title: Temporal changes in soil water repellency after a forest fire in a Mediterranean calcareous soil: Influence of ash and different vegetation type.
abstract: Forest fires usually modify soil water repellency (SWR), and its persistence and intensity show a high variability both in space and time. This research studies the evolution of SWR in a Mediterranean calcareous soil affected by a forest fire, which occurred in Gorga (SE Spain) in July 2011, comparing the effect of the main vegetation cover between pine (Pinus halepensis) and shrubs species (Quercus coccifera, Rosmarinus officinalis, Cistus albidus, Erica arborea and Brachypodium retusum) and the relationship with soil moisture content (SMC). Also the study analyzed the effect of ash on SWR dynamics under field conditions. Six plots were established on the fire-affected area and the unburned-control-adjacent area to monitoring SWR with the water drop penetration time (WDPT) test, SMC through moist sensors (5cm depth) and three different ash treatments: ash presence, ash absence and incorporation of ash into the soil. An immediate increase of SWR was observed in the fire-affected area, mainly in pine plots. SWR changes in control (unburned) plots were quite similar between different types of vegetation influence, despite higher SWR values being observed on pine plots during the study period. A noticeable decrease of SWR was observed during the first months after fire in the affected areas, especially after the first rainy period, both in pine and shrubs plots. SWR increase was registered in all plots, and the highest levels were in March 2012 in burned pine plots. SWR decrease was higher in plots where ash was removed. Fire-affected soils became wettable 1year and a half after the fire.
authors.affiliation: GEA (Grupo de Edafología Ambiental) Environmental Soil Science Group, Departamento de Agroquímica y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Miguel Hernández. Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202-Elche Alicante, Spain; MED_Soil Research Group, Departamento de Cristalografía, Mineralogía y Química Agrícola, Facultad de Química, Universidad de Sevilla, C/ Profesor García González, 1, 41012 Sevilla, Spain. Electronic address: pjimenez@umh.es.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Pinilla
authors.affiliation: GEA (Grupo de Edafología Ambiental) Environmental Soil Science Group, Departamento de Agroquímica y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Miguel Hernández. Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202-Elche Alicante, Spain; MED_Soil Research Group, Departamento de Cristalografía, Mineralogía y Química Agrícola, Facultad de Química, Universidad de Sevilla, C/ Profesor García González, 1, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lozano
authors.affiliation: GEA (Grupo de Edafología Ambiental) Environmental Soil Science Group, Departamento de Agroquímica y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Miguel Hernández. Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202-Elche Alicante, Spain; MED_Soil Research Group, Departamento de Cristalografía, Mineralogía y Química Agrícola, Facultad de Química, Universidad de Sevilla, C/ Profesor García González, 1, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mataix-Solera
authors.affiliation: GEA (Grupo de Edafología Ambiental) Environmental Soil Science Group, Departamento de Agroquímica y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Miguel Hernández. Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202-Elche Alicante, Spain; MED_Soil Research Group, Departamento de Cristalografía, Mineralogía y Química Agrícola, Facultad de Química, Universidad de Sevilla, C/ Profesor García González, 1, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Arcenegui
authors.affiliation: MED_Soil Research Group, Departamento de Cristalografía, Mineralogía y Química Agrícola, Facultad de Química, Universidad de Sevilla, C/ Profesor García González, 1, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jordán
authors.affiliation: MED_Soil Research Group, Departamento de Cristalografía, Mineralogía y Química Agrícola, Facultad de Química, Universidad de Sevilla, C/ Profesor García González, 1, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Zavala
mesh_terms: D005390:Fires; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D013030:Spain; D014197:Trees / Q000502:physiology; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014872:Water Movements
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D014867:Water
keywords: Ash; Hydrophobicity; Soil moisture content; Soil water repellency; Wildfire