Hydropedology, including applications in a karst environment

Soil-water interactions across multiple scales control on the one hand much of soil development and its spatial variability and on the other water quantity and quality in surface and groundwater systems. In this view hydropedology is a new discipline focusing on the interaction between pedology and hydrology/soil physics which is important when solving complex agricultural and environmental problems with major social consequences. The aim of the symposium is to explore productive interactions between hydrology and pedology, moving beyond separate approaches of both disciplines. More specifically, considering heterogeneities and process complexities as a function of space and time, contributions are welcome on: oDefining soil structure, layering and soil-landscape relationships as indicators and boundary conditions of flow and transport characteristics in soils; oPresenting examples of certain soil-landscapes having similar hydrologic functioning including ways to classify similarities. oExploring the potential of soil databases to make them more relevant and reliable for hydrologic modelling at different spatial and temporal scales. oProcedures to move from describing heterogeneity, as is common in pedology, to better defining the "why" of soil heterogeneity. (e.g. the understanding of relationships between soil forming factors and processes, and hydrologic spatiotemporal variability, including the effects of soil management). oSuggest future lines of research for both pedology and hydrology that will benefit hydropedology.