Kauaʻi Conservation Atlas

Kauaʻi record · KCA-EP-0048

Soil infiltration

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Natural-history illustration of soil infiltration on Kauaʻi.
Atlas illustration of soil infiltration.

About Soil infiltration

Entry of surface water into soil and porous substrate.

Names and classification

Other names
soil infiltration
Family
Hydrology & Freshwater Flow
Record type
ecological_process

Habitat and ecology

Ecological role
Supports Atlas reasoning about ecosystem function, dependencies, threats, conservation leverage points and cross-module consequences.

Process and seasonal context

Definition
Entry of surface water into soil and porous substrate.
Drivers
rainfall; fog; vegetation; soils; geology; extraction; climate
Inputs
rainfall; cloud water; stored water
Outputs
evapotranspiration; runoff; recharge; streamflow; groundwater discharge
Spatial scales
canopy → soil → aquifer → watershed → coast
Temporal scales
minutes → decades
Validity and limits
Context-specific; do not extrapolate across habitat, season, elevation, salinity or disturbance state without evidence.

Sources and further reading

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