Soil water availability in the Patagonian arid steppe: Gravel content effect

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Abstract
A model for estimating volumetric water content as a function of soil water potential and gravel content was developed. In the system studied gravel can withhold up to 67% of the amount held by the fine material. Water content at field capacity decreases 50% when gravel content (>11 mm) increases from 0% to 40% of total soil weight. For those values of gravel content, penetration depth of a rainfall of 20 mm increases from 38 cm to 59 cm when the initial water content is 60% of the field capacity.