Zhang et al. (2026) Dynamic Media Storage Links Antecedent Soil Moisture to Runoff Retention in Field-Scale Bioretention Systems

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Water
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-16
• Authors: Wenlong Zhang, Ziyou Zhang, Moyuan Yang, Lei Yu, Shuhan Zhang, Lu Li, Fengyan Wu, Wei Yang
• DOI: 10.3390/w18182320

Research Groups

• Department of Civil Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
• Department of Environmental Science, University of California, Berkeley

Short Summary

This study investigates the relationship between antecedent soil moisture and runoff control in bioretention systems, highlighting the importance of considering dynamic storage in relation to hydraulic loading and media configuration.

Objective

• Investigate how antecedent soil moisture affects runoff control in bioretention systems with contrasting media depths and drainage boundaries.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field-scale bioretention systems
• Temporal Scale: Three wet seasons of monitoring

Methodology and Data

• Models used: None mentioned (field measurements)
• Data sources: Field observations, soil moisture profiles, rainfall data

Main Results

• Greater antecedent storage was associated with lower probability of drainage activation in both systems.
• Greater runoff volume reduction in BR1 was linked to greater antecedent storage.
• In BR2, stronger within-event media wetting did not necessarily correspond to greater facility-scale runoff retention.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the relationship between antecedent soil moisture and runoff control in bioretention systems, highlighting the importance of considering dynamic storage in relation to hydraulic loading and media configuration.
• The findings suggest that antecedent storage should be interpreted in relation to the specific characteristics of each system.

Funding

• This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant number 1736259.

Citation

@article{Zhang2026Dynamic,
  author = {Zhang, Wenlong and Zhang, Ziyou and Yang, Moyuan and Yu, Lei and Zhang, Shuhan and Li, Lu and Wu, Fengyan and Yang, Wei},
  title = {Dynamic Media Storage Links Antecedent Soil Moisture to Runoff Retention in Field-Scale Bioretention Systems},
  journal = {Water},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/w18182320},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/w18182320}
}