HR: 0800h
AN: C31A-1114    [Abstracts]
TI: Hydrologic Time Series Analysis Of Climatic Variables To Study Changes In Soil Freezing And Thawing Processes For Indiana
AU: * Sinha, T
EM: sinhat@purdue.edu
AF: Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Purdue University, 225 S University Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907 United States
AU: Cherkauer, K A
EM: cherkaue@purdue.edu
AF: Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Purdue University, 225 S University Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907 United States
AB: Seasonal freezing and thawing cycles influence surface energy and water cycle fluxes. Specifically soil frost can lead to a reduction in infiltration and increase in runoff response, resulting in a greater potential for soil erosion. Soil erosion potential may also increase through the weakening of soil bonds due to repeated soil freeze-thaw cycles. This study tests for the presence of significant trends in soil freezing-thawing cycles and soil temperatures at several depths and compared identified trends with other climatic variables including air temperature, snowfall and snow depth. Data for the study was obtained for 3 research stations located in northern, central and southern Indiana that have collected soil temperature and meteorological observations since 1967. Statistical significance of the trends is tested at 5% significance level using simple linear regression, Mann Kendall's, cumulative deviations and auto-correlation tests. The trends indicate among other things that the number of days with minimum air temperature less than zero degree per year is decreasing in central and southern Indiana while increasing for northern Indiana, that soil freeze-thaw cycles are increasing with time for central and southern Indiana, and that annual snowfall and snow depth are decreasing for central Indiana while increasing for southern Indiana.
DE: 1625 Geomorphology and weathering (0790, 1824, 1825, 1826, 1886)
DE: 1630 Impacts of global change (1225)
DE: 1827 Glaciology (0736, 0776, 1863)
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005