Factors Influencing Point Measurement of Near‐surface Saturated Soil Hydraulic Conductivity in a Small Sicilian Basin

Hydraulic conductivity of saturated soil, K s , controls many hydrological processes. Parameterization of basin hydrological models in terms of K s is complicated and uncertain owing to the very high spatial variability of this soil property. A small Sicilian basin was intensively sampled by the simplified falling head technique to obtain spatially distributed K s data, and an attempt to explain their spatial variability on the basis of soil physical characteristics, digital elevation model‐derived topographic attributes and land cover was carried out. High K s values were obtained when clay content was low and both elevation and mean slope were high. Moreover, differences in K s among land cover classes were detected. However, soil texture was found to have a main role on K s variability. This finding was supported by a subsequent intensive sampling of two areas differing by elevation and land cover. The conclusion was that, for the sampled basin, a good knowledge of the spatial distribution of the soil textural fractions is necessary to develop an appropriate sampling plan for K s , regardless of both the position within the basin and land use. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.