https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.20396

Sanchez-Rodriguez, Ines; Ireson, Andrew; Brannen, Rosa; Brauner, Haley (2025) Insights into freeze-thaw and infiltration in seasonally frozen soils from field observations, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Vadose Zone Journal, Vol. 24, Iss. 1, e20396, https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.20396

Abstract Snowmelt infiltration into frozen soils in seasonally frozen landscapes is a critically important hydrological process, with consequences for agriculture, water resources, and flooding. The partitioning of snowmelt between infiltration and runoff in any given location and in any given year is highly uncertain. While it is intuitive to expect lower infiltration capacities in frozen soils, extensive past field research has shown that infiltration is often the dominant flux over runoff during this process, and this is attributed to infiltration into air-filled macropores. Despite this understanding, we still lack models that can predict frozen soil infiltration reliably. In this study, we examine detailed field observations from the seasonally frozen Canadian Prairies to determine the controls on soil freeze/thaw, snowmelt partitioning, and groundwater recharge. We show how soil moisture, water table depth, snow water equivalent, and air temperature are all significant and confounding factors that determine soil freezing depth and snowmelt partitioning.

https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.20396