| Abstract: | Numerous soil pipes are reported from a small catchment in an area of kandoid (kaolin-rich) soils and 2375 mm annual rainfall in the humid tropical volcanic island of Dominica, West Indies. Two spot surveys in August 1982 at baseflow during the wet season indicated that pipes contributed at least 14–16 per cent of streamflow. Sampled pipeflow was of similar chemical composition to the baseflow-dominated streamwater. Specific conductance (249–420 μS cm?1) and silica (75 mg l?1) levels of pipeflow were high and suggested that the pipes tapped solute-rich water close to the soil-rock interface. The principal pipes flow perennially and showed little response to daily rainfalls of up to 43 mm during the monitoring period. |
