the unsaturated rock zone is very thick, so that in sites with a shallow water table fracture flow may be the dominant groundwater recharge mechanism. The flow through the matrix is continuous over time and at the water table it becomes constant and independent of large seasonal and annual variations in rainfall. The flow through the unsaturated matrix is the dominant groundwater recharge mechanism. In dry summers and in drought years the continuous matrix water flow sustains the recharge, thus maintaining high groundwater levels when more water is extracted. This is important in regions where groundwater from unconfined calcareous aquifers are important water resources. The recharge through the fractures is sensitive to the annual rainfall pattern and also contributes to the groundwater in years when the rainfall is greater.

ACS Style

Mario Pirastru; Marcello Niedda. Field monitoring and dual permeability modelling of water flow through unsaturated calcareous rocks. Journal of Hydrology 2010, 392, 40 -53.

AMA Style

Mario Pirastru, Marcello Niedda. Field monitoring and dual permeability modelling of water flow through unsaturated calcareous rocks. Journal of Hydrology. 2010; 392 (1-2):40-53.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mario Pirastru; Marcello Niedda. 2010. "Field monitoring and dual permeability modelling of water flow through unsaturated calcareous rocks." Journal of Hydrology 392, no. 1-2: 40-53.