earticle

영어

Wildfires enhance soil water repellency by combusting surface organic matter, thereby altering soil hydrological properties. This study aimed to analyse runoff and infiltration characteristics according to the degree of soil water repellency through the rainfall simulation experiments in the wildfire-affected area. Soil water repellency was assessed using the Molarity of Ethanol Droplet (MED) method. Rainfall simulations were performed on 21 plots, and total runoff, time-specific runoff (0–10 min, 10–20 min, and 20–30 min), and infiltration were compared based on the presence or absence of soil water repellency. Rainfall experiment was conducted for 20-minute with a rainfall intensity of 80 mm·hr−1, distinguishing the 20–30 min interval as the post-rainfall runoff period. The results showed that soils exhibiting water repellency resulted in a higher total runoff, approximately 46% greater, compared to non-repellent soils. Infiltration displayed a negative correlation with water repellency severity, with higher infiltration observed in non-repellent soils. Time-specific runoff analysis revealed that repellent soils consistently exhibited significantly greater runoff across all intervals, with approximately 32% higher runoff in the 0–10 min interval, 27% higher in the 10–20 min interval, and a markedly 157% increase during the 20–30 min post-rainfall interval. These findings suggest that the influence of soil water repellency on runoff persists even after rainfall cessation.