ESTABLISHING THE ROLE OF PEDOGENESIS IN CHANGING SOIL HYDRAULIC-PROPERTIES

Chronosequences provide suitable sources for the study of changes in s oil hydraulic behaviour as a result of long-term pedogenesis. For a po dsol chronosequence in the Scottish Highlands, data are presented to i ndicate the changes that have occurred over 13000 years in the saturat ed hydraulic conductivity (K(sat)) in each horizon. As the soil profil e has evolved into a differentiated sequence of three horizons, the re sulting hydrological changes can be both measured and quantified by re lating K(sat) to textural properties and bulk density. The results are significant for interpretation of changing runoff processes and slope stability.