Tóth, T. L. Kuti, I. Fórizs, S. Kabos, and A. Douaik. 2002. Spatial and temporal 
aspects of soil salinization in a sodic grassland. In Faz Cano, A., Ortiz Silla, 
R. and Mermut, A.R. (ed.) Sustainable use and management of soils in arid 
semiarid regions. Volume I. pp. 276-288.

For seven years the spatial and temporal changes of a plot in the most 
characteristic sodic (solonetzic) landscape of Hortobágy, Hungary are studied 
with repeated observations of soil ECa and groundwater depth and composition.The 
soil EC shows large fluctuation in subsequent years. There were large changes  
in the average salinity, but EC also changed in a spatially variable 
manner.Groundwater depth was closely related to the precipitation and can be 
predicted precisely based on 10-day sums.Based on the ratio of bromide to 
chloride ions among the three profiles studied, the Haplic Solonetz (HS) lying 
in the deepest area showed free mixture of precipitation and groundwater. The 
Salic Solonetz (SS) lying in intermediate elevational position, and Mollic 
Solonetz (MS) from the higher lying zone showed strong evaporation. The stable 
isotopes helped to interpret the importance of regional groundwater flow in 
salinization of the soils. Largest evaporation and infiltration of precipitation 
can be found at the HS profile, but at the SS and MS profiles evaporation is the 
dominant process. Smallest infiltration of precipitation was inferred at the SS 
profile. Based on the data a conceptual model of soil salinization has been 
compiled based on the contrastive water regime of warm, dry and rainy periods. 
Most important factors in this model are elevation, plant cover of surface, 
surface soil temperature and soil hydraulic conductivity, and the seasonally 
changing direction of groundwater movement.