WorldWideScience

Sample records for sandy soil area

  1. Amelioration of sandy soils in drought stricken areas through use of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ACSS

    improving N, P, Ca and Mg content in sandy soils, and consequently support crop growth and yield. ... stress, soil moisture conservation, soil fertility management ... water many times its own weight. ... improves the productivity of degraded,.

  2. [Soil sandy desertification and salinization and their interrelationships in Yanghuang irrigated area of Hongsipu, Ningxia of northwest China].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xin-guo; Song, Nai-ping

    2011-09-01

    By the methods of controlled and typical sampling, this paper analyzed the texture, salinization characteristics, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and their correlations in the 0-40 cm soil profiles of corn land, medlar land, and non-utilized land in Yanghuang irrigated area of Hongsipu, Northwest China. Under controlled sampling, the salt content in the soil profiles was 0.69-1.30 g x kg(-1) (except in non-utilized land where the 0-10 cm soil salt content was up to 1.74 g x kg(-1)), with no obvious salinization. The sodium adsorption ratio and exchangeable sodium percentage in the 20-40 cm soil layer of medlar land were 12.18 and 14.1%, respectively, and the total content of clay and silt in the 0-40 cm soil profile of medlar land was up to 37.3% whereas that in the 0-20 cm soil layer of corn land was only 13.5%. In the 20-40 cm soil layer of corn land, the indices of sandy desertification and salinization had significant correlations under controlled sampling but no correlations under typical sampling, while the CEC and the sandy desertification and salinization indices had significant correlations under typical sampling. In different land use types in the study area, soil sandy desertification and salinization had complicated interrelationships, and CEC could be used as the indicator for the changes in soil environmental quality.

  3. Effects of soil amendment on soil characteristics and maize yield in Horqin Sandy Land

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, L.; Liu, J. H.; Zhao, B. P.; Xue, A.; Hao, G. C.

    2016-08-01

    A 4-year experiment was conducted to investigate the inter-annual effects of sandy soil amendment on maize yield, soil water storage and soil enzymatic activities in sandy soil in Northeast China in 2010 to 2014. We applied the sandy soil amendment in different year, and investigated the different effects of sandy soil amendment in 2014. There were six treatments including: (1) no sandy soil amendment application (CK); (2) one year after applying sandy soil amendment (T1); (3) two years after applying sandy soil amendment(T2); (4) three years after applying sandy soil amendment(T3); (5)four years after applying sandy soil amendment(T4); (6) five years after applying sandy soil amendment (T5). T refers to treatment, and the number refers to the year after application of the sandy soil amendment. Comparing with CK, sandy soil amendments improved the soil water storage, soil urease, invertase, and catalase activity in different growth stages and soil layers, the order of soil water storage in all treatments roughly performed: T3 > T5 > T4 > T2 > T1 > CK. the order of soil urease, invertase, and catalase activity in all treatments roughly performed: T5 > T3 > T4 > T2 > T1 > CK. Soil application of sandy soil amendment significantly (p≤⃒0.05) increased the grain yield and biomass yield by 22.75%-41.42% and 29.92%-45.45% respectively, and maize yield gradually increased with the years go by in the following five years. Sandy soil amendment used in poor sandy soil had a positive effect on soil water storage, soil enzymatic activities and maize yield, after five years applied sandy soil amendment (T5) showed the best effects among all the treatments, and deserves further research.

  4. Amelioration of sandy soils in drought stricken areas through use of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Soil moisture shortage is a major limiting factor to agricultural production in eastern Africa, in view of increased drought incidences and seasonal rainfall variability. This study evaluated the potential for Ca-bentonite (a 2:1 clay mineral) as a possible amendment for increased moisture retention by sandy soils in drought ...

  5. Strength Characteristics of Reinforced Sandy Soil

    OpenAIRE

    S. N. Bannikov; Mahamed Al Fayez

    2005-01-01

    Laboratory tests on determination of reinforced sandy soil strength characteristics (angle of internal friction, specific cohesive force) have been carried out with the help of a specially designed instrument and proposed methodology. Analysis of the obtained results has revealed that cohesive forces are brought about in reinforced sandy soil and an angle of internal soil friction becomes larger in comparison with non-reinforced soil.

  6. Respirable dust and quartz exposure from three South African farms with sandy, sandy loam, and clay soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swanepoel, Andrew J; Kromhout, Hans; Jinnah, Zubair A; Portengen, Lützen; Renton, Kevin; Gardiner, Kerry; Rees, David

    2011-07-01

    To quantify personal time-weighted average respirable dust and quartz exposure on a sandy, a sandy loam, and a clay soil farm in the Free State and North West provinces of South Africa and to ascertain whether soil type is a determinant of exposure to respirable quartz. Three farms, located in the Free State and North West provinces of South Africa, had their soil type confirmed as sandy, sandy loam, and clay; and, from these, a total of 298 respirable dust and respirable quartz measurements were collected between July 2006-November 2009 during periods of major farming operations. Values below the limit of detection (LOD) (22 μg · m(-3)) were estimated using multiple 'imputation'. Non-parametric tests were used to compare quartz exposure from the three different soil types. Exposure to respirable quartz occurred on all three farms with the highest individual concentration measured on the sandy soil farm (626 μg · m(-3)). Fifty-seven, 59, and 81% of the measurements on the sandy soil, sandy loam soil, and clay soil farm, respectively, exceeded the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) threshold limit value (TLV) of 25 μg · m(-3). Twelve and 13% of respirable quartz concentrations exceeded 100 μg · m(-3) on the sandy soil and sandy loam soil farms, respectively, but none exceeded this level on the clay soil farm. The proportions of measurements >100 μg · m(-3) were not significantly different between the sandy and sandy loam soil farms ('prop.test'; P = 0.65), but both were significantly larger than for the clay soil farm ('prop.test'; P = 0.0001). The percentage of quartz in respirable dust was determined for all three farms using measurements > the limit of detection. Percentages ranged from 0.5 to 94.4% with no significant difference in the median quartz percentages across the three farms (Kruskal-Wallis test; P = 0.91). This study demonstrates that there is significant potential for over-exposure to respirable quartz in

  7. Responses of soil fungal community to the sandy grassland restoration in Horqin Sandy Land, northern China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Shao-Kun; Zuo, Xiao-An; Zhao, Xue-Yong; Li, Yu-Qiang; Zhou, Xin; Lv, Peng; Luo, Yong-Qing; Yun, Jian-Ying

    2016-01-01

    Sandy grassland restoration is a vital process including re-structure of soils, restoration of vegetation, and soil functioning in arid and semi-arid regions. Soil fungal community is a complex and critical component of soil functioning and ecological balance due to its roles in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling following sandy grassland restoration. In this study, soil fungal community and its relationship with environmental factors were examined along a habitat gradient of sandy grassland restoration: mobile dunes (MD), semi-fixed dunes (SFD), fixed dunes (FD), and grassland (G). It was found that species abundance, richness, and diversity of fungal community increased along with the sandy grassland restoration. The sequences analysis suggested that most of the fungal species (68.4 %) belonged to the phylum of Ascomycota. The three predominant fungal species were Pleospora herbarum, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, and Deconica Montana, accounting for more than one fourth of all the 38 species. Geranomyces variabilis was the subdominant species in MD, Pseudogymnoascus destructans and Mortierella alpine were the subdominant species in SFD, and P. destructans and Fungi incertae sedis were the dominant species in FD and G. The result from redundancy analysis (RDA) and stepwise regression analysis indicated that the vegetation characteristics and soil properties explain a significant proportion of the variation in the fungal community, and aboveground biomass and C:N ratio are the key factors to determine soil fungal community composition during sandy grassland restoration. It was suggested that the restoration of sandy grassland combined with vegetation and soil properties improved the soil fungal diversity. Also, the dominant species was found to be alternative following the restoration of sandy grassland ecosystems.

  8. EFFECTS OF ALKALINE SANDY LOAM ON SULFURIC SOIL ACIDITY AND SULFIDIC SOIL OXIDATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrick S. Michael

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available  In poor soils, addition of alkaline sandy loam containing an adequate proportion of sand, silt and clay would add value by improving the texture, structure and organic matter (OM for general use of the soils. In acid sulfate soils (ASS, addition of alkaline sandy would improve the texture and leach out salts as well as add a sufficient proportion of OM for vegetation establishment. In this study, addition of alkaline sandy loam into sulfuric soil effectively increased the pH, lowered the redox and reduced the sulfate content, the magnitude of the effects dependent on moisture content. Addition of alkaline sandy loam in combination with OM was highly effective than the effects of the lone alkaline sandy loam. When alkaline sandy was added alone or in combination with OM into sulfidic soil, the effects on pH and the redox were similar as in the sulfuric soil but the effect on sulfate content was variable. The effects under aerobic conditions were higher than under anaerobic conditions. The findings of this study have important implications for the general management of ASS where lime availability is a concern and its application is limited.International Journal of Environment Volume-4, Issue-3, June-August 2015Page: 42-54

  9. Radon emanation coefficients in sandy soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holy, K.; Polaskova, A.; Baranova, A.; Sykora, I.; Hola, O.

    1998-01-01

    In this contribution the results of the study of an influence of the water content on the emanation coefficient for two sandy soil samples are reported. These samples were chosen on the because of the long-term continual monitoring of the 222 Rn concentration just in such types of soils and this radon concentration showed the significant variations during a year. These variations are chiefly given in connection with the soil moisture. Therefore, the determination of the dependence of the emanation coefficient of radon on the water content can help to evaluate the influence of the soil moisture variations of radon concentrations in the soil air. The presented results show that the emanation coefficient reaches the constant value in the wide interval of the water content for both sandy soil samples. Therefore, in the common range of the soil moisture (5 - 20 %) it is impossible to expect the variations of the radon concentration in the soil air due to the change of the emanation coefficient. The expressive changes of the radon concentration in the soil air can be observed in case of the significant decrease of the emanation coefficient during the soil drying when the water content decreases under 5 % or during the complete filling of the soil pores by the water. (authors)

  10. Bacterial polyextremotolerant bioemulsifiers from arid soils improve water retention capacity and humidity uptake in sandy soil

    KAUST Repository

    Raddadi, Noura

    2018-05-31

    Water stress is a critical issue for plant growth in arid sandy soils. Here, we aimed to select bacteria producing polyextremotolerant surface-active compounds capable of improving water retention and humidity uptake in sandy soils.From Tunisian desert and saline systems, we selected eleven isolates able to highly emulsify different organic solvents. The bioemulsifying activities were stable with 30% NaCl, at 4 and 120 °C and in a pH range 4-12. Applications to a sandy soil of the partially purified surface-active compounds improved soil water retention up to 314.3% compared to untreated soil. Similarly, after 36 h of incubation, the humidity uptake rate of treated sandy soil was up to 607.7% higher than untreated controls.Overall, results revealed that polyextremotolerant bioemulsifiers of bacteria from arid and desert soils represent potential sources to develop new natural soil-wetting agents for improving water retention in arid soils.

  11. Bacterial polyextremotolerant bioemulsifiers from arid soils improve water retention capacity and humidity uptake in sandy soil

    KAUST Repository

    Raddadi, Noura; Giacomucci, Lucia; Marasco, Ramona; Daffonchio, Daniele; Cherif, Ameur; Fava, Fabio

    2018-01-01

    Water stress is a critical issue for plant growth in arid sandy soils. Here, we aimed to select bacteria producing polyextremotolerant surface-active compounds capable of improving water retention and humidity uptake in sandy soils.From Tunisian desert and saline systems, we selected eleven isolates able to highly emulsify different organic solvents. The bioemulsifying activities were stable with 30% NaCl, at 4 and 120 °C and in a pH range 4-12. Applications to a sandy soil of the partially purified surface-active compounds improved soil water retention up to 314.3% compared to untreated soil. Similarly, after 36 h of incubation, the humidity uptake rate of treated sandy soil was up to 607.7% higher than untreated controls.Overall, results revealed that polyextremotolerant bioemulsifiers of bacteria from arid and desert soils represent potential sources to develop new natural soil-wetting agents for improving water retention in arid soils.

  12. Bacterial polyextremotolerant bioemulsifiers from arid soils improve water retention capacity and humidity uptake in sandy soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raddadi, Noura; Giacomucci, Lucia; Marasco, Ramona; Daffonchio, Daniele; Cherif, Ameur; Fava, Fabio

    2018-05-31

    Water stress is a critical issue for plant growth in arid sandy soils. Here, we aimed to select bacteria producing polyextremotolerant surface-active compounds capable of improving water retention and humidity uptake in sandy soils. From Tunisian desert and saline systems, we selected eleven isolates able to highly emulsify different organic solvents. The bioemulsifying activities were stable with 30% NaCl, at 4 and 120 °C and in a pH range 4-12. Applications to a sandy soil of the partially purified surface-active compounds improved soil water retention up to 314.3% compared to untreated soil. Similarly, after 36 h of incubation, the humidity uptake rate of treated sandy soil was up to 607.7% higher than untreated controls. Overall, results revealed that polyextremotolerant bioemulsifiers of bacteria from arid and desert soils represent potential sources to develop new natural soil-wetting agents for improving water retention in arid soils.

  13. Validation of regression models for nitrate concentrations in the upper groundwater in sandy soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sonneveld, M.P.W.; Brus, D.J.; Roelsma, J.

    2010-01-01

    For Dutch sandy regions, linear regression models have been developed that predict nitrate concentrations in the upper groundwater on the basis of residual nitrate contents in the soil in autumn. The objective of our study was to validate these regression models for one particular sandy region dominated by dairy farming. No data from this area were used for calibrating the regression models. The model was validated by additional probability sampling. This sample was used to estimate errors in 1) the predicted areal fractions where the EU standard of 50 mg l -1 is exceeded for farms with low N surpluses (ALT) and farms with higher N surpluses (REF); 2) predicted cumulative frequency distributions of nitrate concentration for both groups of farms. Both the errors in the predicted areal fractions as well as the errors in the predicted cumulative frequency distributions indicate that the regression models are invalid for the sandy soils of this study area. - This study indicates that linear regression models that predict nitrate concentrations in the upper groundwater using residual soil N contents should be applied with care.

  14. Preparation of Sandy Soil Stabilizer for Roads Based on Radiation Modified Polymer Composite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elnahas, H.H.

    2016-01-01

    Radiation modified polymer composite (RMPC) was studied to build an extremely durable sandy road, construct a trail or bath, or control dust and erosion. A dilute solution of composite binds sandy soil fines through a coagulation bonding process. The result is a dense soil structure that has superior resistance to cracks and water penetration and can also solve erosion control problems. In erosion control applications, diluted composite is merely sprayed into sandy soil without compaction, effectively sealing the surface to prevent air-born dust or deterioration from erosion. The prepared composite has an elastic and melt-able film formation that imparts thermal compacting to the stabilized sandy soil after full dryness for sandy road leveling, repairing and restoration processes. The prepared composite is environmentally economical when compared with traditional sandy soil stabilizing (SSS) or sealing methods.

  15. EFFECT OF IRRIGATION INTERVAL AND SOIL AMENDMENTS ON SOIL ORGANIC C, NITROGEN AND POTASSIUM OF SANDY SOIL AND GROWTH OF Jatropha curcas L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Djajadi

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Inherently, sandy soil is the unfertile soil with low in all aspects of soil fertility and has a low capacity to retain water applied nutrients. To improve the fertility of sandy soil as media growth of Jatropha curcas, clay and organic matter may have important role when they are incorporated to the sandy soil. This study investigated the effect of irrigation interval and incorporation of clay together with organic matter to sandy soil on soil organic C, N, and K and growth of J. curcas. The rates of clay and organic matter incorporated to top sandy soil were 5% clay + 0.8% organic matter and 10% clay + 1.6% organic matter. Two irrigation intervals tested were 10 day and 20 day. The results found that incorporation of 10% clay + 1.6% organic matter to sandy soil increased soil C organic, N total and exchangeable K which in turn increased number of leaves and number of lateral branches of J curcas. Irrigation intervals had no effect on all parameters observed.

  16. Migration characteristics of cobalt-60 through sandy soil in high pH solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohnuki, Toshihiko

    1992-01-01

    Migration characteristics of 60 Co through sandy soil in high pH solution has been investigated by both column and batch techniques. The association of 60 Co with the sandy soil and its components were studied by sequential extraction techniques. The concentration profile of 60 Co in the sandy soil column was composed of two exponential curves showing that 60 Co would consist of immobile and mobile fractions. The immobile 60 Co was retained by the sandy soil and was distributed near the top. Though the mobile 60 Co was little sorbed by soil and migrated through the soil column, maximum concentration of 60 Co in the effluents decreased slightly with increasing path length of the soil column. The sequential extraction of 60 Co from the sandy soil and from its components showed that 60 Co was sorbed by both manganese oxide and clay minerals. And manganese oxide is one of the responsible soil components for the observed decrease in the maximum concentration of 60 Co in the effluents. Although the content of manganese oxide in the sandy soil was 0.13%, manganese oxide is the important component to prevent from the migration of 60 Co in the high pH solution. (author)

  17. ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERSPECTIVES ON STONE FRUIT GROWING ON SANDY SOILS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anica Durău

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Climatic conditions in the sandy soils of southern Oltenia encourage cultivation of tree species in terms of applying specific technologies. Possibility of poor sandy soils fertile capitalization, earliness in 7- 10 days of fruit ripening , high yields and quality are the main factors supporting the development of fruit growing in the sandy soils of southern Oltenia. The main objectives of the research were to CCDCPN Dăbuleni. Establish and improve stone fruit species assortment, adapted to the stress of the sandy soils, establishment and evaluation of the influence of stress on trees and their influence on the size and quality of production, development of technological links (planting distances, forms management, fertilization, getting high and consistent annual production of high quality, containing low as pesticide residues, to establish a integrated health control program of the trees with emphasis on biotechnical. Research has shown good stone species behavior, and their recommended proportion is 75% of all fruit trees (peach 36%, 14% apricot, plum15%, sweet and sour cherry fruit growing 10% of the total area. Results on peach varieties revealed: ’Redhaven’, ’Suncrest’, ’Loring’ with yields ranging from (24.8 t / ha to 29.0 t/ha with maturation period from July to August, and varieties ’NJ 244’, ’Fayette’, ’Flacara’ with productions ranging from (19.7 t / ha to 23.0 t/ha with maturation period from August to September. The sweet cherry varieties ’Van’, ’Rainier’, ’Stella’, with yields ranging from 17. 2 to 24.4 t / ha. In the range studied sour cherry were found ’Oblacinska’ varieties of 11.0 t / ha, ’Cernokaia’ with 10.5 t / ha, ’Schatten Morelle’ with 9.1 t / ha. Optimum planting density and shape of the peach crown found that the highest yields of fruit are produced in the form of vertical cordon crown, with values ranging from 15.9 t / ha at a distance of 2 m, 10.3 t / ha at a distance

  18. Effects of Pisha sandstone content on solute transport in a sandy soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhen, Qing; Zheng, Jiyong; He, Honghua; Han, Fengpeng; Zhang, Xingchang

    2016-02-01

    In sandy soil, water, nutrients and even pollutants are easily leaching to deeper layers. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of Pisha sandstone on soil solute transport in a sandy soil. The miscible displacement technique was used to obtain breakthrough curves (BTCs) of Br(-) as an inert non-adsorbed tracer and Na(+) as an adsorbed tracer. The incorporation of Pisha sandstone into sandy soil was able to prevent the early breakthrough of both tracers by decreasing the saturated hydraulic conductivity compared to the controlled sandy soil column, and the impeding effects increased with Pisha sandstone content. The BTCs of Br(-) were accurately described by both the convection-dispersion equation (CDE) and the two-region model (T-R), and the T-R model fitted the experimental data slightly better than the CDE. The two-site nonequilibrium model (T-S) accurately fit the Na(+) transport data. Pisha sandstone impeded the breakthrough of Na(+) not only by decreasing the saturated hydraulic conductivity but also by increasing the adsorption capacity of the soil. The measured CEC values of Pisha sandstone were up to 11 times larger than those of the sandy soil. The retardation factors (R) determined by the T-S model increased with increasing Pisha sandstone content, and the partition coefficient (K(d)) showed a similar trend to R. According to the results of this study, Pisha sandstone can successfully impede solute transport in a sandy soil column. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Physical Properties of Sandy Soil Affected by Soil Conditioner Under Wetting and Drying cycles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.I. Choudhary

    1998-06-01

    Full Text Available Information on the effectiveness of soil conditioners over a prolonged period is scarce. A laboratory experiment was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a polyacrylamide (Broadleaf P4 soil conditioner on the physical properties of sandy soil subjected to wetting and drying cycles. Four concentrations of Broadleaf P4 0, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6% on dry weight basis were uniformly mixed with a calcareous sandy soil. Addition of Broadleaf P4 to sandy soil increased the water holding capacity, decreased the bulk density, and increased the porosity and void ratio at 0 and 16 wetting and drying cycles. The coefficient of linear extensibility increased considerably with increasing concentrations of the polymer. The addition of polymer at 0 and 16 cycles increased considerably the retention and availability of water in sandy soil. Saturated hydraulic conductivity decreased with increasing concentrations of Broadleaf P4 whereas unsaturated hydraulic conductivity at 0 and 16 cycles showed an increase with increasing soil moisture contents. After I6 wetting and drying cycles, the capacity of the soil to hold water was lost on average by 15.8% when compared to the 0 wetting and drying cycle. The effectiveness of the soil conditioner on bulk density, coefficient of linear extensibility, available water and saturated hydraulic conductivity was reduced on average by 14.1, 24.5, 21.l and 53.7% respectively. The significant changes in soil properties between 0 and 16 cycles suggested that the effectiveness of the conditioner decreased with the application of wetting and drying cycles. However, its effect was still considerable when compared to untreated soil under laboratory conditions.

  20. Effects of plant cover on soil N mineralization during the growing season in a sandy soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Y.; Shao, M.; Wei, X.; Fu, X.

    2017-12-01

    Soil nitrogen (N) mineralization and its availability plays a vital role in regulating ecosystem productivity and C cycling, particularly in semiarid and desertified ecosystems. To determine the effect of plant cover on N turnover in a sandy soil ecosystem, we measured soil N mineralization and inorganic N pools in soil solution during growing season in a sandy soil covered with various plant species (Artemisia desertorum, Salix psammophila, and Caragana korshinskii). A bare sandy soil without any plant was selected as control. Inorganic N pools and N mineralization rates decreased overtime during the growing season, and were not affected by soil depth in bare land soils, but were significantly higher at the 0-10 cm layer than those at the 10-20 cm soil layer under any plant species. Soil inorganic N pool was dominated by ammonium, and N mineralization was dominated by nitrification regardless of soil depth and plant cover. Soils under C. korshinskii have significant higher inorganic N pools and N mineralization rate than soils under bare land and A. desertorum and S. psammophila, and the effects of plant cover were greater at the 0-10 cm soil layer than at the 10-20 cm layer. The effects of C. korshinskii on soil inorganic N pools and mineralization rate varied with the stage of growing season, with greater effects on N pools in the middle growing season, and greater effects on mineralization rate at the last half of the growing season. The results from this study indicate that introduction of C. korshinskii has the potential to increase soil N turnover and availability in sandy soils, and thus to decrease N limitation. Caragana korshinskii is therefore recommend for the remediation of the desertified land.

  1. Compost amendment of sandy soil affects soil properties and greenhouse tomato productivity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arthur, Emmanuel; Cornelis, W.; Razzaghi, Fatemeh

    2012-01-01

    Sandy soils, with low productivity, could be improved by compost application to sustain crop production. This study aimed to examine the effect of three compost types (vegetable, fruit and yard waste compost, garden waste compost, and spent mushroom compost) on basic properties of a loamy sand...... compost had greater effect in improving tomato productivity. A decade-long application of composts on loamy sand improved basic chemical and physical properties which were reflected in increased fruit yield in tomato. Since no negative effect of compost was observed, we suggest that sandy soils may serve...... and greenhouse tomato productivity. Disturbed and intact soil samples were taken from a decade-long compost field experiment on loamy sand with three compost types at application rate of 30 m3 ha-1 yr-1 (7.5 ton ha-1 yr-1). The soils were characterized for chemical and physical properties. Tomato was planted...

  2. Migration of cesium-137 through sandy soil layer effect of fine silt on migration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohnuki, Toshihiko; Wadachi, Yoshiki

    1983-01-01

    The migration of 137 Cs through sandy soil layer was studied with consideration of the migration of fine silt by column method. It was found that a portion of fine silt migrated through the soil layer accompanying with 137 Cs. The mathematical migration model of 137 Cs involved the migration of fine silt through such soil layer was presented. This model gave a good accordance between calculated concentration distribution curve in sandy soil layer and effluent curve and observed those. So, this model seems to be advanced one for evaluating migration of 137 Cs in sandy soil layer with silt. (author)

  3. The fate of fresh and stored 15N-labelled sheep urine and urea applied to a sandy and a sandy loam soil using different application strategies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, P.; Jensen, E.S.

    1996-01-01

    The fate of nitrogen from N-15-labelled sheep urine and urea applied to two soils was studied under field conditions. Labelled and stored urine equivalent to 204 kg N ha(-1) was either incorporated in soil or applied to the soil surface prior to sowing of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L...... and soil was not significantly different for incorporated urine and urea. Almost all the supplied labelled N was accounted for in soil and herbage in the sandy loam soil, whereas 33-34% of the labelled N was unaccounted for in the sandy soil. When the stored urine was applied to the soil surface, 20...... was applied to growing ryegrass at the sandy loam soil, the immobilization of urine-derived N was significantly reduced compared to application prior to sowing. The results indicated that the net mineralization of urine N was similar to that of urea in the sandy soil, but only about 75% of the urine N was net...

  4. Evaluation of the 137Cs technique for estimating wind erosion losses for some sandy Western Australian soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harper, R.J.; Gilkes, R.J.

    1994-01-01

    The utility of the caesium-137 technique, for estimating the effects of wind erosion, was evaluated on the soils of a semi-arid agricultural area near Jerramungup, Western Australia. The past incidence of wind erosion was estimated from field observations of soil profile morphology and an existing remote sensing study. Erosion was limited to sandy surfaced soils (0-4% clay), with a highly significant difference (P 137 Cs values between eroded and non-eroded sandy soils, with mean values of 243±17 and 386±13 Bq m -2 respectively. Non-eroded soils, with larger clay contents, had a mean 137 Cs content of 421±26 Bq m -2 , however, due to considerable variation between replicate samples, this value was not significantly different from that of the non-eroded sands. Hence, although the technique discriminates between eroded and non-eroded areas, the large variation in 137 Cs values means that from 27 to 96 replicate samples are required to provide statistically valid estimates of 137 Cs loss. The occurrence of around 18% of the total 137 Cs between 10 and 20 cm depth in these soils, despite cultivation being confined to the surface 9 cm, suggests that leaching of 137 Cs occurs in the sandy soils, although there was no relationship between clay content and 137 Cs value for either eroded or non-eroded soils. In a multiple linear regression, organic carbon content and the mean grain size of the eroded soils explained 35% of the variation in 137 Cs content. This relationship suggests that both organic carbon and 137 Cs are removed by erosion, with erosion being more prevalent on soils with a finer sand fraction. Clay and silt contents do not vary with depth in the near-surface horizons of the eroded sandy soils, hence it is likely that wind erosion strips the entire surface horizon with its 137 Cs content, rather than selectively winnowing fine material. 71 refs., 6 tabs., 2 fig

  5. Influence of drainage status on soil and water chemistry, litter decomposition and soil respiration in central Amazonian forests on sandy soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antônio Ocimar Manzi

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Central Amazonian rainforest landscape supports a mosaic of tall terra firme rainforest and ecotone campinarana, riparian and campina forests, reflecting topography-induced variations in soil, nutrient and drainage conditions. Spatial and temporal variations in litter decomposition, soil and groundwater chemistry and soil CO2 respiration were studied in forests on sandy soils, whereas drought sensitivity of poorly-drained valley soils was investigated in an artificial drainage experiment. Slightly changes in litter decomposition or water chemistry were observed as a consequence of artificial drainage. Riparian plots did experience higher litter decomposition rates than campina forest. In response to a permanent lowering of the groundwater level from 0.1 m to 0.3 m depth in the drainage plot, topsoil carbon and nitrogen contents decreased substantially. Soil CO2 respiration decreased from 3.7±0.6 µmol m-2 s-1 before drainage to 2.5±0.2 and 0.8±0.1 µmol m-2 s-1 eight and 11 months after drainage, respectively. Soil respiration in the control plot remained constant at 3.7±0.6 µmol m-2 s-1. The above suggests that more frequent droughts may affect topsoil carbon and nitrogen content and soil respiration rates in the riparian ecosystem, and may induce a transition to less diverse campinarana or short-statured campina forest that covers areas with strongly-leached sandy soil.

  6. Characterization of biomass residues and their amendment effects on water sorption and nutrient leaching in sandy soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Letian; Tong, Zhaohui; Liu, Guodong; Li, Yuncong

    2014-07-01

    In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of two types of biomass residues (fermentation residues from a bioethanol process, FB; brown mill residues from a papermaking process, BM) as amendments for a sandy soil. The characteristics of these residues including specific surface areas, morphologies and nutrient sorption capacity were measured. The effects of biorefinery residues on water and nutrient retention were investigated in terms of different particle sizes and loadings. The results indicated that bio-based wastes FB and BM were able to significantly improve water and nutrient retention of sandy soil. The residues with larger surface areas had better water and nutrient retention capability. Specifically, in the addition of 10% loading, FB and BM was able to improve water retention by approximately 150% and 300%, while reduce 99% of ammonium and phosphate concentration in the leachate compare to the soil control, respectively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Fine-scale spatial distribution of plants and resources on a sandy soil in the Sahel

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rietkerk, M.G.; Ouedraogo, T.; Kumar, L.; Sanou, S.; Langevelde, F. van; Kiema, A.; Koppel, J. van de; Andel, J. van; Hearne, J.; Skidmore, A.K.; Ridder, N. de; Stroosnijder, L.; Prins, H.H.T.

    2002-01-01

    We studied fine-scale spatial plant distribution in relation to the spatial distribution of erodible soil particles, organic matter, nutrients and soil water on a sandy to sandy loam soil in the Sahel. We hypothesized that the distribution of annual plants would be highly spatially autocorrelated

  8. [Soil moisture dynamics of artificial Caragana microphylla shrubs at different topographical sites in Horqin sandy land].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Gang; Zhao, Xue-yong; Huang, Ying-xin; Su, Yan-gui

    2009-03-01

    Based on the investigation data of vegetation and soil moisture regime of Caragana microphylla shrubs widely distributed in Horqin sandy land, the spatiotemporal variations of soil moisture regime and soil water storage of artificial sand-fixing C. microphylla shrubs at different topographical sites in the sandy land were studied, and the evapotranspiration was measured by water balance method. The results showed that the soil moisture content of the shrubs was the highest in the lowland of dunes, followed by in the middle, and in the crest of the dunes, and increased with increasing depth. No water stress occurred during the growth season of the shrubs. Soil moisture content of the shrubs was highly related to precipitation event, and the relationship of soil moisture content with precipitation was higher in deep soil layer (50-180 cm) than in shallow soil layer (0-50 cm). The variation coefficient of soil moisture content was also higher in deep layer than in shallow layer. Soil water storage was increasing in the whole growth season of the shrubs, which meant that the accumulation of soil water occurred in this area. The evapotranspiriation of the shrubs occupied above 64% of the precipitation.

  9. Background levels of some trace elements in sandy soil of Abou-Zabal, and its variation with soil depth determines by neutron activation analysis. Vol. 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdel-Sabour, M.F.; Sanad, W.; Flex, H.; Abdel-Haleem, A.S.; Zohny, E.

    1996-01-01

    The variation in soil total heavy metal contents (horizontally and vertically) in small land area (about one acre) was investigated using neutron activities analysis technique. The background levels found in the sandy soil of Abou-Zabal are also discussed in relation to the findings of other workers. 5 tabs

  10. Background levels of some trace elements in sandy soil of Abou-Zabal, and its variation with soil depth determines by neutron activation analysis. Vol. 4.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abdel-Sabour, M F [Soil Pollution Unit, Soil and Water Department. Nuclear Research Center, Atomic energy Authority, Cairo, (Egypt); Sanad, W; Flex, H; Abdel-Haleem, A S [Hot Lab. Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo (Egypt); Zohny, E [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo Univ., Beni-Sweif Branch, Cairo, (Egypt)

    1996-03-01

    The variation in soil total heavy metal contents (horizontally and vertically) in small land area (about one acre) was investigated using neutron activities analysis technique. The background levels found in the sandy soil of Abou-Zabal are also discussed in relation to the findings of other workers. 5 tabs.

  11. Use of dolomite phosphate rock (DPR) fertilizers to reduce phosphorus leaching from sandy soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, G.C.; He, Z.L.; Stoffella, P.J.; Yang, X.E.; Yu, S.; Calvert, D.

    2006-01-01

    There is increasing concern over P leaching from sandy soils applied with water-soluble P fertilizers. Laboratory column leaching experiments were conducted to evaluate P leaching from a typical acidic sandy soil in Florida amended with DPR fertilizers developed from dolomite phosphate rock (DPR) and N-Viro soil. Ten leaching events were carried out at an interval of 7 days, with a total leaching volume of 1183 mm equivalent to the mean annual rainfall of this region during the period of 2001-2003. Leachates were collected and analyzed for total P and inorganic P. Phosphorus in the leachate was dominantly reactive, accounting for 67.7-99.9% of total P leached. Phosphorus leaching loss mainly occurred in the first three leaching events, accounting for 62.0-98.8% of the total P leached over the whole period. The percentage of P leached (in the total P added) from the soil amended with water-soluble P fertilizer was higher than those receiving the DPR fertilizers. The former was up to 96.6%, whereas the latter ranged from 0.3% to 3.8%. These results indicate that the use of N-Viro-based DPR fertilizers can reduce P leaching from sandy soils. - Fertilizers developed from dolomite phosphate rock (DPR) reduce phosphorus leaching from sandy soil

  12. Effect of Particle Size and Soil Compaction on Gas Transport Parameters in Variably Saturated, Sandy Soils

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hamamoto, Shoichiro; Møldrup, Per; Kawamoto, Ken

    2009-01-01

    The soil gas diffusion coefficient (Dp) and air permeability (ka) and their dependency on soil air content ( ) control gas diffusion and advection in soils. This study investigated the effects of average particle size (D50) and dry bulk density ( b) on Dp and ka for six sandy soils under variably...

  13. CONTRIBUTIONS TO IMPROVING CULTURE TEHNOLOGIES OF PEACHES GROWN ON SANDY SOILS THE SOUTH OF OLTENIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anica Durau

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Technological factors with major implications in obtaining high yields and quality in peaches grown on sandy soils are planting row distance and shape of the crown, soil maintenance system, chemical, organic and foliar fertilzation. A smal size combined with the flatening of the crowns of the tres alows a dense planting, also ensure proper mechanization of work and easy penetration of light to the leaves and fruits. Crown form vertical belt proved to be suitable for al planting distances studied, easily made and maintained, having fruit production ranged betwen 15.9 t / ha at a distance of 2 m, 10.3 t / ha at a distance of 2.5 m and 7.9 t / ha at a distance of 3 m. The state of soil nutrient supply influence sucesful peach crop on sandy soils. The fertilzer dose of technology to N10 P80 K10 kg s.a / ha production was 34.9 t / ha. Organic fertilzation also contributes to obtaining high yields of peach. In sandy soil conditions most fruit production of 9.6 t / ha was obtained by fertilzation with organic manure 60t/ha. Besides fertilzation, soil maintenance system is one important link in the technology peach crop on sandy soils. The results found that the biggest peach fruit production was obtained from field maintenance system black-8,2t/ha. Using technology in foliar peaches culture on sandy soils, is an important means of providing nutrients that lead to improved proceses of growth and fructification. The best way is with foliar fertilzation Folibor in dose 5l/ha, the production obtained was 12.4 t /ha.

  14. Effect of Irrigation Water Type on Infiltration Rates of Sandy Soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Omran, A.M.; Al-Matrood, S.M.; Choudhary, M.I.

    2004-01-01

    A laboratory experiment was conducted to test the effect of three water types (tap water, well water and sewage water) on the infiltration rate of three soils varying in texture (sand. loamy sand and sandy loam). A stationary rainfall simulator dispensing water at a rate of 45 mm h-1, connected to the different sources of water, was used to measure the infiltration rates. A total of 5 runs were carried out using each water quality. The volume of runoff against the time was recorded at each 5 minute interval. The infiltration rate was calculated as the difference between the water applied and the excesses water measured as surface runoff. Infiltration rate at first run were rapid in all the three soils and then progressively declined as the number of runs increased. The same trend was observed for each water quality tested. The reduction in infiltration rate with increasing number of runs for prewetted surface than for the initial dry surface was attributed to break down and settling of fine particles that took place earlier during prewetting. The infiltration curves for all the three soils when irrigared with different qualities of water was not distinguishable. The relationship between infiltration rate as function of time for the treatments applied were tested using Kostiakov equation I=bt-n. The infiltration data gave a coefficient of determination R2 >0.90 for all the treatments. The infiltration parameters B, and n varied strongly with respect to soil texture. Values of B decreased with changing soil textures, being highest for the sandy soil, and lowest for the sandy loamy soil, whereas n values showed the opposite trend. It was concluded that effect of soil texture on the infiltration rate was very pronounced while water qualities showed a little effect. (author)

  15. Effect of Nano-Carbon on Water Holding Capacity in a Sandy Soil of the Loess Plateau

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beibei Zhou

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The poor water retention capacity of sandy soils commonly aggregate soil erosion and ecological environment on the Chinese Loess Plateau. Due to its strong capacity for absorption and large specific surface area, the use of nanocarbon made of coconut shell as a soil amendment that could improve water retention was investigated. Soil column experiments were conducted in which a layer of nanocarbon mixed well with the soil was formed at a depth of 20 cm below the soil surface. Four different nanocarbon contents by weight (0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% and five thicknesses of the nanocarbon- soil mixture layer ranging from 1 to 5 cm were considered. Cumulative infiltration and soil water content distributions were determined when water was added to soil columns. Soil Water Characteristic Curves (SWCC were obtained using the centrifuge method. The principal results showed that the infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration increased with the increases of nanocarbon contents, to the thicknesses of the nano carbon-soil mixture layer. Soil water contents that below the soil-nano carbon layer decreased sharply. Both the Brooks-Corey and van Genuchten models could describe well the SWCC of the disturbed sandy soil with various nano carbon contents. Both the saturated water content (θs, residual water content (θr and empirical parameter (α increased with increasing nano carbon content, while the pore-size distribution parameter (n decreased. The available soil water contents were efficiently increased with the increase in nanocarbon contents.

  16. Use of neutron scattering meter to detect soil moisture distribution under trickle irrigation system in sandy soil of inshas, Egypt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abd El-moniem, M.; El-gendy, R.W.; Gadalla, A.M.; Hamdy, A.; Zeedan, A.

    2006-01-01

    This study aims to investigate the soil moisture distribution under different quantities of irrigation water in cultivated sandy soil with squash, using drip irrigation system. This study was carried out in Inshas sandy soil at the farm of Soil and Water Research Department, Nuclear Research Centre, Atomic Energy Authority, Egypt. Three rates of applied irrigation water (100, 75 and 50 % ETc) were used. Three sites (0, 12.5 and 25 cm distances from the emitter between drippers and laterals lines) were chosen to measure soil moisture contents (horizontal and vertical directions within the soil depths). The obtained data pointed out that the maximum width, in onion shape of water distribution under drip irrigation system, was at 45 cm depth at 0 site. From the study of soil moisture distribution, the overlapping between each two neighbor drippers played a good role in increasing soil moisture content at the 25 site rather than the rest sites. Water distribution was affected with plant location within the wet area as well as the used irrigation water quantities. Water distribution between drippers and laterals did not differ much approximately. The highest soil moisture depletion was at 12.5 site (between drippers) for 100 and 75 % ETc rather than the rest treatments. 100 % ETc treatment introduced the highest soil moisture depletion in the first stage of plant growth season for the three sites (between drippers and laterals). In the last stage of plant growth season, water re-distribution phenomena resulted from the changeable total hydraulic potential, which played important role for interpretation of results

  17. An Experimental Study of Portland Cement and Superfine Cement Slurry Grouting in Loose Sand and Sandy Soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weijing Yao

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Grouting technology is widely applied in the fields of geotechnical engineering in infrastructure. Loose sand and sandy soil are common poor soils in tunnel and foundation treatments. It is necessary to use superfine cement slurry grouting in the micro-cracks of soil. The different effectiveness of Portland cement slurry and superfine cement slurry in sandy soil by the laboratory grouting experiment method were presented in this paper. The grouting situations of superfine cement slurry injected into sand and sandy soil were explored. The investigated parameters were the dry density, wet density, moisture content, internal friction angle, and cohesion force. The results show that the consolidation effect of superfine cement is better than that of Portland cement due to the small size of superfine cement particles. The superfine cement can diffuse into the sand by infiltration, extrusion, and splitting. When the water–cement ratio of superfine cement slurry is less than 2:1 grouting into loose sand, the dry and wet density decrease with the increase in the water–cement ratio, while the moisture content and cohesive force gradually increase. When the water–cement ratio of superfine cement slurry is 1:1 grouting into loose sand and sandy soil, the dry density, wet density, and cohesive force of loose sand are larger than those of sandy soil. The results of the experiment may be relevant for engineering applications.

  18. THE PROBLEMATIC OF SANDY LANDS IN PARANAVAI MUNICIPALITY –PR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo Eduardo Freres Stipp

    2005-05-01

    Full Text Available The sandy lands are a process of scouring with sand forming a sandy area, which correspondsto a reworking of the sands due its constant mobility, involving the transformation of notsolids deposits is sandy areas. This work tried to establish the characterization of thisphenomenon of scouring with sand in a local level, occurring in arenaceous areas in theNortheast of the state of Paraná, specifically in the urban site of Paranavaí. It was also madean evaluation of the environmental degradation as well as different causes for what provokedthese sandy areas. Being an area with a high level of soil decomposition with the highwaysroutes crossing it, it was necessary, besides bibliographic data that allowed a theoretical basis,a research applied in order to supply subsides for future planning related to the spaceorganization. The evolution of the use and soil occupation in this area has been processedwithin an urban planning which considered by no account neither soil characteristic, thevegetation nor the predominant climate in that region. The mechanisms of region atmospherecirculation were analyzed, the alterations or attributes of the climate as well, aiming toidentify the genesis of the erosion sandy and possible time and space distribution. Initially, themain characteristics of the region were collected, components e processes working on the landmodel. It was observed how it worked and the use and occupation of the soil in past times andcurrently. During 2004, using the Environmental Fragility Letter, the areas of erosion wereidentified, ravines and strong erosion that compounds the first stages of the focused problem.The sandy land is a process that involves erosion, transport, e accumulation, meaning most oftimes the loosing of Biosphere productivity. For monitoring these risk areas some measuringcanes were made to measure the soil loss, which were used in several spots of erosion in theurban area in Paranavaí. The measurement happened in

  19. Lasting effects of soil health improvements with management changes in cotton-based cropping systems in a sandy soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    The soil microbial component is essential for sustainable agricultural systems and soil health. This study evaluated the lasting impacts of 5 years of soil health improvements from alternative cropping systems compared to intensively tilled continuous cotton (Cont. Ctn) in a low organic matter sandy...

  20. Remediation of Diesel Fuel Contaminated Sandy Soil using Ultrasonic Waves

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wulandari P.S.

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Ultrasonic cleaning has been used in industry for some time, but the application of ultrasonic cleaning in contaminated soil is just recently received considerable attention, it is a very new technique, especially in Indonesia. An ultrasonic cleaner works mostly by energy released from the collapse of millions of microscopic cavitations near the dirty surface. This paper investigates the use of ultrasonic wave to enhance remediation of diesel fuel contaminated sandy soil considering the ultrasonic power, soil particle size, soil density, water flow rate, and duration of ultrasonic waves application.

  1. Different Behavior of Enteric Bacteria and Viruses in Clay and Sandy Soils after Biofertilization with Swine Digestate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fongaro, Gislaine; García-González, María C.; Hernández, Marta; Kunz, Airton; Barardi, Célia R. M.; Rodríguez-Lázaro, David

    2017-01-01

    Enteric pathogens from biofertilizer can accumulate in the soil, subsequently contaminating water and crops. We evaluated the survival, percolation and leaching of model enteric pathogens in clay and sandy soils after biofertilization with swine digestate: PhiX-174, mengovirus (vMC0), Salmonella enterica Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 were used as biomarkers. The survival of vMC0 and PhiX-174 in clay soil was significantly lower than in sandy soil (iT90 values of 10.520 ± 0.600 vs. 21.270 ± 1.100 and 12.040 ± 0.010 vs. 43.470 ± 1.300, respectively) and PhiX-174 showed faster percolation and leaching in sandy soil than clay soil (iT90 values of 0.46 and 2.43, respectively). S. enterica Typhimurium was percolated and inactivated more slowly than E. coli O157:H7 (iT90 values of 9.340 ± 0.200 vs. 6.620 ± 0.500 and 11.900 ± 0.900 vs. 10.750 ± 0.900 in clay and sandy soils, respectively), such that E. coli O157:H7 was transferred more quickly to the deeper layers of both soils evaluated (percolation). Our findings suggest that E. coli O157:H7 may serve as a useful microbial biomarker of depth contamination and leaching in clay and sandy soil and that bacteriophage could be used as an indicator of enteric pathogen persistence. Our study contributes to development of predictive models for enteric pathogen behavior in soils, and for potential water and food contamination associated with biofertilization, useful for risk management and mitigation in swine digestate recycling. PMID:28197137

  2. Effects of sodium polyacrylate on water retention and infiltration capacity of a sandy soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhuang, Wenhua; Li, Longguo; Liu, Chao

    2013-01-01

    Based on the laboratory study, the effects of sodium polyacrylate (SP) was investigated at 5 rates of 0, 0.08, 0.2, 0.5, and 1%, on water retention, saturated hydraulic conductivity(Ks), infiltration characteristic and water distribution profiles of a sandy soil. The results showed that water retention and available water capacity effectively increased with increasing SP rate. The Ks and the rate of wetting front advance and infiltration under certain pond infiltration was significantly reduced by increasing SP rate, which effectively reduced water in a sandy soil leaking to a deeper layer under the plough layer. The effect of SP on water distribution was obviously to the up layer and very little to the following deeper layers. Considering both the effects on water retention and infiltration capacity, it is suggested that SP be used to the sandy soil at concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 0.5%.

  3. An Experimental Study of Portland Cement and Superfine Cement Slurry Grouting in Loose Sand and Sandy Soil

    OpenAIRE

    Weijing Yao; Jianyong Pang; Yushan Liu

    2018-01-01

    Grouting technology is widely applied in the fields of geotechnical engineering in infrastructure. Loose sand and sandy soil are common poor soils in tunnel and foundation treatments. It is necessary to use superfine cement slurry grouting in the micro-cracks of soil. The different effectiveness of Portland cement slurry and superfine cement slurry in sandy soil by the laboratory grouting experiment method were presented in this paper. The grouting situations of superfine cement slurry inject...

  4. Biological soil crust formation under artificial vegetation effect and its properties in the Mugetan sandy land, northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Y. F.; Li, Z. W.; Jia, Y. H.; Zhang, K.

    2016-08-01

    Mugetan sandy land is an inland desertification area of about 2,065 km2 in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In the ecological restoration region of the Mugetan sandy land, different crusts have formed under the action of vegetation in three types of sandy soil (i.e. semi-fixed sand dune, fixed sand dune and ancient fixed aeolian sandy soil). The surface sand particle distribution, mineral component and vegetation composition of moving sand dunes and three types of sandy soil were studied in 2010-2014 to analyze the biological crust formation properties in the Mugetan sandy land and the effects of artificial vegetation. Results from this study revealed that artificial vegetation increases the clay content and encourages the development of biological curst. The fine particles (i.e. clay and humus) of the surface layer of the sand dunes increased more than 15% ten years after the artificial vegetation planting, and further increased up to 20% after one hundred years. The interaction of clay, humus, and other fine particles formed the soil aggregate structure. Meanwhile, under the vegetation effect from the microbes, algae, and moss, the sand particles stuck together and a biological crust formed. The interconnection of the partial crusts caused the sand dunes to gradually be fixed as a whole. Maintaining the integrity of the biological crust plays a vital role in fixing the sand under the crust. The precipitation and temperature conditions in the Mugetan sandy land could satisfy the demand of biological crust formation and development. If rational vegetation measures are adopted in the region with moving sand dunes, the lichen-moss-algae biological curst will form after ten years, but it still takes more time for the sand dunes to reach the nutrient enrichment state. If the biological curst is partly broken due to human activities, reasonable closure and restoration measures can shorten the restoration time of the biological crust.

  5. Effect of soil pH on sorption of salinomycin in clay and sandy soils

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    use

    The sorption of salinomycin to the sandy soil marginally increased as the pH decreased, while the sorption to the two .... plastic containers at room temperature for further analysis. ... The pH was adjusted eight times over 20 days to stabilize at.

  6. [Monitoring of water and salt transport in silt and sandy soil during the leaching process].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Teng-Fei; Jia, Yong-Gang; Guo, Lei; Liu, Xiao-Lei

    2012-11-01

    Water and salt transport in soil and its mechanism is the key point of the saline soil research. The dynamic rule of water and transport in soil during the leaching process is the theoretical basis of formation, flush, drainage and improvement of saline soil. In this study, a vertical infiltration experiment was conducted to monitor the variation in the resistivity of silt and sandy soil during the leaching process by the self-designed automatic monitoring device. The experimental results showed that the peaks in the resistivity of the two soils went down and faded away in the course of leaching. It took about 30 minutes for sandy soil to reach the water-salt balance, whereas the silt took about 70 minutes. With the increasing leaching times, the desalination depth remained basically the same, being 35 cm for sandy soil and 10 cm for the silt from the top to bottom of soil column. Therefore, 3 and 7 leaching processes were required respectively for the complete desalination of the soil column. The temporal and spatial resolution of this monitoring device can be adjusted according to the practical demand. This device can not only achieve the remote, in situ and dynamic monitoring data of water and salt transport, but also provide an effective method in monitoring, assessment and early warning of salinization.

  7. Expanded uncertainty estimation methodology in determining the sandy soils filtration coefficient

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rusanova, A. D.; Malaja, L. D.; Ivanov, R. N.; Gruzin, A. V.; Shalaj, V. V.

    2018-04-01

    The combined standard uncertainty estimation methodology in determining the sandy soils filtration coefficient has been developed. The laboratory researches were carried out which resulted in filtration coefficient determination and combined uncertainty estimation obtaining.

  8. Study of sandy soil grain-size distribution on its deformation properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antropova, L. B.; Gruzin, A. V.; Gildebrandt, M. I.; Malaya, L. D.; Nikulina, V. B.

    2018-04-01

    As a rule, new oil and gas fields' development faces the challenges of providing construction objects with material and mineral resources, for example, medium sand soil for buildings and facilities footings of the technological infrastructure under construction. This problem solution seems to lie in a rational usage of the existing environmental resources, soils included. The study was made of a medium sand soil grain-size distribution impact on its deformation properties. Based on the performed investigations, a technique for controlling sandy soil deformation properties was developed.

  9. Toluene removal from sandy soils via in situ technologies with an emphasis on factors influencing soil vapor extraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amin, Mohammad Mehdi; Hatamipour, Mohammad Sadegh; Momenbeik, Fariborz; Nourmoradi, Heshmatollah; Farhadkhani, Marzieh; Mohammadi-Moghadam, Fazel

    2014-01-01

    The integration of bioventing (BV) and soil vapor extraction (SVE) appears to be an effective combination method for soil decontamination. This paper serves two main purposes: it evaluates the effects of soil water content (SWC) and air flow rate on SVE and it investigates the transition regime between BV and SVE for toluene removal from sandy soils. 96 hours after air injection, more than 97% removal efficiency was achieved in all five experiments (carried out for SVE) including 5, 10, and 15% for SWC and 250 and 500 mL/min for air flow rate on SVE. The highest removal efficiency (>99.5%) of toluene was obtained by the combination of BV and SVE (AIBV: Air Injection Bioventing) after 96 h of air injection at a constant flow rate of 250 mL/min. It was found that AIBV has the highest efficiency for toluene removal from sandy soils and can remediate the vadose zone effectively to meet the soil guideline values for protection of groundwater.

  10. Toluene Removal from Sandy Soils via In Situ Technologies with an Emphasis on Factors Influencing Soil Vapor Extraction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Mehdi Amin

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The integration of bioventing (BV and soil vapor extraction (SVE appears to be an effective combination method for soil decontamination. This paper serves two main purposes: it evaluates the effects of soil water content (SWC and air flow rate on SVE and it investigates the transition regime between BV and SVE for toluene removal from sandy soils. 96 hours after air injection, more than 97% removal efficiency was achieved in all five experiments (carried out for SVE including 5, 10, and 15% for SWC and 250 and 500 mL/min for air flow rate on SVE. The highest removal efficiency (>99.5% of toluene was obtained by the combination of BV and SVE (AIBV: Air Injection Bioventing after 96 h of air injection at a constant flow rate of 250 mL/min. It was found that AIBV has the highest efficiency for toluene removal from sandy soils and can remediate the vadose zone effectively to meet the soil guideline values for protection of groundwater.

  11. effect of tractor forward speed on sandy loam soil physical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Dr Obe

    Ilorin on a sandy loam soil to evaluate the effect of the imposition of different .... of the blade is 10.5cm. ... arranged in an inverted cone shape with ... replicates were taken for each speed run. The ..... Thakur, T. C; A. Yadav; B. P. Varshney and.

  12. Sorption and Migration Mechanisms of 237 Np through Sandy Soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chantaraprachoom, Nanthavan; Tanaka, Tadao

    2003-06-01

    In order to evaluate migration behavior of radioactive nuclides in the disposal of low-level radioactive waste into a shallow land burial, the sorption characteristic and migration behavior of 237 Np through sandy soil was studied. Two experimental methods were performed by using batch and column systems. The distribution coefficients (K d ) obtained from the adsorption and desorption process are rather small about 16 and 21 cm 3 /g respectively. Size distribution of 237 Np species in the influent solution was measured by ultra-filtration technique. Migration mechanism of 237 Np was studied by column experiments. The experimental condition was the influence of volume of eluting solution; 100, 300, 500, 1000 and 2000 ml respectively. The result from five column experiments confirm that the sorption characteristics of 237 Np are mainly controlled by a reversible ion-exchange reaction and the migration of 237 Np in the sandy soil can be estimated by using the K d concept

  13. The soil structure investigation for the interpreting radiocaesium behaviour in upper horizons of Chernobyl contaminated sandy soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vazhinskij, A.G.

    2002-01-01

    The soil-composing particles in natural environment form aggregates of different stability. For soils (topsoil) of contrasting type from Chernobyl NPP area the particle size and microaggregate analyses have been performed and the distribution of Cs 137 in the obtained fractions has been studied. Results of long-term investigation of Cs 137 vertical migration in sandy soils of 50-km zone around Chernobyl NPP have been compared with data on radiocaesium distribution among water-stable aggregates and particles of various size in studied soils. On the basis of particle size analysis and aggregate soil composition the size of soil components with vertical migration potential, and the amount of Cs 137 potentially tending to migrate with the soil components along soil profile have been assessed. Based on findings showing Cs 137 partitioning among water-stable soil aggregates of diverse size and pattern of the radionuclide vertical distribution in top 0-10 cm soil layer, it was assumed that neither shift of peak radiocaesium level from upper soil layer downwards nor the so-called slow constituent of Cs 137 vertical migration (in terms of quasi diffusion description of Cs 137 profile in soil) could not be explained by self-motion of soil aggregates and particles with associated radiocaesium. Hypothesis of root intermixing as principal mechanism responsible for Cs 137 vertical transport in top 0-10 cm soil layer was postulated

  14. Calibration Curve of Neutron Moisture Meter for Sandy Soil under Drip Irrigation System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohammad, Abd El- Moniem M.; Gendy, R. W.; Bedaiwy, M. N.

    2004-01-01

    The aim of this work is to construct a neutron calibration curve in order to be able to use the neutron probe in sandy soils under drip irrigation systems. The experimental work was conducted at the Soil and Water Department of the Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority. Three replicates were used along the lateral lines of the drip irrigation system. For each dripper, ten neutron access tubes were installed to 100-cm depth at distances of 5, 15 and 25 cm from the dripper location around the drippers on the lateral line, as well as between lateral lines. The neutron calibrations were determined at 30, 45, and 60-cm depths. Determining coefficients as well as t-test in pairs were employed to detect the accuracy of the calibrations. Results indicated that in order for the neutron calibration curve to express the whole wet area around the emitter; three-access tubes must be installed at distances of 5, 15, and 25 cm from the emitter. This calibration curve will be correlating the average count ratio (CR) at the studied soil depth of the three locations (5, 15, and 25-cm distances from the emitter) to the average moisture content (θ) for this soil depth of the entire wetted area. This procedure should be repeated at different times in order to obtain different θ and C.R values, so that the regression equation of calibration curve at this soil depth can be obtained. To determine the soil moisture content, the average CR of the three locations must be taken and substituted into the regression equation representing the neutron calibration curve. Results taken from access tubes placed at distances of 15 cm from the emitter, showed good agreement with the average calibration curve both for the 45- and the 60-cm depths, suggesting that the 15-cm distance may provide a suitable substitute for the simultaneous use of the three different distances of 5, 15 and 25 cm. However, the obtained results show also that the neutron calibration curves of the 30-cm depth for

  15. Phosphorus distribution in sandy soil profile under drip irrigation system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Gendy, R.W.; Rizk, M.A.; Abd El Moniem, M.; Abdel-Aziz, H.A.; Fahmi, A.E.

    2009-01-01

    This work aims at to studying the impact of irrigation water applied using drip irrigation system in sandy soil with snap bean on phosphorus distribution. This experiment was carried out in soils and water research department farm, nuclear research center, atomic energy authority, cairo, Egypt. Snap bean was cultivated in sandy soil and irrigated with 50,37.5 and 25 cm water in three water treatments represented 100, 75 and 50% ETc. Phosphorus distribution and direction of soil water movement had been detected in three sites on the dripper line (S1,S2 and S3 at 0,12.5 and 25 cm distance from dripper). Phosphorus fertilizer (super phosphate, 15.5% P 2 O 5 in rate 300 kg/fed)was added before cultivation. Neutron probe was used to detect the water distribution and movement at the three site along soil profile. Soil samples were collected before p-addition, at end developing, mid, and late growth stages to determine residual available phosphorus. The obtained data showed that using 50 cm water for irrigation caused an increase in P-concentration till 75 cm depth in the three sites of 100% etc treatment, and covered P-requirements of snap bean for all growth stages. As for 37.5 and 25 cm irrigation water cannot cover all growth stages for P-requirements of snap bean. It could be concluded that applied irrigation water could drive the residual P-levels till 75 cm depth in the three sites. Yield of the crop had been taken as an indicator as an indicator profile. Yield showed good response according to water quantities and P-transportation within the soil profile

  16. Improvement of Water Movement in an Undulating Sandy Soil Prone to Water Repellency

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oostindie, K.; Dekker, L.W.; Wesseling, J.G.; Ritsema, C.J.

    2011-01-01

    The temporal dynamics of water repellency in soils strongly influence water flow. We investigated the variability of soil water content in a slight slope on a sandy fairway exhibiting water-repellent behavior. A time domain reflectometry (TDR) array of 60 probes measured water contents at 3-h

  17. Sensitivity analysis of the surface water- groundwater interaction for the sandy area of the Netherlands

    OpenAIRE

    Gomez del Campo, E.; Jousma, G.; Massop, H.T.L.

    1993-01-01

    The "Sensitivity Analysis of the Surface Water- Groundwater Interaction for the Sandy Area of the Netherlands" was carried out in the framework of a bilateral research project in support of the implementation of a nationwide geohydrological information system (REGIS) in the Netherlands. This project, conducted in cooperation between the TNO Institute for Applied Scientific Research (IGG-TNO) and !he Winand Staring Centre for Integrated Land, Soil and Water Research (SC-DLO), is aimed at defin...

  18. Comparative effects of application of coated and non-coated urea in clayey and sandy paddy soil microcosms examined by the 15N tracer technique. 2. Effects on soil microbial biomass N and microbial 15N immobilization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Acquaye, Solomon; Inubushi, Kazuyuki

    2004-01-01

    Nitrogen fertilizer and soil types exert an impact on plant and soil microbial biomass (SMB). A 15 N tracer experiment was conducted to compare the effects of the application of controlled-release coated urea (CRCU) and urea on SMB in gley (clayey) and sandy paddy soils. The fertilizers were applied at the rate of 8 g N m -2 for CRCU as deep-side placement and 10 g N m -2 for urea mixed into soil or applied into floodwater. The soil type and soil layer (surface: few millimeter depth of surface soil to include benthic algae; subsurface: 1 to 20 cm depth), but not the fertilizer type, affected the amount of microbial biomass N (B N ). On an area basis, subsurface soil layers contained about 2-3 times the amount of B N in the surface layers. The seasonal average B N amount i.e. at 1 to 20 cm depth, in the gley soil was 1.67 g N m -2 , compared to 1.20 g N m -2 for the sandy soil. The proportion of B N in total soil N was significantly influenced by the soil type and soil layer, and was higher for the surface layers of both soils and subsurface layer of the sandy soil than for the subsurface layer of gley soil. Soil type, soil layer, and fertilizer type significantly influenced the amount of microbial biomass 15 N (B 15N ). Unlike B N , the amount of B 15N was significantly higher in the surface (11.9-177.3 mg N m -2 ) than in the subsurface soil layers (4.8-83.6 mg N m -2 ), especially with urea application between 60 and 120 DAT (days after transplanting). At 30 DAT, the subsurface layer of the sandy soil showed a higher B 15N (218 mg N m -2 ) amount than the surface layer (133.4 mg N m -2 ). Sandy soil (4.8-218 mg N m -2 ) and urea (6.2-218 mg N m -2 ) induced a larger increase of the amount of B 15 N than the gley soil (6.2-83.6 mg N m -2 ) and CRCU (4.8-40 mg Nm -2 ). Again, the sandy soil, surface soil layers, and urea induced a higher proportion (%) of B 15N in B N than the gley soil, subsurface soil layers, and CRCU, respectively. The soil type affected B N

  19. Composition of soil seed bank over cholistan desert microhabitats at dingarh for area, pakistan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamid, A.; Arshad, M.; Ghazali, H.M.Z.

    2016-01-01

    Soil seed banks were assessed in three soil layers (L1, from 0 to 2 cm, L2, 2 to 4 cm and L3, 4 to 6 cm depth ) from five microhabitats i.e., Lee-ward side of sand dune (S1), Wind-ward side of sand dune (S2), Clayey area covered with sand (S3), Interdunal sandy area (S4) and Shifting sand dune of site Dingarh Fort area (S5) in Cholistan desert of Pakistan to analyse differences of soil seed bank among these habitats. Ten soil samples were collected from each microhabitat and from each layer i.e., 0-2 cm depth (L1), 2-4 cm depth (L2) and 4-6 cm depth (L3) by using 15*15*6 cm metallic sampler. Consistent differences in seed composition were observed among these microhabitats. Seedling emergence approach was used to assess the soil seed bank of Cholistan desert. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used for the soil seed bank and the plant species analysis. The microhabitats S3 (Clayey area covered with sand) and S4 (Interdunal sandy area) contributed prominently to the total variance in the species and had maximum density of seed bank and soil layer L1 contained maximum number of seeds. (author)

  20. Factors affecting N immobilisation/mineralisation kinetics for cellulose-, glucose- and straw-amended sandy soils

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vinten, A.J.A.; Whitmore, A.P.; Bloem, J.; Howard, R.; Wright, F.

    2002-01-01

    The kinetics of nitrogen immobilization/mineralization for cellulose-, glucose- and straw-amended sandy soils were investigated in a series of laboratory incubations. Three Scottish soils expected to exhibit a range of biological activity were used: aloamy sand, intensively cropped horticultural

  1. Estimation of Nitrogen Pools in Irrigated Potato Production on Sandy Soil Using the Model SUBSTOR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasad, Rishi; Hochmuth, George J.; Boote, Kenneth J.

    2015-01-01

    Recent increases in nitrate concentrations in the Suwannee River and associated springs in northern Florida have raised concerns over the contributions of non-point sources. The Middle Suwannee River Basin (MSRB) is of special concern because of prevalent karst topography, unconfined aquifers and sandy soils which increase vulnerability of the ground water contamination from agricultural operations- a billion dollar industry in this region. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production poses a challenge in the area due to the shallow root system of potato plants, and low water and nutrient holding capacity of the sandy soils. A four-year monitoring study for potato production on sandy soil was conducted on a commercial farm located in the MSRB to identify major nitrogen (N) loss pathways and determine their contribution to the total environmental N load, using a partial N budget approach and the potato model SUBSTOR. Model simulated environmental N loading rates were found to lie within one standard deviation of the observed values and identified leaching loss of N as the major sink representing 25 to 38% (or 85 to 138 kg ha-1 N) of the total input N (310 to 349 kg ha-1 N). The crop residues left in the field after tuber harvest represented a significant amount of N (64 to 110 kg ha-1N) and posed potential for indirect leaching loss of N upon their mineralization and the absence of subsequent cover crops. Typically, two months of fallow period exits between harvest of tubers and planting of the fall row crop (silage corn). The fallow period is characterized by summer rains which pose a threat to N released from rapidly mineralizing potato vines. Strategies to reduce N loading into the groundwater from potato production must focus on development and adoption of best management practices aimed on reducing direct as well as indirect N leaching losses. PMID:25635904

  2. Phosphorus fractions in sandy soils of vineyards in southern Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Djalma Eugênio Schmitt

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Phosphorus (P applications to vineyards can cause P accumulation in the soil and maximize pollution risks. This study was carried out to quantify the accumulation of P fractions in sandy soils of vineyards in southern Brazil. Soil samples (layers 0-5, 6-10 and 11-20 cm were collected from a native grassland area and two vineyards, after 14 years (vineyard 1 and 30 years (vineyard 2 of cultivation, in Santana do Livramento, southern Brazil, and subjected to chemical fractionation of P. Phosphorus application, especially to the 30-year-old vineyard 2, increased the inorganic P content down to a depth of 20 cm, mainly in the labile fractions extracted by anion-exchange resin and NaHCO3, in the moderately labile fraction extracted by 0.1 and 0.5 mol L-1 NaOH, and in the non-labile fraction extracted by 1 mol L-1 HCl, indicating the possibility of water eutrophication. Phosphorus application and grapevine cultivation time increased the P content in the organic fraction extracted by NaHCO3 from the 0-5 cm layer, and especially in the moderately labile fraction extracted by 0.1 mol L-1 NaOH, down to a depth of 20 cm.

  3. Remediation of sandy soils contaminated with hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbons by soil vapour extraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albergaria, José Tomás; Alvim-Ferraz, Maria da Conceição M; Delerue-Matos, Cristina

    2012-08-15

    This paper presents the study of the remediation of sandy soils containing six of the most common contaminants (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene) using soil vapour extraction (SVE). The influence of soil water content on the process efficiency was evaluated considering the soil type and the contaminant. For artificially contaminated soils with negligible clay contents and natural organic matter it was concluded that: (i) all the remediation processes presented efficiencies above 92%; (ii) an increase of the soil water content led to a more time-consuming remediation; (iii) longer remediation periods were observed for contaminants with lower vapour pressures and lower water solubilities due to mass transfer limitations. Based on these results an easy and relatively fast procedure was developed for the prediction of the remediation times of real soils; 83% of the remediation times were predicted with relative deviations below 14%. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Degradation and persistence of cotton pesticides in sandy loam soils from Punjab, Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tariq, Muhammad Ilyas; Afzal, Shahzad; Hussain, Ishtiaq

    2006-02-01

    The present study evaluated the influence of temperature, moisture, and microbial activity on the degradation and persistence of commonly used cotton pesticides, i.e., carbosulfan, carbofuran, lambda-cyhalothrin, endosulfan, and monocrotophos, with the help of laboratory incubation and lysimeter studies on sandy loam soil (Typic Ustocurepts) in Pakistan. Drainage from the lysimeters was sampled on days 49, 52, 59, 73, 100, 113, and 119 against the pesticide application on days 37, 63, 82, 108, and 137 after the sowing of cotton. Carbofuran, monocrotophos, and nitrate were detected in the drainage samples, with an average value, respectively, of 2.34, 2.6 microg/L, and 15.6 mg/L for no-tillage and 2.16, 2.3 microg/L, and 13.4 mg/L for tillage. In the laboratory, pesticide disappearance kinetics were measured with sterile and nonsterile soils from 0 to 10 cm in depth at 15, 25, and 35 degrees C and 50% and 90% field water capacities. Monocrotophos and carbosulfan dissipation followed first-order kinetics while others followed second-order kinetics. The results of incubation studies showed that temperature and moisture contents significantly reduced the t(1/2) (half-life) values of pesticides in sterile and nonsterile soil, but the effect of microbial activity was nearly significant that might be due to less organic carbon (0.3%). The presence of carbofuran and monocrotophos in the soil profile (0-10, 10-30, 30-60, 60-90, 90-150 cm) and the higher concentrations of endosulfan and lambda-cyhalothrin in the top layer (0-10 cm) showed the persistence of the pesticides. The detection of endosulfan and lambda-cyhalothrin in the 10-30 cm soil layer might be due to preferential flow. The data generated from this study could be helpful for risk assessment studies of pesticides and for validating pesticide transport models for sandy loam soils in cotton-growing areas of Pakistan.

  5. 15N Isotopic Study on Decomposition of Organic Residues Incorporated into Alluvial and Sandy Saline Soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Kholi, A. F.; Galal, Y. G. M.

    2004-01-01

    Incubation experiment was conducted to study the effect of the nitrogenous fertilizer on the decomposition and mineralization of organic residues (soybean powdered forage) as well as the release of the soil inorganic nitrogen. This technique was carried out using two types of soils, one is alluvial and the other is saline sandy soil collected from Fayoum governorate. Soybean forage has an organic carbon 23.1%, total N 1.6% and C/N ratio 14.4. Regarding the effect of incubation period on the two soil samples, the evolved NH 4 -N was generally reached its highest peak after 30-45 days, in the presence of either the added 15 No3-fertilizer solely or in combination with soybean forage. Reversible trend was occurred with regard to the evolved No3-N. The highest peak of evolved No3-N recorded in unfertilized control, as compared to 15 No3-N treatment, at 30 day incubation period indicated that the addition of labeled mineral fertilizer had appreciably enhanced the immobilization process. Net nitrification revealed that it was the highest in unfertilized control soil where it was significantly decreased in the treated two soil samples. Gross mineralization as affected by the addition of soybean forage in combination with labeled mineral fertilizer had been promoted by 75% in the alluvial soil and by 18% in the sandy saline soil, as compared with the soil samples received 15 No3-fertilizer only. Gross immobilization, in soil samples received 15 No3-fertilizer plus soybean forage had surpassed those received 15 No3-fertilizer only by 16% in the alluvial soil and by 25% in the sandy saline soil. (Authors)

  6. Nitrogen and Carbon Leaching in Repacked Sandy Soil with Added Fine Particulate Biochar

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bruun, Esben W.; Petersen, Carsten; Strobel, Bjarne W.

    2012-01-01

    Biochar amendment to soil may affect N turnover and retention, and may cause translocation of dissolved and particulate C. We investigated effects of three fine particulate biochars made of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) straw (one by slow pyrolysis and two by fast pyrolysis) on N and C leaching from...... repacked sandy soil columns (length: 51 cm). Biochar (2 wt%), ammonium fertilizer (NH4+, amount corresponding to 300 kg N ha-1) and an inert tracer (bromide) were added to a 3-cm top layer of sandy loam, and the columns were then irrigated with constant rate (36 mm d-1) for 15 d. The total amount...... of leachate came to about 3.0 water filled pore volumes (WFPVs). Our study revealed a high mobility of labile C components originating from the fine particulate fast pyrolysis biochar. This finding highlights a potential risk of C leaching coupled with the use of fast pyrolysis biochars for soil amendment...

  7. Fit-for-purpose phosphorus management: do riparian buffers qualify in catchments with sandy soils?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, David; Summers, Robert

    2014-05-01

    Hillslope runoff and leaching studies, catchment-scale water quality measurements and P retention and release characteristics of stream bank and catchment soils were used to better understand reasons behind the reported ineffectiveness of riparian buffers for phosphorus (P) management in catchments with sandy soils from south-west Western Australia (WA). Catchment-scale water quality measurements of 60 % particulate P (PP) suggest that riparian buffers should improve water quality; however, runoff and leaching studies show 20 times more water and 2 to 3 orders of magnitude more P are transported through leaching than runoff processes. The ratio of filterable reactive P (FRP) to total P (TP) in surface runoff from the plots was 60 %, and when combined with leachate, 96 to 99 % of P lost from hillslopes was FRP, in contrast with 40 % measured as FRP at the large catchment scale. Measurements of the P retention and release characteristics of catchment soils (bank soil (bank soils suggest that catchment soils contain more P, are more P saturated and are significantly more likely to deliver FRP and TP in excess of water quality targets than stream bank soils. Stream bank soils are much more likely to retain P than contribute P to streams, and the in-stream mixing of FRP from the landscape with particulates from stream banks or stream beds is a potential mechanism to explain the change in P form from hillslopes (96 to 99 % FRP) to large catchments (40 % FRP). When considered in the context of previous work reporting that riparian buffers were ineffective for P management in this environment, these studies reinforce the notion that (1) riparian buffers are unlikely to provide fit-for-purpose P management in catchments with sandy soils, (2) most P delivered to streams in sandy soil catchments is FRP and travels via subsurface and leaching pathways and (3) large catchment-scale water quality measurements are not good indicators of hillslope P mobilisation and transport

  8. Transport of water and solutes in wettable and water repellent sandy soils

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ritsema, C.J.; Dekker, L.W.

    1996-01-01

    The research yielded the following conclusions and results: preferential flow can be expected in recently deposited, loosely packed, wettable dune sands; preferential flow is common in most water-repellent sandy soils; distribution flow in topsoils isa process of major importance, resulting in a

  9. Improvement of Shear Strength of Sandy Soil by Cement Grout with Fly Ash

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haifaa Abdulrasool Ali

    2018-12-01

    Full Text Available The effects of the permeation cement grout with fly ash on the sandy soil skeleton were studied in the present work in two phase; first phase the shear strength parameters, and the second phase effect of these grouted materials on volume grouted zone by injection (51 cm³ of slurry in sandy soil placed in steel cylinder model with dimension 15 cm in diameter and 30 cm in height. The soil sample was obtained from Karbala city and it is classified as poorly graded sand (SP according to USCS. The soil samples were improved by cement grout with three percentages weight of water cement ratio (w:c; (0.1w:0.9c, 0.8w:0.2c, and 0.7w:0.3c, while the soil samples were dehydrated for one day curing time. Fly ash class (F was used with cement grout as filler material; it was added to the mixture as a replacement material for cement in weight percentages; 10%, 25% and 40%. According to the results of tests, both shear strength and approximate volume of the effective grouted zone for treated samples soil with cement grout was increased when the water cement ratio decreased. Fly ash with cement grout needs to increase the water demand for the grout mixing to give best results in both shear strength and filling the soil voids.

  10. Effect of pore-size distribution on the collapse behaviour of anthropogenic sandy soil deposits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Baille Wiebke

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In the former open-pit mines of the Lusatian region in Germany, several liquefaction events have occurred during the recent years in the anthropogenic deposits made of very loose sandy soils. These events are related to the rising ground water table after the stop of controlled ground water lowering. The very loose state is due to the formation of sand aggregates (pseudo-grains during the deposition process. The pseudo-grains enclose larger voids of dimension greater than the single sand grain. Wetting induced collapse of the pseudo-grains is presumed to be one of the possible mechanisms triggering liquefaction. In the present study, the effect of larger voids on the wetting induced deformation behaviour of sandy soils is experimentally investigated by laboratory box tests. The deformation field in the sample during wetting was measured using Digital Image Correlation (DIC technique. The results show that the observed deformations are affected by the pore size distribution, thus the amount of voids between the pseudo-grains (macro-void ratio and the voids inside the pseudo-grains (matrix void ratio. The global void ratio of a sandy soil is not sufficient as single state parameter, but the pore size distribution has to be taken into account, experimentally as well as in modelling.

  11. The impact of informal irrigation practices on soil drainage condition, soil pollution and land suitability for agriculture in El Saf area of El Giza Governorate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hanan E.M. El Azab

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The study area was selected in El Saf District of El Giza Governorate in Egypt, covering 21461.4 ha of Nile sediments and their outskirts of alluvial higher and lower terraces. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of informal irrigation practices on drainage deterioration, soil pollution and land suitability for agricultural use using the satellite LDCM data 2013. From the lower alluvial terraces (partly cultivated using wastewater, the drainage flows westward via descending slopes resulting in land deterioration in both the alluvial lower terraces and alluvial plain of River Nile. The drainage conditions are excessively drained soils in the alluvial upper terraces within soils of Typic Haplocalcids, sandy skeletal, but in the lower terraces it partly occurred within soils of Typic Torriorthents, sandy skeletal. Moderately well drained soils occurred in soils of Typic Torriorthents, sandy in the alluvial lower terraces, while in the alluvial plain of Nile sediments are Sodic Haplotorrerts, fine. Poorly drained soils in the lower alluvial terraces have soils of Typic Epiaquents, sandy associated with Sodic Psammaquents and Aquic Haplocalcids, coarse loamy, while in the alluvial plain of River Nile the soils are Halic Epiaquerts, fine. Very poorly drained soils (submerged areas are scattered spots in both the lower alluvial terraces and the alluvial plain. In the alluvial plain of River Nile, 1967.1 ha become not suitable for the traditional cultivated crops, while in the alluvial terraces 3251.0 ha are not suitable for the proposed cultivation of Jojoba plants. Heavy metals of Cadmium (Cd, Cobalt (Co, Lead (Pb and Nickel (Ni were added to the soil surface and sub-surface in the irrigated areas by wastewater in the lower alluvial terraces (moderately well drained soils, but Cd and Co exceeded the standards of permissible total concentrations in these soils. The same metals were added to soil sub-surface layers in the alluvial plain

  12. Enhancing crude oil degradation in a sandy soil: Effects of addition ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study investigated the effects of the addition of poultry manure alone and in combination with surfactant (Goldcrew or Corexit) and/or alternate carbon substrate (glucose or starch) on crude oil degradation in a sandy soil. With poultry manure alone, optimal crude oil degradation was obtained at a concentration of 4.0% ...

  13. Biochar effects on wet and dry regions of the soil water retention curve of a sandy loam

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arthur, Emmanuel; Moldrup, Per; Sun, Zhencai

    2014-01-01

    Reported beneficial effects of biochar on soil physical properties and processes include decreased soil density, and increased soil water transport, water holding capacity and retention (mainly for the wet region). Research is limited on biochar effects on the full soil water retention curve (wet...... and dry regions) for a given soil and biochar amendment scenarios. This study evaluates how biochar applied to a sandy loam field at rates from 0 to 50 Mg ha−1 yr–1 in 2011, 2012, or both years (2011+2012) influences the full water retention curve. Inorganic fertilizer and pig slurry were added to all...... treatments. Six months after the last biochar application, intact and disturbed soil samples were collected for analyses. Soil water retention was measured from −1 kPa to −100 kPa using tension tables and ceramic plates and from −10 MPa to −480 MPa using a Vapor Sorption Analyzer. Soil specific area...

  14. Irrigation initiation timing in soybean grown on sandy soils in Northeast Arkansas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irrigation initiation timing was evaluated in furrow-irrigated soybean field with sandy soils in Mississippi County, AR. A major objective of this 2015 study was to validate and expand irrigation timing recommendations that pair plant growth measures with weather cues including use of local weather ...

  15. Distribution of transformed organic matter in structural units of loamy sandy soddy-podzolic soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kogut, B. M.; Yashin, M. A.; Semenov, V. M.; Avdeeva, T. N.; Markina, L. G.; Lukin, S. M.; Tarasov, S. I.

    2016-01-01

    The effect of land use types and fertilizing systems on the structural and aggregate composition of loamy sandy soddy-podzolic soil and the quantitative parameters of soil organic matter has been studied. The contribution of soil aggregates 2-1 mm in size to the total Corg reserve in the humus horizon is higher than the contributions of other aggregates by 1.3-4.2 times. Reliable correlations have been revealed between the contents of total (Corg), labile (Clab), and active (C0) organic matter in the soil. The proportion of C0 is 44-70% of Clab extractable by neutral sodium pyrophosphate solution. The contributions of each of the 2-1, 0.5-0.25, and fractions to the total C0 reserve are 14-21%; the contributions of each of the other fractions are 4-12%. The chemically labile and biologically active components of humic substances reflect the quality changes of soil organic matter under agrogenic impacts. A conceptual scheme has been proposed for the subdivision of soil organic matter into the active, slow (intermediate), and passive pools. In the humus horizon of loamy sandy soddy-podzolic soil, the active, slow, and passive pools contain 6-11, 34-65, and 26-94% of the total Corg, respectively.

  16. Groundwater chemistry of Al under Dutch sandy soils: Effects of land use and depth

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fest, E.P.M.J.; Temminghoff, E.J.M.; Griffioen, J.; Grift, B. van der; Riemsdijk, W.H. van

    2007-01-01

    Aluminium has received great attention in the second half of the 20th century, mainly in the context of the acid rain problem mostly in forest soils. In this research the effect of land use and depth of the groundwater on Al, pH and DOC concentration in groundwater under Dutch sandy soils has been

  17. Assessment of grass root effects on soil piping in sandy soils using the pinhole test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernatek-Jakiel, Anita; Vannoppen, Wouter; Poesen, Jean

    2017-10-01

    Soil piping is an important land degradation process that occurs in a wide range of environments. Despite an increasing number of studies on this type of subsurface erosion, the impact of vegetation on piping erosion is still unclear. It can be hypothesized that vegetation, and in particular plant roots, may reduce piping susceptibility of soils because roots of vegetation also control concentrated flow erosion rates or shallow mass movements. Therefore, this paper aims to assess the impact of grass roots on piping erosion susceptibility of a sandy soil. The pinhole test was used as it provides quantitative data on pipeflow discharge, sediment concentration and sediment discharge. Tests were conducted at different hydraulic heads (i.e., 50 mm, 180 mm, 380 mm and 1020 mm). Results showed that the hydraulic head was positively correlated with pipeflow discharge, sediment concentration and sediment discharge, while the presence of grass roots (expressed as root density) was negatively correlated with these pipeflow characteristics. Smaller sediment concentrations and sediment discharges were observed in root-permeated samples compared to root-free samples. When root density exceeds 0.5 kg m- 3, piping erosion rates decreased by 50% compared to root-free soil samples. Moreover, if grass roots are present, the positive correlation between hydraulic head and both sediment discharge and sediment concentration is less pronounced, demonstrating that grass roots become more effective in reducing piping erosion rates at larger hydraulic heads. Overall, this study demonstrates that grass roots are quite efficient in reducing piping erosion rates in sandy soils, even at high hydraulic head (> 1 m). As such, grass roots may therefore be used to efficiently control piping erosion rates in topsoils.

  18. Estimating water retention curves and strength properties of unsaturated sandy soils from basic soil gradation parameters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ji-Peng; Hu, Nian; François, Bertrand; Lambert, Pierre

    2017-07-01

    This study proposed two pedotransfer functions (PTFs) to estimate sandy soil water retention curves. It is based on the van Genuchten's water retention model and from a semiphysical and semistatistical approach. Basic gradation parameters of d60 as particle size at 60% passing and the coefficient of uniformity Cu are employed in the PTFs with two idealized conditions, the monosized scenario and the extremely polydisperse condition, satisfied. Water retention tests are carried out on eight granular materials with narrow particle size distributions as supplementary data of the UNSODA database. The air entry value is expressed as inversely proportional to d60 and the parameter n, which is related to slope of water retention curve, is a function of Cu. The proposed PTFs, although have fewer parameters, have better fitness than previous PTFs for sandy soils. Furthermore, by incorporating with the suction stress definition, the proposed pedotransfer functions are imbedded in shear strength equations which provide a way to estimate capillary induced tensile strength or cohesion at a certain suction or degree of saturation from basic soil gradation parameters. The estimation shows quantitative agreement with experimental data in literature, and it also explains that the capillary-induced cohesion is generally higher for materials with finer mean particle size or higher polydispersity.

  19. Effect of oil pollution on function of sandy soils in protected deserts and investigation of their improvement guidelines (case study: Kalmand area, Iran).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saberian, Mohammad; Khabiri, Mohammad Mehdi

    2018-02-01

    Soil pollution is one of the most dangerous sorts of environmental pollutions because of waste materials, fossil fuels, etc. Unfortunately in developing countries, there are very few arrangements to prevent soil pollution due to the fossil fuels and to improve polluted soil. In this research, influences of gas oil on properties of Kalmand protected area's sandy soil near Yazd, Iran, were studied. It was found that gas oil constituted 5.25% of soil weight in the refueling station in the region. Therefore, cleaning and strengthening of the soil by adding cement rather than expensive and complicated methods were the most important goals of this research. First, the influence of gas oil on soil properties was studied, and to improve the soil, different percentages of ordinary portland cement were added to the polluted sand to study the improved soil properties using laboratory tests. It was found that unconfined compressive strength, cohesion, and angle of internal friction of sample with 16% cement and 8% gas oil after 28 days of curing were higher than those of the specimen of 6% cement and 14% gas oil, at 4.6, 5.4, and 1.3 times, respectively. Moreover, based on falling head tests it was observed that permeability of the stabilized specimens decreased substantially. From SEM tests, fewer voids were observed in the stabilized samples, which led to less pollutant penetration into the soil. According to EDX, although dangerous elements in the contaminated specimen made up 3.99% of the specimen total weight, addition of cement introduced considerable amounts of elements that are vital for pozzolanic reactions. Therefore, it can be concluded that addition of cement to the gas oil-polluted soil not only can improve geotechnical properties of the soil and reduce its permeability, but also is very efficient for environmental issues.

  20. Garlic mustard and its effects on soil microbial communities in a sandy pine forest in central Illinois

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexander B. Faulkner; Brittany E. Pham; Truc-Quynh D. Nguyen; Kenneth E. Kitchell; Daniel S. O' Keefe; Kelly D. McConnaughay; Sherri J. Morris

    2014-01-01

    This study evaluated the impacts of garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), an invasive species, on soil microbial community dynamics in a pine plantation on sandy soils in central Illinois. In situ soil carbon dioxide efflux was significantly greater in invaded sites. Similarly, in vitro carbon mineralization was significantly greater for soils...

  1. Biochar Application in Malaysian Sandy and Acid Sulfate Soils: Soil Amelioration Effects and Improved Crop Production over Two Cropping Seasons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Theeba Manickam

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The use of biochar as an agricultural soil improvement was tested in acid sulfate and sandy soils from Malaysia, cropped with rice and corn. Malaysia has an abundance of waste rice husks that could be used to produce biochar. Rice husk biochar was produced in a gasifier at a local mill in Kelantan as well as in the laboratory using a controlled, specially designed, top lift up draft system (Belonio unit. Rice husk biochar was applied once to both soils at two doses (2% and 5%, in a pot set up that was carried out for two cropping seasons. Positive and significant crop yield effects were observed for both soils, biochars and crops. The yield effects varied with biochar type and dosage, with soil type and over the cropping seasons. The yield increases observed for the sandy soil were tentatively attributed to significant increases in plant-available water contents (from 4%–5% to 7%–8%. The yield effects in the acid sulfate soil were likely a consequence of a combination of (i alleviation of plant root stress by aluminum (Ca/Al molar ratios significantly increased, from around 1 to 3–5 and (ii increases in CEC. The agricultural benefits of rice husk biochar application to Malaysian soils holds promise for its future use.

  2. EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF VARIABILITY IN PERMEABILITY OF SANDY SILT SOIL MIXED WITH FLY ASH IN PROPORTIONATE

    OpenAIRE

    Rasna Sharma*, Dr. M.K. Trivedi

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents the experimental determination of variability in permeability of sandy silt soil by blending with fly ash. The grain size, porosity, structure of the soil, specific gravity of the soil, viscosity and temperature are important factors in varying the permeability of the soil. Permeability is the flow conduction property of the soil. The void ratio with in the soil plays a vital role in varying the permeability. By blending with finer grains like fly ash in the soil with sand...

  3. Estimating water retention curves for sandy soils at the Doñana National Park, SW Spain

    Science.gov (United States)

    The determination of soil water retention curves (SWRC) in the laboratory is a slow and tedious task, which is especially challenging for sandy soils due to their low water retention capacity and large water content changes for small pressure head differences. Due to spatial variability within larg...

  4. Biochar reduces copper toxicity in Chenopodium quinoa Willd. In a sandy soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buss, Wolfram; Kammann, Claudia; Koyro, Hans-Werner

    2012-01-01

    Mining, smelting, land applications of sewage sludge, the use of fungicides containing copper (Cu), and other human activities have led to widespread soil enrichment and contamination with Cu and potentially toxic conditions. Biochar (BC) can adsorb several substances, ranging from herbicides to plant-inhibiting allelochemicals. However, the range of potential beneficial effects on early-stage plant growth with regard to heavy metal toxicity is largely unexplored. We investigated the ameliorating properties of a forestry-residue BC under Cu toxicity conditions on early plant growth. Young quinoa plants () were grown in the greenhouse in the presence of 0, 2, and 4% BC application (w/w) added to a sandy soil with 0, 50, or 200 μg g Cu supplied. The plants without BC showed severe stress symptoms and reduced growth shortly after Cu application of 50 μg g and died at 200 μg Cu g. Increasing BC concentrations in the growth medium significantly increased the plant performance without Cu toxicity or under Cu stress. At the 4% BC application rate, the plants with 200 μg g Cu almost reached the same biomass as in the control treatment. In the presence of BC, less Cu entered the plant tissues, which had reduced Cu concentrations in the order roots, shoots, leaves. The amelioration effect also was reflected in the plant-soil system CO gas exchange, which showed clear signs of improvement with BC presence. The most likely ameliorating mechanisms were adsorption of Cu to negatively charged BC surfaces and an improvement of the water supply. Overall, BC seems to be a beneficial amendment with the potential to ameliorate Cu toxicity in sandy soils. Further research with a broad spectrum of different soil types, BCs, and crop plants is required. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  5. Light Gray Surface-Gleyed Loamy Sandy Soils of the Northern Part of Tambov Plain: Agroecology, Properties, and Diagnostics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaidel'man, F. R.; Stepantsova, L. V.; Nikiforova, A. S.; Krasin, V. N.; Dautokov, I. M.; Krasina, T. V.

    2018-04-01

    Light gray soils of Tambov oblast mainly develop from sandy and loamy sandy parent materials; these are the least studied soils in this region. Despite their coarse texture, these soils are subjected to surface waterlogging. They are stronger affected by the agrogenic degradation in comparison with chernozems and dark gray soils. Morphology, major elements of water regime, physical properties, and productivity of loamy sandy light gray soils with different degrees of gleyzation have been studied in the northern part of Tambov Plain in order to substantiate the appropriate methods of their management. The texture of these soils changes at the depth of 70-100 cm. The upper part is enriched in silt particles (16-30%); in the lower part, the sand content reaches 80-85%. In the nongleyed variants, middle-profile horizons contain thin iron-cemented lamellae (pseudofibers); in surface-gleyed variants, iron nodules are present in the humus horizon. The removal of clay from the humus horizon and its accumulation at the lithological contact and in pseudofibers promote surface subsidence and formation of microlows in the years with moderate and intense winter precipitation. The low range of active moisture favors desiccation of the upper horizons to the wilting point in dry years. The yield of cereal crops reaches 3.5-4.5 t/ha in the years with high and moderate summer precipitation on nongleyed and slightly gleyed light gray soils and decreases by 20-50% on strongly gleyed light gray soils. On light gray soils without irrigation, crop yields are unstable, and productivity of pastures is low. High yields of cereals and vegetables can be obtained on irrigated soils. In this case, local drainage measures should be applied to microlows; liming can be recommended to improve soil productivity.

  6. Effects of leachate on geotechnical characteristics of sandy clay soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harun, N. S.; Ali, Z. Rahman; Rahim, A. S.; Lihan, T.; Idris, R. M. W.

    2013-11-01

    Leachate is a hazardous liquid that poses negative impacts if leaks out into environments such as soil and ground water systems. The impact of leachate on the downgraded quality in terms of chemical characteristic is more concern rather than the physical or mechanical aspect. The effect of leachate on mechanical behaviour of contaminated soil is not well established and should be investigated. This paper presents the preliminary results of the effects of leachate on the Atterberg limit, compaction and shear strength of leachate-contaminated soil. The contaminated soil samples were prepared by mixing the leachate at ratiosbetween 0% and 20% leachate contents with soil samples. Base soil used was residual soil originated from granitic rock and classified as sandy clay soil (CS). Its specific gravity ranged between 2.5 and 2.64 with clay minerals of kaolinite, muscovite and quartz. The field strength of the studied soil ranged between 156 and 207 kN/m2. The effects of leachate on the Atterberg limit clearly indicated by the decrease in liquid and plastic limit values with the increase in the leachate content. Compaction tests on leachate-contaminated soil caused the dropped in maximum dry density, ρdry and increased in optimum moisture content, wopt when the amount of leachate was increased between 0% and 20%. The results suggested that leachate contamination capable to modify some geotechnical properties of the studied residual soils.

  7. Irradiated Sewage Sludge for Production of Fennel Plants in Sandy Soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Motaium, R. A.; Abo El-Seoud, M. A.

    2004-01-01

    Irradiated sewage sludge (SS) has proved to be a useful organic fertilizer particularly for sandy soil. The objective of this study is to compare the response of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) plants growing in sandy soil to different fertilizer regimes, organic vs. mineral. In a field experiment four levels (20, 40, 60, 80 t/ha) of irradiated and non-irradiated sewage sludge were incorporated into sandy soil, in addition to the control treatment (mineral fertilizer). Samples analysis included the biomass production at the vegetative and flowering stages, chlorophyll content, total and reducing sugars and heavy metals content of the shoots. The data indicate that the biomass production has dramatically increased as the sludge application rate increased in both irradiated and non-irradiated plots. However, the increase was significantly higher under all irradiated treatments than the corresponding rates of non-irradiated treatments at both the vegetative and flowering stages. Also, the biomass production at all levels of application was higher than the control, receiving mineral fertilizer. At the vegetative stage, the biomass values ranged from 3.1 g/plant for the control to 10.2 and 34.1 g/plant at 80 t/ha for non-irradiated and irradiated sewage sludge, respectively. Whereas, at the flowering stage the values ranged from 9.8 g/plant for the control to 23.9 and 65.1 g/plant at 80 t/ha for non-irradiated and irradiated sewage sludge, respectively. Total sugars, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar, and chlorophyll content has increased as the sludge application rate increased. At 80t/ha application rate of irradiated sludge, the reducing sugars content was 29.39 mg/g DW at the vegetative stage and 37.85 mg/g DW at the flowering stage. Reducing sugars recorded lower values in the control plants, 14.54 mg/g DW at the vegetative stage and 18.78 mg/g DW at the flowering stage. Heavy metals (Zn, Fe, Pb, Cd) of the shoots was also determined. Sewage sludge was a good

  8. Vegetation impact on the hydrology of an aeolian sandy soil in a continental climate

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Lichner, Ľ.; Hallett, P. D.; Orfánus, T.; Czachor, H.; Rajkai, K.; Šír, Miloslav; Tesař, Miroslav

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 3, č. 4 (2010), s. 413-420 ISSN 1936-0584 R&D Projects: GA MŠk MEB0808114 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20600510 Keywords : sandy soil * water repellency * plant cover * sorptivity * hydraulic conductivity Subject RIV: DA - Hydrology ; Limnology Impact factor: 1.835, year: 2010

  9. Evaluation of natural attenuation, bioventing, bioaugmentation and bioaugmentation-bioventing techniques, for the biodegradation of diesel in a sandy soil, through column experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muskus Morales, Angelica Maria; Santoyo Munoz, Claudia; Plata Quintero, Luijesmarth Silvia

    2013-01-01

    The present study was developed within an inter-institutional agreement between the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, UPB-BBGA and the Colombian Petroleum Institute-ICP, in order to provide a solution to an environmental problem that occurs in areas where hydrocarbons are handled and where sandy soils have been found to be contaminated with diesel fuel with concentrations up to 6% at a maximum depth of 80 cm. For this study, the soil samples were artificially contaminated with diesel fuel in order to evaluate Natural Attenuation, Bioventing, Bioaugmentation and Bioaugmentation-Bioventing soil remediation techniques through the use of column experiments. The design parameters, column dimensions, inflow, diesel concentration, dissolved oxygen, bacterial growth, and monitoring was defined. Bioaugmentation was performed inoculating a bacterial consortium produced by the ICP. The experimental setup was assembled in triplicate and was monitored through a period of four months. The experimental results showed that Bioventing technique was the most effective, reaching up to 97% diesel removal from the contaminated soil; with the Bioaugmentation - Bioventing, diesel fuel removal percentage was 75%, and the Natural Attenuation and Bioaugmentation techniques resulted in diesel fuel removal percentages not greater than 48%. This study showed that the microbial consortium evaluated and provided by the Colombian Petroleum Institute proved to be not efficient for potentializing bioremediation processes of sandy soils contaminated with diesel fuel.

  10. Water management in sandy soil using neutron scattering method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohamed, K.M.

    2011-01-01

    This study was carried out during 2008/2009 at the Experimental Field of Soil and Water Research Department, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority, Inshas in a newly reclaimed sandy soil. The aims of this work are,- determine soil moisture tension within the active root zone and - detecting the behavior of soil moisture within the active root zoon by defines the total hydraulic potential within the soil profile to predict both of actual evapotranspiration and rate of moisture depletion This work also is aimed to study soil water distribution under drip irrigation system.- reducing water deep percolation under the active root depth.This study included two factors, the first one is the irrigation intervals, and the second one is the application rate of organic manure. Irrigation intervals were 5, 10 and 15 days, besides three application rates of organic manure (0 m 3 /fed, 20 m 3 /fed. and 30 m 3 /fed.) in -three replicates under drip irrigation system, Onion was used as an indicator plant. Obtained data show, generally, that neutron scattering technique and soil moisture retention curve model helps more to study the water behavior in the soil profile.Application of organic manure and irrigation to field capacity is a good way to minimize evapotranspiration and deep percolation, which was zero mm/day in the treated treatments.The best irrigation interval for onion plant, in the studied soil, was 5 days with 30m 3 /fad. an application rate of organic manure.Parameter α of van Genuchent's 1980 model was affected by the additions of organic manure, which was decreased by addition of organic manure decreased it. Data also showed that n parameter was decreased by addition of organic manure Using surfer program is a good tool to describe the water distribution in two directions (vertical and horizontal) through soil profile.

  11. [Soil moisture dynamics and water balance of Salix psammophila shrubs in south edge of Mu Us Sandy Land].

    Science.gov (United States)

    An, Hui; An, Yu

    2011-09-01

    Taking the artificial sand-fixing Salix psammophila shrubs with different plant density (0.2, 0.6, and 0.8 plants x m(-2)) in Mu Us Sandy Land as test objects, this paper studied the soil moisture dynamics and evapotranspiration during growth season. There existed obvious differences in the soil moisture dynamics and evapotranspiration among the shrubs. The soil moisture content changed in single-hump-shape with the increase of plant density, and in "S" shape during growth season, being closely correlated with precipitation. The evapotranspiration was the highest (114.5 mm) in the shrubs with a density 0.8 plants x m(-1), accounting for 90.8% of the total precipitation during growth season, and the lowest (109.7 mm) in the shrubs with a density 0.6 plants x m(-2) Based on the soil moisture dynamics and water balance characteristics, the appropriate planting density of S. psammophila shrubs in Mu Us Sandy Land could be 0.6 plants x m(-2).

  12. Response of sesame to population densities and nitrogen fertilization on newly reclaimed sandy soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noorka, I.R.; Hafiz, S.I.

    2011-01-01

    Two field experiments were conducted at the Experimental Farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University at Ismailia during 2008 and 2009 seasons to study the effect of nitrogen fertilization and planting density on growth , yield, its attributes as well as seed quality of new sesame variety (Taka 2 cv.). On newly reclaimed sandy soils of Ismailia Governorate, Egypt, experimental design in split plots form with four replications was used. Four levels of nitrogen fertilization 55, 105, 155 and 205 Kg/ha were arranged randomly in the main plots and three planting distances between hills (10, 15 and 20 cm, respectively) were distributed at random in the sub plots. Increasing N fertilizer level up to 205 Kg/ha significantly increased plant height, fruiting zone length, height of the first fruiting branch, number of branches and capsules/plant, 1000-seed weight, seed weight/plant, seed oil content (%) and seed and oil yields /ha. Decreasing planting distance from 20 to 15 and 10 cm consistently and significantly increased plant height, height of the first fruiting branch and seed and oil yields /ha. The reverse was true regarding the yield components. These results were expected, since experiment soil was newly reclaimed sandy soil and very poor in the nutrients and organic matter. (author)

  13. Acidification of sandy grasslands - consequences for plant diversity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsson, Pål Axel; Mårtensson, Linda-Maria; Bruun, Hans Henrik

    2009-01-01

    soil; a number of nationally red-listed species showed a similar pattern. Plant species diversity and number of red-listed species increased with slope. Where the topsoil had been acidified, limestone was rarely present above a depth of 30 cm. The presence of limestone restricts the availability......Questions: (1) Does soil acidification in calcareous sandy grasslands lead to loss of plant diversity? (2) What is the relationship between the soil content of lime and the plant availability of mineral nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in sandy grasslands? Location: Sandy glaciofluvial deposits......). Environmental variables were recorded at each plot, and soil samples were analysed for exchangeable P and N, as well as limestone content and pH. Data were analysed with regression analysis and canonical correspondence analysis. Results: Plant species richness was highest on weakly acid to slightly alkaline...

  14. Stability Behavior and Thermodynamic States of Iron and Manganese in Sandy Soil Aquifer, Manukan Island, Malaysia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Chin Yik; Abdullah, Mohd. Harun; Musta, Baba; Praveena, Sarva Mangala; Aris, Ahmad Zaharin

    2011-01-01

    A total of 20 soil samples were collected from 10 boreholes constructed in the low lying area, which included ancillary samples taken from the high elevation area. Redox processes were investigated in the soil as well as groundwater in the shallow groundwater aquifer of Manukan Island, Sabah, Malaysia. Groundwater samples (n = 10) from each boreholes were also collected in the low lying area to understand the concentrations and behaviors of Fe and Mn in the dissolved state. This study strives to obtain a general understanding of the stability behaviors on Fe and Mn at the upper unsaturated and the lower-saturated soil horizons in the low lying area of Manukan Island as these elements usually play a major role in the redox chemistry of the shallow groundwater. Thermodynamic calculations using PHREEQC showed that the groundwater samples in the study area are oversaturated with respect to goethite, hematite, Fe(OH) 3 and undersaturated with respect to manganite and pyrochroite. Low concentrations of Fe and Mn in the groundwater might be probably due to the lack of minerals of iron and manganese oxides, which exist in the sandy aquifer. In fact, high organic matters that present in the unsaturated horizon are believed to be responsible for the high Mn content in the soil. It was observed that the soil samples collected from high elevation area (BK) comprises considerable amount of Fe in both unsaturated (6675.87 mg/kg) and saturated horizons (31440.49 mg/kg) compared to the low Fe content in the low lying area. Based on the stability diagram, the groundwater composition lies within the stability field for Mn 2+ and Fe 2+ under suboxic condition and very close to the FeS/Fe 2+ stability boundary. This study also shows that both pH and Eh values comprise a strong negative value thus suggesting that the redox potential is inversely dependent on the changes of pH.

  15. Geotechnical response of pipelines shallowly embedded in clayey and sandy soils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oliveira, Jose Renato M.S. [Military Institute of Engineering (IME), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Borges, Ricardo G. [Centro de Pesquisa Leopoldo A. Miguez de Melo (CENPES/PETROBRAS), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Feitoza, Jaquelline; Almeida, Maria C.F.; Almeida, Marcio S.S. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia

    2009-07-01

    Offshore and onshore pipelines used for oil and gas transportation are often buried to avoid eventual damages and also to provide movement constraint. The soil cover supply resistance against upward and lateral displacements of the pipe caused by thermally-induced axial loading, which can lead to structural buckling. The clear understanding of this behavior is critical for the development of new analysis tools and new design criteria which could minimize future accidents. In this way, research on pipe-soil interaction behavior has been undertaken using both clayey and sandy soils through physical and numerical simulations. This paper is part of a research effort to provide a pipe-soil interaction guideline suitable for application in pipeline design along the Brazilian coast. This work presents a comprehensive set of lateral buckling simulation tests using the COPPE-UFRJ geotechnical centrifuge. The chosen soils are typical of the Brazilian coast and therefore very representative of tropical regions. Physical and numerical results are compared and other research works are considered in order to assess the overall uplift resistance. In flight T-bar and cone penetration tests were undertaken to provide a soil resistance profile which was used to trace dimensionless curves that could be adopted in similar design situations. (author)

  16. Aggregate-associated carbon and nitrogen in reclaimed sandy loam soils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wick, A.F.; Stahl, P.D.; Ingram, L.J. [Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA (United States)

    2009-11-15

    Minimal research has been conducted on aggregate, C, and N in coarse-textured soils used to reclaim surface coal mine lands. Furthermore, little is known about the contribution different plant communities make to the recovery of aggregation in these soils. Two chronosequences of semiarid reclaimed sites with sandy loam soils were sampled under shrub- and grass-dominated communities. Aggregation, aggregate fractions, and associated C and N were measured. No definitive trends of increasing macroaggregates between sites were observed undershrubs; however, macro- and microaggregation was greater in the 16-yr-old (0.20 and 0.23 kg aggregate kg{sup -1} soil, respectively) than in the 5-yr-old soils (0.02 and 0.08 kg aggregate kg{sup -1} soil, respectively) under grasses. Although C and N concentrations were drastically reduced (50-75%) with mining activity between the <1-yr-old and native soils, aggregate C and N concentrations tinder shrubs and grasses were similar to each other and to the native soils in the 5-yr-old site. Sods under grass in the 16-yr-old site had lower available and aggregate-occluded C and N concentrations than the 5-yr-old site, while C and N concentrations did not change between 5- and 16-yr-old soils under shrubs. Conversely, aggregate C and N pool sizes under shrubs and grasses both increased with site age to conditions similar to those observed in the native soil. Reclaimed shrub site soils had consistently higher C concentrations in the older reclaimed sites (10 and 16 yr old) than the soils under grasses, indicating greater accumulation and retention of C and N in organic material under shrub than grass communities in semiarid reclaimed sites.

  17. Experimental Investigation of Phenanthrene Pollutant Removal Efficiency for Contaminated Sandy Soil by Enhanced Soil Washing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saif salah Alquzweeni

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs are environmental concerns that must be removed to acceptable level. This research assesses two agents (Na2EDTA and SDS to remediate contaminated sandy soil, spiked with 500mg/kg phenanthrene. Five sets of experiments (batch are applied to investigate the optimal of five influencing factors on soil remediation: Na2EDTA-SDS concentration, liquid/Solid ratio, stirring speed, pH value of flushing solution and mixing time. The results of batch experiments showed that SDS has high phenanthrene removal efficiency (90%, while Na2EDTA shows no phenanthrene removal. pH has no effect on phenanthrene removal. To study the influence of flow rates on the removal efficiency of contaminants, two column tests with hydraulic gradient of 0.2 and 1.2 conducted by SDS solution. The results illustrate that high phenanthrene removal from soil obtained by 1.2 hydraulic gradient condition. The SDS flushing solution removed approximately 69% and 81% of phenanthrene from soil under low and high hydraulic gradients, respectively. It was concluded that phenanthrene removal depend on surfactant micelles formation. Overall, the study showed that soil flushing removal efficiency for contaminants depends on the flushing agents selectivity and affinity to the contaminants and the condition of hydraulic gradient.

  18. Sustainable agriculture and soil conservation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Preben; Dubgaard, Alex

    , sandy soils in the West, (that had not been covered by ice) from more fertile soils being mostly sandy loams and finer textured soils covering the Eastern part of the study area. Several geological features such as pitting due to dead ice formation, smaller, terminal moraines in association with melt......, separate the moraine plateau. From the plateau several, minor erosion valleys, formed at the end of the glaciation some 10,000 years ago, feed into the two valleys. Very accurate soil type information is available for the area as intensive measurements within the area has formed the basis for a new...... methodology for soil classification in Denmark. The soil survey included a detailed mapping at field level, using the electromagnetic sensor, EM38. A high-resolution digital elevation model, obtained by use of laser scanning, is available for the study area. The original scanning has a horizontal resolution...

  19. Seed Burial Depth and Soil Water Content Affect Seedling Emergence and Growth of Ulmus pumila var. sabulosa in the Horqin Sandy Land

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiao Tang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available We investigated the effects of seed burial depth and soil water content on seedling emergence and growth of Ulmus pumila var. sabulosa (sandy elm, an important native tree species distributed over the European-Asian steppe. Experimental sand burial depths in the soil were 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 cm, and soil water contents were 4%, 8%, 12% and 16% of field capacity. All two-way ANOVA (five sand burial depths and four soil water contents results showed that seed burial depths, soil water content and their interactions significantly affected all the studied plant variables. Most of the times, seedling emergence conditions were greater at the lower sand burial depths (less than 1.0 cm than at the higher (more than 1.0 cm seed burial depths, and at the lower water content (less than 12% than at the higher soil water content. However, high seed burial depths (more than 1.5 cm or low soil water content (less than 12% reduced seedling growth or change in the root/shoot biomass ratios. In conclusion, the most suitable range of sand burial was from 0.5 to 1.0 cm soil depth and soil water content was about 12%, respectively, for the processes of seedling emergence and growth. These findings indicate that seeds of the sandy elm should be kept at rather shallow soil depths, and water should be added up to 12% of soil capacity when conducting elm planting and management. Our findings could help to create a more appropriate sandy elm cultivation and understand sparse elm woodland recruitment failures in arid and semi-arid regions.

  20. Vegetation pattern and soil characteristics of the polluted industrial area of Karachi

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kabir, M.; Iqbal, M.Z.; Farooqi, M.Z.; Shafiq, M.

    2010-01-01

    A quantitative phyto sociological survey was conducted around the industrial areas of Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (S.I.T.E.) of Karachi. The herbaceous, shrubs vegetation was predominantly disturbed in nature. Fifteen plant communities based on Importance Value Index (IVI) of species were recognized. Eighty plant species were recorded in industrial areas. Abutilon fruticosum L., attained the highest importance value index (823.25) followed by Prosopis juliflora DC. (662.62), Corchorus trilocularis L. (467.20), Aerva javanica Burm.f. (419.97), Amaranthus viridis L. (397.65) and Senna holosericea L. (387.22), respectively. P. juliflora and A. fruticosum showed leading first dominant in five and four stands, respectively. Whereas, A. javanica, A. viridis, S. holosericea, Launaea nudicaulis L., Crochorus depressus L. and Salvadora L., attained the presence class III. Zygophyllum simplex L., Suaeda fruticosa L., Convolvulus glomeratus Choisky, Cressa cretica L., Cleome viscosa L., Calotropis procera Willd, Blepharis sindica T. Anderson, Rhynchosia pulverulenta L., Abutilon pakistanicum Jafri and Ali, Chenopodium album L., Capparis decidua Forssk and Digera muricata L. Mart showed the presence of class II. Whereas, rest of 58 species showed presence of class I. The soil characteristics of the polluted industrial area were also analyzed and related with the vegetation of the polluted areas. The Industrial area soil was coarse in texture and ranged from sandy clay loam to sandy loam. The soil was acidic to alkaline in nature. Maximum water holding capacity, bulk density, porosity, CaCO/sub 3/, pH, organic matter, total organic carbon, chloride, electrical conductivity, total dissolved salt, available sulphur contents, exchangeable sodium and potassium were recorded in wide range. It was concluded that certain edaphic factors due to industrial activities and induction of pollutants were responsible for variation in vegetation composition of the study area. (author)

  1. Controlled release fertilizer increased phytoremediation of petroleum-contaminated sandy soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cartmill, Andrew D; Cartmill, Donita L; Alarcón, Alejandro

    2014-01-01

    A greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the effect of the application of controlled release fertilizer [(CRF) 0, 4,6, or 8 kg m(-3)] on Lolium multiflorum Lam. survival and potential biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons (0, 3000, 6000, or 15000 mg kg(-1)) in sandy soil. Plant adaptation, growth, photosynthesis, total chlorophyll, and proline content as well as rhizosphere microbial population (culturable heterotrophic fungal and bacterial populations) and total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH)-degradation were determined. Petroleum induced-toxicity resulted in reduced plant growth, photosynthesis, and nutrient status. Plant adaptation, growth, photosynthesis, and chlorophyll content were enhanced by the application of CRF in contaminated soil. Proline content showed limited use as a physiological indicator of petroleum induced-stress in plants. Bacterial and filamentous fungi populations were stimulated by the petroleum concentrations. Bacterial populations were stimulated by CRF application. At low petroleum contamination, CRF did not enhance TPH-degradation. However, petroleum degradation in the rhizosphere was enhanced by the application of medium rates of CRF, especially when plants were exposed to intermediate and high petroleum contamination. Application of CRF allowed plants to overcome the growth impairment induced by the presence of petroleum hydrocarbons in soils.

  2. Correlations of soil-gas and indoor radon with geology in glacially derived soils of the northern Great Plains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schumann, R.R.; Owen, D.E.; Peake, R.T.; Schmidt, K.M.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports that a higher percentage of homes in parts of the northern Great Plains underlain by soils derived from continental glacial deposits have elevated indoor radon levels (greater than 4 pCi/L) than any other area in the country. Soil-gas radon concentrations, surface radioactivity, indoor radon levels, and soil characteristics were studied in areas underlain by glacially-derived soils in North Dakota and Minnesota to examine the factors responsible for these elevated levels. Clay-rich till soils in North Dakota have generally higher soil-gas radon levels, and correspondingly higher indoor radon levels, than the sandy till soils common to west-central Minnesota. Although the proportions of homes with indoor radon levels greater than 4 pCi/L are similar in both areas, relatively few homes underlain by sandy tills have screening indoor radon levels greater than 20 pCi/L, whereas a relatively large proportion of homes underlain by clayey tills have screening indoor radon levels exceeding 20 pCi/L. The higher radon levels in North Dakota are likely due to enhanced emanation from the smaller grains and to relatively higher soil radium concentrations in the clay-rich soils, whereas the generally higher permeability of the sandy till soils in Minnesota allows soil gas to be drawn into structures from a larger source volume, increasing indoor radon levels in these areas

  3. Partitioning of organic matter and heavy metals in a sandy soil: Effects of extracting solution, solid to liquid ratio and pH

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fest, P.M.J.; Temminghoff, E.J.M.; Comans, R.N.J.; Riemsdijk, van W.H.

    2008-01-01

    In sandy soils the behavior of heavy metals is largely controlled by soil organic matter (solid and dissolved organic matter; SOC and DOC). Therefore, knowledge of the partitioning of organic matter between the solid phase and soil solution is essential for adequate predictions of the total

  4. Organic Carbon and Physical Properties in Sandy Soil after Conversion from Degraded Pasture to Eucalyptus in the Brazilian Cerrado

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karla Nascimento Sena

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Soil is currently seen as the most relevant carbon sink and the most effective carbon stabilizer. In contrast, agriculture is the second largest C emitter, after burning of fossil fuels. This organic carbon (OC introduced into the soil, mainly via organic matter (OM, is essential for several soil properties and plays an extremely important role in sandy soils. The objective of this study was to describe the changes in the amounts and pools of OC and the influence thereof on some physical soil properties in areas converted from pasture to eucalyptus. The following areas were analyzed: a degraded pasture (PAST, two areas of pasture-eucalyptus conversion after 2 and 15 years (EU02 and EU15, respectively and a preserved Cerrado area (CER in the east of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Soil samples were taken from the 0.00-0.05, 0.05-0.10, and 0.10-0.30 m layers. The OC was measured and analyzed, the carbon pool (CP calculated, aggregate stability, bulk density (BD, and macro- and microporosity determined, and total porosity (TP calculated to analyze the influence of land use on soil properties. The experimental design was completely randomized, and four clusters per area were established, with nine subsampling points, for a total of 36 subsamples per area, organized in 20 × 20 m grids, The soil under natural vegetation (preserved Cerrado was used as a control. The change from CER to commercial cultivation accelerates the process of OC loss (reductions of 25-35 % and reductions in soil physical quality. In the PAST area, OC was reduced by 30 % in the 0.00-0.05 m layer. Cumulative OC and CP were highest in the 0.00-0.05 m layer and decreased in the deeper layers in all land use treatments. Organic C in the 0.10-0.30 m layer was not influenced by land use, indicating the possibility of OC persistence in the soil for longer periods. Macroporosity and total porosity may be considered appropriate in CER and EU15, whereas the conditions for plant

  5. The Use of Ionizing Radiation to Prepare Polymeric Agro-waste Composite for Sandy Soil Application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elhady, M.A.; Elnahas, H.H.; Meligi, G.A.; Ammar, A.H.

    2015-01-01

    Super absorbent hydrogel composite (SHC) by radiation induced crosslinking of polyacrylamide (PAAM)/ rice straw (RS) composite and hydrophilic membrane system based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for possible applications in agricultural field of sandy soil was studied. The factors affecting the quick and capacity for retaining irrigated water of swelling behaviour of prepared hydrogel composite through hydrophilic membrane system and increasing foaming/ porosity of the SHC were studied. The mechanism for this is most likely a prevention of irrigated water to pass through sandy particles for a time ranged from 20 to 40 min for the fluid uptake capacity and swelling of the SHC to take and swelling place without almost any loss of irrigated water. Effect of acid/ alkalinity (PH) and salt concentration were investigation.

  6. Regional analysis of groundwater phosphate concentrations under acidic sandy soils: Edaphic factors and water table strongly mediate the soil P-groundwater P relation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mabilde, Lisa; De Neve, Stefaan; Sleutel, Steven

    2017-12-01

    Historic long-term P application to sandy soils in NW-Europe has resulted in abundant sorption, saturation and eventually leaching of P from soil to the groundwater. Although many studies recognize the control of site-specific factors like soil texture and phosphate saturation degree (PSD), the regional-scaled relevance of effects exerted by single factors controlling P leaching is unclear. Very large observational datasets of soil and groundwater P content are furthermore required to reveal indirect controls of soil traits through mediating soil variables. We explored co-variation of phreatic groundwater orthophosphate (o-P) concentration and soil factors in sandy soils in Flanders, Belgium. Correlation analyses were complemented with an exploratory model derived using 'path analysis'. Data of oxalate-extractable Al, Fe, P and pH KCl , phosphate sorption capacity (PSC) and PSD in three depth layers (0-30, 30-60, 60-90 cm), topsoil SOC, % clay and groundwater depth (fluctuation) were interpolated to predict soil properties on exact locations of a very extensive net of groundwater monitoring wells. The mean PSD was only poorly correlated to groundwater o-P concentration, indicating the overriding control of other factors in the transport of P to the groundwater. A significant (P soil pH and groundwater table depth than by PSD indicates the likely oversimplification of the latter index to measure the long-term potential risk of P leaching. Accounting for controls on leaching not included in PSD via an alternative index, however, seems problematic as in Flanders for example groundwater o-P turned out to be higher in finer textured soils or soils with higher pedogenic Fe content, probably because of their lower pedogenic Al content and higher soil pH. Path analysis of extensive soil and groundwater datasets seems a viable way to identify prime local determinants of soil P leaching and could be further on used for 'ground-truthing' more complex P-migration simulation

  7. Differences in nitrogen cycling and soil mineralisation between a eucalypt plantation and a mixed eucalypt and #Acacia mangium# plantation on a sandy tropical soil

    OpenAIRE

    Tchichelle, Sogni Viviane; Epron, Daniel; Mialoundama, Fidèle; Koutika, Lydie-Stella; Harmand, Jean-Michel; Bouillet, Jean-Pierre; Mareschal, Louis

    2017-01-01

    Sustainable wood production requires appropriate management of commercial forest plantations. Establishment of industrial eucalypt plantations on poor sandy soils leads to a high loss of nutrients including nitrogen (N) after wood harvesting. An ecological intensification of eucalypt plantations was tested with the replacement of half of the Eucalyptus urophylla × E. grandis by Acacia mangium in the eucalypt monoculture to sustain soil fertility through enhancement of the N biological cycle. ...

  8. Hydrological Components of a Young Loblolly Pine Plantation on a Sandy Soil with Estimates of Water Use and Loss

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deborah A. Abrahamson; Phillip M. Dougherty; Stanley J. Zarnoch

    1998-01-01

    Fertilizer and irrigation treatments were applied in a 7- to l0-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation on a sandy soil near Laurinburg, North Carolina. Rainfall, throughfall, stemflow, and soil water content were measured throughout the study period. Monthly interception losses ranged from 4 to 15% of rainfall. Stemflow ranged from 0.2...

  9. [Community structure and diversity of soil arthropods in naturally restored sandy grasslands after grazing].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ren-tao; Zhao, Ha-lin; Zhao, Xue-yong

    2010-11-01

    Taking the Naiman Desertification Research Station under Chinese Academy of Sciences as a base, an investigation was conducted on the community structure of soil arthropods in the naturally restored sandy grasslands after different intensity grazing disturbance, with the effects of vegetation and soil on this community structure approached. In the non-grazing grassland, soil arthropods were rich in species and more in individuals, and had the highest diversity. In the restored grassland after light grazing, soil arthropods had the lowest evenness and diversity. In the restored grassland after moderate grazing, the individuals of soil arthropods were lesser but the major groups were more, and the evenness and diversity were higher. In the restored grassland after heavy grazing, the individuals of soil arthropods were more but the major groups were lesser, and the diversity was higher. Plant individuals' number, vegetation height and coverage, and soil alkalinity were the main factors affecting the soil arthropod community in naturally restored grasslands after different intensity grazing disturbance. It was implied that after 12-year exclosure of grassland, soil arthropod community could be recovered to some degree, while grazing disturbance had long-term negative effects on the arthropod community.

  10. Volatilization of tri-allate, ethoprophos and parathion measured with four methods after spraying on a sandy soil

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bor, G.; Berg, van den F.; Smelt, J.H.; Smidt, R.A.; Peppel-Groen, van de A.E.; Leistra, M.

    1995-01-01

    At about eleven times after application of tri-allate, ethoprophos and parathion to a sandy soil, their rates of volatilization were determined by the aerodynamic method (AD), the Bowen-ratio method (BR), the theoretical-profile method (TP) and the Box method. The volatilization was highest for

  11. Toxicity of iron oxide nanoparticles to grass litter decomposition in a sandy soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rashid, Muhammad Imtiaz; Shahzad, Tanvir; Shahid, Muhammad; Imran, Muhammad; Dhavamani, Jeyakumar; Ismail, Iqbal M. I.; Basahi, Jalal M.; Almeelbi, Talal

    2017-02-01

    We examined time-dependent effect of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) at a rate of 2000 mg kg-1 soil on Cynodon dactylon litter (3 g kg-1) decomposition in an arid sandy soil. Overall, heterotrophic cultivable bacterial and fungal colonies, and microbial biomass carbon were significantly decreased in litter-amended soil by the application of nanoparticles after 90 and 180 days of incubation. Time dependent effect of nanoparticles was significant for microbial biomass in litter-amended soil where nanoparticles decreased this variable from 27% after 90 days to 49% after 180 days. IONPs decreased CO2 emission by 28 and 30% from litter-amended soil after 90 and 180 days, respectively. These observations indicated that time-dependent effect was not significant on grass-litter carbon mineralization efficiency. Alternatively, nanoparticles application significantly reduced mineral nitrogen content in litter-amended soil in both time intervals. Therefore, nitrogen mineralization efficiency was decreased to 60% after 180 days compared to that after 90 days in nanoparticles grass-litter amended soil. These effects can be explained by the presence of labile Fe in microbial biomass after 180 days in nanoparticles amendment. Hence, our results suggest that toxicity of IONPs to soil functioning should consider before recommending their use in agro-ecosystems.

  12. Effect of Simulated Weathering and Aging of TNT in Amended Sandy Loam Soil on Toxicity to the Enchytraeid Worm, Enchytreaeus Crypticus

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-05-01

    high bioavailability of organic compounds. However, amended SSL soil was analyzed for presence of metabolic transformation products from nitroaromatic...Phillips, C.; Checkai, R. 1999. Comparison of malathion toxicity using enchytraeid reproduction test and earthworm toxicity test in different soil ...OF TNT IN AMENDED SANDY LOAM SOIL ON TOXICITY TO THE ENCHYTRAEID WORM, ENCHYTRAEUS CRYPTICUS Roman G. Kuperman Ronald T. Checkai Michael Simini

  13. Crop uptake and leaching losses of 15N labelled fertilizer nitrogen in relation to waterlogging of clay and sandy loam soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Webster, C.P.; Belford, R.K.; Cannell, R.Q.

    1986-01-01

    Ammonium nitrate fertilizer, labelled with 15 N, was applied in spring to winter wheat growing in undisturbed monoliths of clay and sandy loam soil in lysimeters; the rates of application were respectively 95 and 102 kg N ha -1 in the spring of 1976 and 1975. Crops of winter wheat, oilseed rape, peas and barley grown in the following 5 or 6 years were treated with unlabelled nitrogen fertilizer at rates recommended for maximum yields. During each year of the experiments the lysimeters were divided into treatments which were either freely drained or subjected to periods of waterlogging. Another labelled nitrogen application was made in 1980 to a separate group of lysimeters with a clay soil and a winter wheat crop to study further the uptake of nitrogen fertilizer in relation to waterlogging. In the first growing season, shoots of the winter wheater at harvest contained 46 and 58% of the fertilizer nitrogen applied to the clay and sandy loam soils respectively. In the following year the crops contained a further 1-2% of the labelled fertilizer, and after 5 and 6 years the total recoveries of labelled fertilizer in the crops were 49 and 62% on the clay and sandy loam soils respectively. In the first winter after the labelled fertilizer was applied, less than 1% of the fertilizer was lost in the drainage water, and only about 2% of the total nitrogen (mainly nitrate) in the drainage water from both soils was derived from the fertilizer

  14. Limits to intensity of milk production in sandy areas in The Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aarts, H.F.M.; Habekotté, B.; Keulen, van H.

    1999-01-01

    Agricultural land in sandy areas is mainly in use by dairy farms. As a result of intensive fertilisation and irrigation, environmental quality is threatened by lost nutrients and lowered groundwater levels. Therefore, Dutch government put decreasing limits to losses of nutrients, with lowest values

  15. Effects of acacia senegal (L.,Willd.) on sandy soils: A case study of El damokeya forest, Northern Kordofan State

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmed, D. M; Nimer, A. M.

    2002-01-01

    Soil properties were studied in El Damokeya forest, located at 30 km east of Elobeid town, Northern Kordofan State, during the rainy season of 1998. The aim was to characterize the soils of the area and to examine the effects of Acacia senegal plantations on the soils physical and chemical properties. The results showed that the soils were sandy, weakly structured, yellowish-red, neutral and poor in nutrient content, and that Acacia senegal plantations had induced considerable changes in the soil morphological, physical and chemical properties. The soil became more differentiated, with a third layer clearly discernible. No change had occurred in the soil texture. But, it became well structured with stable aggregates. Its organic matter content had been augmented to about one and half times, deeply incorporated and stained the whole profile with darker hues. The soil reaction became slightly acidic (ph 6.3). The exchange capacity was improved qualitatively and quantitatively. Thus, cation exchange capacity values increased from 2.8 in the bare land to 4.0 meq/100g soil under the forest, and the soil was saturated to 98% with base cations. The major nutrient elements (N,P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe) had generally increased with various proportions ranging from 10% to more than 130%, but only Ca showed significant difference at P=0.05. Among the trace elements, Cu and Co had significantly decreased in the forest soil, but Zn and Mn had increased to about 100%.(Author)

  16. Uncertainty of Deardorff’s soil moisture model based on continuous TDR measurements for sandy loam soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brandyk Andrzej

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Knowledge on soil moisture is indispensable for a range of hydrological models, since it exerts a considerable influence on runoff conditions. Proper tools are nowadays applied in order to gain in-sight into soil moisture status, especially of uppermost soil layers, which are prone to weather changes and land use practices. In order to establish relationships between meteorological conditions and topsoil moisture, a simple model would be required, characterized by low computational effort, simple structure and low number of identified and calibrated parameters. We demonstrated, that existing model for shallow soils, considering mass exchange between two layers (the upper and the lower, as well as with the atmosphere and subsoil, worked well for sandy loam with deep ground water table in Warsaw conurbation. GLUE (Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation linked with GSA (Global Sensitivity Analysis provided for final determination of parameter values and model confidence ranges. Including the uncertainty in a model structure, caused that the median soil moisture solution of the GLUE was shifted from the one optimal in deterministic sense. From the point of view of practical model application, the main shortcoming were the underestimated water exchange rates between the lower soil layer (ranging from the depth of 0.1 to 0.2 m below ground level and subsoil. General model quality was found to be satisfactory and promising for its utilization for establishing measures to regain retention in urbanized conditions.

  17. Long-Term Observations of Dust Storms in Sandy Desert Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yun, Hye-Won; Kim, Jung-Rack; Choi, Yun-Soo

    2015-04-01

    Mineral dust occupies the largest portion of atmospheric aerosol. Considering the numerous risks that dust poses for socioeconomic and anthropogenic activities, it is crucial to understand sandy desert environments, which frequently generate dust storms and act as a primary source of atmospheric aerosol. To identify mineral aerosol mechanisms, it is essential to monitor desert environmental factors involving dust storm generation in the long term. In this study, we focused on two major environmental factors: local surface roughness and soil moisture. Since installments of ground observation networks in sandy deserts are unfeasible, remote sensing techniques for mining desert environmental factors were employed. The test area was established within the Badain Jaran and Kubuqi Deserts in Inner Mongolia, China, where significant seasonal aeolian processes emit mineral dust that influences all of East Asia. To trace local surface roughness, we employed a multi-angle imaging spectroradiometer (MISR) image sequence to extract multi-angle viewing (MAV) topographic parameters such as normalized difference angular index, which represents characteristics of the target desert topography. The backscattering coefficient from various space-borne SAR and stereotopography were compared with MAV observations to determine calibrated local surface roughness. Soil moisture extraction techniques from InSAR-phase coherence stacks were developed and compiled with advanced scatterometer (ASCAT) soil moisture data. Combined with metrological information such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA interim, correlations between intensity of sand dune activity as a proxy of aeolian processes in desert environments, surface wind conditions, and surface soil moisture were traced. Overall, we have confirmed that tracking sandy desert aeolian environments for long-term observations is feasible with space-borne, multi-sensor observations when combined with

  18. Effects of sodium polyacrylate on water retention and infiltration capacity of a sandy soil

    OpenAIRE

    Zhuang, Wenhua; Li, Longguo; Liu, Chao

    2013-01-01

    Based on the laboratory study, the effects of sodium polyacrylate (SP) was investigated at 5 rates of 0, 0.08, 0.2, 0.5, and 1%, on water retention, saturated hydraulic conductivity(Ks), infiltration characteristic and water distribution profiles of a sandy soil. The results showed that water retention and available water capacity effectively increased with increasing SP rate. The Ks and the rate of wetting front advance and infiltration under certain pond infiltration was significantly reduc...

  19. Effect of biochar on aerobic processes, enzyme activity, and crop yields in two sandy loam soils

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sun, Zhencai; Bruun, Esben; Arthur, Emmanuel

    2014-01-01

    Biochar added to agricultural soils may sequester carbon and improve physico-chemical conditions for crop growth, due to effects such as increased water and nutrient retention in the root zone. The effects of biochar on soil microbiological properties are less certain. We addressed the effects...... of wood-based biochar on soil respiration, water contents, potential ammonia oxidation (PAO), arylsulfatase activity (ASA), and crop yields at two temperate sandy loam soils under realistic field conditions. In situ soil respiration, PAO, and ASA were not significantly different in quadruplicate field...... plots with or without biochar (20 Mg ha−1); however, in the same plots, volumetric water contents increased by 7.5 % due to biochar (P = 0.007). Crop yields (oat) were not significantly different in the first year after biochar application, but in the second year, total yields of spring barley increased...

  20. Utilization of Sandy Soil as the Primary Raw Material in Production of Unfired Bricks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guilan Tao

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, attempts were made to use sandy soil as the main raw material in making unfired bricks. The sprayed-cured brick specimens were tested for compressive and flexural strength, rate of water absorption, percentage of voids, bulk density, freezing/thawing, and water immersion resistance. In addition, the microstructures of the specimens were also studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD technique. The test results show that unfired brick specimens with the addition of ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS tend to achieve better mechanical properties when compared with the specimens that added cement alone, with GGBS correcting particle size distribution and contributing to the pozzolanic reactions and the pore-filling effects. The test specimens with the appropriate addition of cement, GGBS, quicklime, and gypsum are dense and show a low water absorption rate, a low percentage of voids, and an excellent freezing/thawing and water immersion resistance. The SEM observation and XRD analysis verify the formation of hydrate products C–S–H and ettringite, providing a better explanation of the mechanical and physical behavior and durability of the derived unfired bricks. The results obtained suggest that there is a technical approach for the high-efficient comprehensive utilization of sandy soil and provide increased economic and environmental benefits.

  1. Tomato nitrogen accumulation and fertilizer use efficiency on a sandy soil, as affected by nitrogen rate and irrigation scheduling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zotarelli, L.; Dukes, M.D.; Scholberg, J.M.S.; Munoz-Carpena, R.; Icerman, J.

    2009-01-01

    Tomato production systems in Florida are typically intensively managed with high inputs of fertilizer and irrigation and on sandy soils with low inherent water and nutrient retention capacities; potential nutrient leaching losses undermine the sustainability of such systems. The objectives of this

  2. Wind erosion on Deliblato (the largest European continental sandy terrain) studied using 210Pbex and 137Cs measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krmar, M.; Hansman, J.; Todorovic, N.; Mihailovic, A.; Vucinic-Vasic, M.; Savic, R.

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this paper is to estimate the difference in wind erosion between two extreme situations: sandy soil permanently covered by grass and the nearby frequently ploughed area highly susceptible to wind erosion. The spatial pattern of soil erosion rate was investigated using 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex tracing technique. The spatial pattern of erosion rate obtained within the studied area reveal influence of topography as well as direction of prevailing winds on mobilization and transport of the soil particles. (author)

  3. ELASTOPLASTICIDAD DE UN SUELO FRANCO ARENOSO DE SABANA I SANDY LOAM SAVANNA SOIL ELASTOPLASTICITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Américo Hossne García

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The knowledge of elastoplastic properties is important for calculating soil elastic and plastic deformations experienced by static or dynamic loads generated, for example, by farm implements and root growth. The objective of this study was to determine the soil elastoplastic parameters: Young’s modulus (E, the shear modulus (G, bulk modulus (K and Poisson’s ratio (υ of a sandy-loam soil from a savanna in Monagas State, Venezuela. Triaxial tests and regression analyses were used to interpret the variance between them. The results show that E varied from 4693.39 to 36669.35 kPa; G from 700 to 5000 kPa; K from 500 to 2000 kPa and υ had a value of 0.50. It is concluded that these soils are incompressible under plastic conditions, i.e. easily deformable. The Poisson’s ratio varied significantly with soil water content. The Young modulus, bulk modulus and the shear modulus showed high variation with respect to water content. Both the Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio increased, at low soil water content, with the rise in chamber pressure .

  4. Lateral spread as a special form of soil movement in Dolina area in municipality Puconci

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Magda Čarman

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents a particular form of soil instability, which is rarely observed in Slovenia. This is a lateral spread of the soil, which appeared some years ago in the central part of Dolina area in the municipality of Puconci. The area is mainly build up from clay and sandy sediments of the Pannonian Sea, predominantly Pliocene age. A significant damage of building has begun several years ago. According to data from research carried out, we suggest that the flat area is disintegrated into individual blocks, moving in different directions. These led to such extensive damage to buildings. Possible cause could be erosion of Dolinski stream at the eastern edge of the area or seismic survey (blasting, vibrations, which were carried out here about 20 years ago. Determination the exact cause of the formation of the soil lateral spread, its extent and dynamics, remain a challenge for the future.

  5. Subsidence estimation of breakwater built on loosely deposited sandy seabed foundation: Elastic model or elasto-plastic model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianhua Shen

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available In offshore area, newly deposited Quaternary loose seabed soils are widely distributed. There are a great number of offshore structures has been built on them in the past, or will be built on them in the future due to the fact that there would be no very dense seabed soil foundation could be chosen at planed sites sometimes. However, loosely deposited seabed foundation would bring great risk to the service ability of offshore structures after construction. Currently, the understanding on wave-induced liquefaction mechanism in loose seabed foundation has been greatly improved; however, the recognition on the consolidation characteristics and settlement estimation of loose seabed foundation under offshore structures is still limited. In this study, taking a semi-coupled numerical model FSSI-CAS 2D as the tool, the consolidation and settlement of loosely deposited sandy seabed foundation under an offshore breakwater is investigated. The advanced soil constitutive model Pastor-Zienkiewics Mark III (PZIII is used to describe the quasi-static behavior of loose sandy seabed soil. The computational results show that PZIII model is capable of being used for settlement estimation problem of loosely deposited sandy seabed foundation. For loose sandy seabed foundation, elastic deformation is the dominant component in consolidation process. It is suggested that general elastic model is acceptable for subsidence estimation of offshore structures on loose seabed foundation; however, Young's modulus E must be dependent on the confining effective stress, rather than a constant in computation.

  6. Field Performance of Nine Soil Water Content Sensors on a Sandy Loam Soil in New Brunswick, Maritime Region, Canada

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lionel Stevens

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available An in situ field test on nine commonly-used soil water sensors was carried out in a sandy loam soil located in the Potato Research Center, Fredericton, NB (Canada using the gravimetric method as a reference. The results showed that among the tested sensors, regardless of installation depths and soil water regimes, CS615, Trase, and Troxler performed the best with the factory calibrations, with a relative root mean square error (RRMSE of 15.78, 16.93, and 17.65%, and a r2 of 0.75, 0.77, and 0.65, respectively. TRIME, Moisture Point (MP917, and Gopher performed slightly worse with the factory calibrations, with a RRMSE of 45.76, 26.57, and 20.41%, and a r2 of 0.65, 0.72, and 0.78, respectively, while the Gypsum, WaterMark, and Netafim showed a frequent need for calibration in the application in this region.

  7. SOILS AND GEOENVIRONMENTS OF THE NATIONAL PARK OF VIRUÁ AND SURROUNDING, RORAIMA: INTEGRATED VISION OF THE LANDSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruno Araujo Furtado de Mendonça

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/198050989287The Viruá National Park (PARNA Viruá occupies 227.011ha, in the region of the low ‘Branco’ river, in Roraima state. This area includes an extensive mosaic of complex seasonally flooded forested and non-forested environments. The present work had as general objective to characterize the pedology aspects and the geo-environmental units of the Park and surroundings, in an integrated vision of the landscape and, additionally, estimate the carbon stocks in the soils and geo-environments. We described and collected 29 soil profiles in the main vegetation types of Campinaranas and Forests of PARNA Viruá and surroundings. The main soil classes are: Espodossolo Humilúvico, Neossolo Quartzarênico, Neossolo Flúvico, Neossolo Litólicos, Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo, Latossolo Vermelho, Cambissolo Háplico, Cambissolo Flúvico, Gleissolo Háplico and Plintossolo Háplico. The soils present spatial distribution marked by abrupt limits and close association with the vegetation type. We identified three pedo-environments: (1 sandy soils of the Campinaranas; (2 soils associated with the inselbergs and adjacencies; and (3 alluvial soils. We mapped and described 18 geoenvironmental units in PARNA Viruá National Park. The main geo-environments are: i Sandy plains and Paleodunes with grassy and arborous Campinarana on ‘Neossolos Quartzarênicos hidromórficos’ and ‘Espodossolos’; and Floodplains and; ii Terraces with Igapó Forest on sandy hydromorphic soils, occupying 24.6% and 20.1% of the studied area, respectively. In terms of total soil carbon stocks, the geo-environments of the sandy complexes of Campinaranas and associations stand out, with 9450.9 Gg C. The great extension and representativeness of the sandy areas of Campinaranas characterize PARNA Viruá PArk as an important conservation unit for protection Amazonian sandy soil systems. The areas under the domain of ‘Espodossolos’ possess the

  8. Storm Impact and Depression Among Older Adults Living in Hurricane Sandy-Affected Areas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sirey, Jo Anne; Berman, Jacquelin; Halkett, Ashley; Giunta, Nancy; Kerrigan, Janice; Raeifar, Elmira; Artis, Amanda; Banerjee, Samprit; Raue, Patrick J

    2017-02-01

    Research on the impact of natural disasters on the mental health of older adults finds both vulnerabilities and resilience. We report on the rates of clinically significant depression among older adults (aged ≥60 years) living in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the factors associated with mental health need. The Sandy Mobilization, Assessment, Referral and Treatment for Mental Health (SMART-MH) program integrates community outreach and needs assessments to identify older adults with mental health and aging service needs. Older adults with significant anxiety or depressive symptoms were offered short-term psychotherapy. Social service referrals were made directly to community agencies. All SMART-MH activities were offered in Spanish, Russian, Mandarin/Cantonese, and English. Across the full sample, 14% of participants screened positive for depression. Hurricane Sandy stressors predicted increased odds of depression, including storm injury, post-storm crime, and the total count of stressors. Outcomes varied significantly by age group, such that all Sandy-related variables remained significant for younger-old adults (aged 60-74 years), whereas only the loss of access to medical care was significant for older-old adults (aged ≥75 years). Storm-affected communities show higher rates of depressive symptoms than seen in the general population, with storm stressors affecting mental health needs differentially by age group. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:97-109).

  9. Eleven years' effect of conservation practices for temperate sandy loams: II. Soil pore characteristics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abdollahi, Lotfallah; Munkholm, Lars Juhl

    2017-01-01

    Conservation agriculture (CA) is regarded by many as a sustainable intensification strategy. Minimal soil disturbance in combination with residue retention are important CA components. This study examined the long-term effects of crop rotation, residue retention, and tillage on soil pore characte......Conservation agriculture (CA) is regarded by many as a sustainable intensification strategy. Minimal soil disturbance in combination with residue retention are important CA components. This study examined the long-term effects of crop rotation, residue retention, and tillage on soil pore...... characteristics of two Danish sandy loams. Rotation R2 is a rotation of winter crops (mainly cereals) with residues retained, rotation R3 a mix of winter and spring crops (mainly cereals) with residues removed, and rotation R4 the same mix of winter and spring crops, but with residues retained. Each rotation...... included the tillage treatments: moldboard plowing to 20-cm depth (MP), harrowing to 8- to 10-cm depth (H) and direct drilling (D). Soil cores were taken from the topsoil (4–8, 12–16, 18–27 cm) in mid-autumn 2013 and early spring 2014. Water retention, air permeability, and gas diffusivity was determined...

  10. Rapid nutrient leaching to groundwater and surface water in clay soil areas

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bronswijk, J.J.B.; Hamminga, W.; Oostindie, K.

    1995-01-01

    Nitrate leaching from agricultural soils has frequently led to concentrations above the EU drinking-water standard. Most data originate from sandy soils. In this experiment the mechanism and magnitude of nitrate leaching from grassland on a heavy claysoil were investigated. In an experimental field,

  11. Soils in an agricultural landscape of Jokioinen, south-western Finland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. YLI-HALLA

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Eleven pedons in an agricultural landscape at elevations 80-130 m above sea level in Jokioinen, south-western Finland were investigated and classified according to Soil Taxonomy, the FAO-Unesco system (FAO, and the World Reference Base for Soil Resources system (WRB. The soils were related to geomorphology of the landscape which is characterized by clayey fields and forested bedrock high areas covered with glacial till. A Spodosol/Podzol was found in a coarse-sandy soil in an esker while the sandy loam in a bedrock high area soils did not have an E horizon. A man-made mollic epipedon was found in a cultivated soil which had a sandy plow layer while clayey plow layers were ochric epipedons. Cambic horizons, identified by structure and redox concentrations, were common in cultivated soils. In a heavy clay soil, small slickensides and wedge-shaped aggregates, i.e., vertic characteristics, were found. Histosols occurred in local topographic depressions irrespective of the absolute elevation. According to the three classification systems, the following catenas are recognized: Haplocryods - Dystro/Eutrocryepts -Haplocryolls - Cryaquepts - Cryosaprists (Soil Taxonomy, Podzols - Regosols - Cambisols - Histosols (FAO-Unesco, and Podzols - Cambisols - Phaeozems - Gleysols - Histosols (WRB.;

  12. Transport Modeling of Modified Magnetite Nanoparticles with Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate in a Saturated Sandy Soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Farrokhian Firouzi

    2017-02-01

    . The response curve was followed by analyzing the concentration history of Cl-1 in the effluent. Then, the influent was switched back to the background solution to thoroughly elute the tracer. Following the tracer test, a modified magnetite nanoparticles with sodium dodecyl sulfate was introduced into the column and the nanoparticle breakthrough curves were obtained by measuring the concentration history of total Fe in the effluent. Total iron concentration was analyzed with a flame atomic-absorption spectrophotometer. One site and two site kinetic attachment-detachment models in HYDRUS-1D software were used to predict the nanoparticles transport. Also parameters of model efficiency coefficient (E, root mean square error (RMSE, geometric mean error ratio (GMER, and geometric standard deviation of error ratio (GSDER were used to determine the accuracy of the models. Results and Discussion: SEM measurements demonstrated that the particle size of nanoparticles was about 40-60 nm. The hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient (D for each medium was obtained by fitting the classic 1-D convection–dispersion equation (CDE to the experimental breakthrough data using the CXTFIT code (STANMOD software, USDA. The relative concentration of nanoparticles in comparison with chloride in the collected effluent from soil columns were much lower indicating a strong retention of nanoparticles in studied porous media, thereby attachment, deposition and possibly straining of nanoparticles. Modeling results showed that in all sites of both models (one site and two-site kinetic attachment-detachment models, attachment was rapid and detachment was slow. These attachment kinetic sites may be because of consistent charges of minerals with attachment. Therefore, considering to same attachment-detachment behavior in two sites of two-site kinetic model, it is concluded that the one site kinetic model had eligible estimation of nanoparticles breakthrough curve in the studied sandy soil columns lonely

  13. Fate of CL-20 in sandy soils: Degradation products as potential markers of natural attenuation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Monteil-Rivera, Fanny; Halasz, Annamaria; Manno, Dominic; Kuperman, Roman G.; Thiboutot, Sonia; Ampleman, Guy; Hawari, Jalal

    2009-01-01

    Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) is an emerging explosive that may replace the currently used explosives such as RDX and HMX, but little is known about its fate in soil. The present study was conducted to determine degradation products of CL-20 in two sandy soils under abiotic and biotic anaerobic conditions. Biotic degradation was prevalent in the slightly acidic VT soil, which contained a greater organic C content, while the slightly alkaline SAC soil favored hydrolysis. CL-20 degradation was accompanied by the formation of formate, glyoxal, nitrite, ammonium, and nitrous oxide. Biotic degradation of CL-20 occurred through the formation of its denitrohydrogenated derivative (m/z 393 Da) while hydrolysis occurred through the formation of a ring cleavage product (m/z 156 Da) that was tentatively identified as CH 2 =N-C(=N-NO 2 )-CH=N-CHO or its isomer N(NO 2 )=CH-CH=N-CO-CH=NH. Due to their chemical specificity, these two intermediates may be considered as markers of in situ attenuation of CL-20 in soil. - Two key intermediates of CL-20 degradation are potential markers of its natural attenuation in soil

  14. Response of corn silage (Zea mays L.) to zinc fertilization on a sandy soil under field and

    OpenAIRE

    Saad Drissi; Abdelhadi Aït Houssa; Ahmed Bamouh; Mohamed Benbella

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the experiments was to evaluate zinc (Zn) fertilization effect on growth, yield and yield components of corn silage grown on a sandy soil under field and outdoor container conditions. Six rates of Zn supply (0 or control; 1.5; 3; 5; 10 and 50 mg kg−1) were tested. They were split at three different times during the growing season: (i) 50% immediately after sowing, (ii) 25% at 4–5 leaf stage and (iii) 25% at 8–9 leaf stage. These Zn rates were applied to the soil surface as a so...

  15. SUITABLE LOCATION OF SHEET PILE UNDER DAM RESTING ON SANDY SOIL WITH CAVITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laith J. Aziz

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available This research describes the seepage characteristics of experimental model test of dam with cutoff located at different region (at dam heel, at mid floor of dam, and at dam toe. It is resting on sandy soil with cavity at different locations in X and Y directions (such as in Al-Najaf soil city. Thirty three model tests are performed in laboratory by using steel box to estimate the quantity of the seepage and flow lines direction. It was concluded that the best location of the cutoff wall is at the dam toe for model test with cavity ( Xc B = 0 and 0.5, but for model test with cavity ( Xc B ≥1, the best location of the sheet pile wall becomes at the dam heel. For negative location of the cavity, the best location of the sheet pile wall is at the middle of the floor dam.

  16. Evaluation Of Onion Production On Sandy Soils By Use Of Reduced Tillage And Controlled Traffic Farming With Wide Span Tractors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedersen Hans Henrik

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Growing of vegetables is often characterised by intensive field traffic and use of heavy machines. By implementing controlled traffic farming (CTF, compaction of the growth zone can be avoided. An experiment was established in an onion field on a coarse sandy loam. Treatments were applied in the field that for five years had been managed by seasonal CTF (SCTF, where harvest is performed by random traffic due to lack of suitable harvest machines. The main treatment was compaction with a fully loaded potato harvester. The split treatment in the crossed split plot design was mechanical loosening. Bulk density, macroporosity, penetration resistance, water retention characteristics and yield were measured. Mechanical loosening caused improvements in the physical soil measurements and more roots were found in the upper soil layers. The highest yield was however found in the CTF simulation plots (19% higher than in the SCTF simulated plots. Using wide span tractors as a harvest platform will enable CTF in vegetable production. Avoidance of compaction will enable reduced tillage intensity and productivity can be improved both through higher yield of the area that is cropped and by a larger percentage of fields can be cropped area as less area will be needed for tracks.

  17. Soil water retention, air flow and pore structure characteristics after corn cob biochar application to a tropical sandy loam

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Amoakwah, Emmanuel; Frimpong, Kwame Agyei; Okae-Anti, D

    2017-01-01

    Soil structure is a key soil physical property that affects soil water balance, gas transport, plant growth and development, and ultimately plant yield. Biochar has received global recognition as a soil amendment with the potential to ameliorate the structure of degraded soils. We investigated how...... corn cob biochar contributed to changes in soil water retention, air flow by convection and diffusion, and derived soil structure indices in a tropical sandy loam. Intact soil cores were taken from a field experiment that had plots without biochar (CT), and plots each with 10 t ha− 1 (BC-10), 20 t ha...... to significant increase in soil water retention compared to the CT and BC-10 as a result of increased microporosity (pores biochar had minimal impact. No significant influence of biochar was observed for ka and Dp/D0 for the BC treatments compared to the CT despite...

  18. Plant uptake and soil retention of phthalic acid applied to Norfolk sandy loam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dorney, J.R.; Weber, J.B.; Overcash, M.R.; Strek, H.J.

    1985-01-01

    Plant uptake and soil retention of 14 C carboxyl-labeled phthalic acid were studied at application rates of 0.6, 6.0, 60.0, and 600.0 ppm (soil dry weight) to Norfolk sandy loam (Typic Paleudult, fine loamy, kaolinitic, thermic). Height and dry weight of corn (Zea mays L. Pioneer 3368A) (21 day), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. Kentucky 31) (45 day) immature soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. Altoona) (21 day) plant, mature soybean plant, and mature wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Butte) straw were not affected by phthalic acid applied to soil. In addition, soybean seed and wheat seed dry weight were unaffected. Immature wheat (40 day) height decreased at the 600 ppm rate. Plant uptake of phthalic acid ranged from 0 to 23 ppm and was significantly above background for all plants and plant materials except soybean pods. Fescue and immature plants exhibited the highest concentration of phthalic acid while mature wheat plants and wheat seeds exhibited the least. Most of the phthalic acid volatilized or was decomposed from the soil by the end of the study; an average of only 5.7% of the originally applied chemical was recovered in both soil or plants. An average of 0.02% of the originally applied phthalic acid leached out of the treated zone. Considering the low toxicity of phthalic acid and its relatively rapid disappearance from soil, it is unlikely to become a health hazard from contaminated plants. However, plant uptake of other toxic organics could potentially become a hazard on soils treated with sludge containing significant quantities of these substances

  19. Effects of a novel poly (AA-co-AAm)/AlZnFe₂O₄/potassium humate superabsorbent hydrogel nanocomposite on water retention of sandy loam soil and wheat seedling growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahid, Shaukat Ali; Qidwai, Ansar Ahmad; Anwar, Farooq; Ullah, Inam; Rashid, Umer

    2012-10-25

    A novel poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)AlZnFe₂O₄/potassium humate( )superabsorbent hydrogel nanocomposite (PHNC) was synthesized and its physical properties characterized using SEM, Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) and FTIR spectroscopic techniques. Air dried sandy loam soil was amended with 0.1 to 0.4 w/w% of PHNC to evaluate its soil moisture retention attributes. Effect of PHNC amendment on pH, electrical conductivity (EC), porosity, bulk density and hydraulic conductivity of sandy loam soil was also studied. The soil amendment with 0.1 to 0.4 w/w% of PHNC remarkably enhanced the moisture retention at field capacity as compared to the un-amended soils. Seed germination and seedling growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was considerably increased and a delay by 6-9 days in wilting of seedlings was observed in the soil amended with PHNC, resulting in improved wheat plant establishment and growth.

  20. Field sampling of residual aviation gasoline in sandy soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ostendorf, D.W.; Hinlein, E.S.; Yuefeng, Xie; Leach, L.E.

    1991-01-01

    Two complementary field sampling methods for the determination of residual aviation gasoline content in the contaminated capillary fringe of a fine, uniform, sandy soil were investigated. The first method featured field extrusion of core barrels into pint-size Mason jars, while the second consisted of laboratory partitioning of intact stainless steel core sleeves. Soil samples removed from the Mason jars (in the field) and sleeve segments (in the laboratory) were subjected to methylene chloride extraction and gas chromatographic analysis to compare their aviation gasoline content. The barrel extrusion sampling method yielded a vertical profile with 0.10m resolution over an essentially continuous 5.0m interval from the ground surface to the water table. The sleeve segment alternative yielded a more resolved 0.03m vertical profile over a shorter 0.8m interval through the capillary fringe. The two methods delivered precise estimates of the vertically integrated mass of aviation gasoline at a given horizontal location, and a consistent view of the vertical profile as well. In the latter regard, a 0.2m thick lens of maximum contamination was found in the center of the capillary fringe, where moisture filled all voids smaller than the mean pore size. The maximum peak was resolved by the core sleeve data, but was partially obscured by the barrel extrusion observations, so that replicate barrels or a half-pint Mason jar size should be considered for data supporting vertical transport analyses in the absence of sleeve partitions

  1. [Effects of litter and root exclusion on soil microbial community composition and function of four plantations in subtropical sandy coastal plain area, China].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sang, Chang Peng; Wan, Xiao Hua; Yu, Zai Peng; Wang, Min Huang; Lin, Yu; Huang, Zhi Qun

    2017-04-18

    We conducted detritus input and removal treatment (DIRT) to examine the effects of shifting above- and belowground carbon (C) inputs on soil microbial biomass, community composition and function in subtropical Pinus elliottii, Eucalyptus urophylla × Eucalyptus grandis, Acacia aulacocarpa and Casuarina equisetifolia coastal sandy plain forests, and the treatments included: root trenching, litter removal and control. Up to September 2015, one year after the experiment began, we collected the 0-10 cm soil samples from each plot. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis was used to characterize the microbial community composition, and micro-hole enzymatic detection technology was utilized to determine the activity of six kinds of soil enzymes. Results showed that changes in microbial biomass induced by the C input manipulations differed among tree species, and mainly affected by litter and root qualily. In E. urophylla × E. grandis stands, root trenching significantly decreased the contents of total PLFAs, Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes by 31%, 30%, 32%, 36% and 26%, respectively. Litter removal reduced the contents of Gram-positive bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes by 24%, 27% and 24%, respectively. However, C input manipulations had no significant effect on soil microbial biomassunder other three plantations. According to the effect of C input manipulations on soil microbial community structure, litter and root exclusion decreased fungi abundance and increased actinomycetes abundance. Different treatments under different plantations resulted in various soil enzyme activities. Litter removal significantly decreased the activities of cellobiohydrolase, β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase and N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase of P. elliottii, A. aulacocarpa and C. equisetifolia, root exclusion only decreased and increased the activities of β-glucosidase in P. elliottii and A. aulacocarpa forest soils, respectively. Litter removal also

  2. Grape yield, and must compounds of 'Cabernet Sauvignon' grapevine in sandy soil with potassium contents increasing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marlise Nara Ciotta

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Content of exchangeable potassium (K in t soil may influence on its content in grapevines leaves, grape yield, as well as, in must composition. The study aimed to assess the interference of exchangeable K content in the soil on its leaf content, production and must composition of 'Cabernet Sauvignon' cultivar. In September 2011, in Santana do Livramento (RS five vineyards with increasing levels of exchangeable K in the soil were selected. In the 2012/13 and 2013/14 harvests, the grape yield, yield components, total K content in the leaves in full bloom and berries veraison were evaluated. Values of total soluble sugar (TSS, pH, total titratable acidity (TTA, total polyphenols and anthocyanins were evaluated in the must. Exchangeable K content increase in soil with sandy surface texture increased its content in leaves collected during full flowering and in berries and must pH; however, it did not affect production of the 'Cabernet Sauvignon'.

  3. Spatial distribution of Eucalyptus roots in a deep sandy soil in the Congo: relationships with the ability of the stand to take up water and nutrients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laclau, J P; Arnaud, M; Bouillet, J P; Ranger, J

    2001-02-01

    Spatial statistical analyses were performed to describe root distribution and changes in soil strength in a mature clonal plantation of Eucalyptus spp. in the Congo. The objective was to analyze spatial variability in root distribution. Relationships between root distribution, soil strength and the water and nutrient uptake by the stand were also investigated. We studied three, 2.35-m-wide, vertical soil profiles perpendicular to the planting row and at various distances from a representative tree. The soil profiles were divided into 25-cm2 grid cells and the number of roots in each of three diameter classes counted in each grid cell. Two profiles were 2-m deep and the third profile was 5-m deep. There was both vertical and horizontal anisotropy in the distribution of fine roots in the three profiles, with root density decreasing sharply with depth and increasing with distance from the stump. Roots were present in areas with high soil strength values (> 6,000 kPa). There was a close relationship between soil water content and soil strength in this sandy soil. Soil strength increased during the dry season mainly because of water uptake by fine roots. There were large areas with low root density, even in the topsoil. Below a depth of 3 m, fine roots were spatially concentrated and most of the soil volume was not explored by roots. This suggests the presence of drainage channels, resulting from the severe hydrophobicity of the upper soil.

  4. Potassium efficiency of different crops grown on a sandy soil under controlled conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El Dessougi, H. I.; Claassen, N.; Steingrobe, B.

    2010-01-01

    The objective of this work was to study K efficiency of different crops and determine the plant parameters affecting it. The study was carried out using 14 different crops and cultivars grown on a sandy soil rich in humus, with two potassium fertilisation levels under controlled conditions. The studied crops showed different K efficiency reflected in different dry matter yield production in unfertilised relative to fertilised treatments. All crops had , at low K supply, less than optimum K concentration in dry matter, indicating that the soil K concentration did not meet the K requirement of the plants, Thus, the ability to produce high dry matter yield indicated superior adaptability to K deficiency. The efficiency mechanisms employed by the different crops were low shoot growth rate and/or high root length-shoot weigh ratio and a high uptake rate per unit root, i.e. the influx, or low internal K requirement. Crops with high influx had higher calculated concentration gradients, since they caused further decrease of the concentration at the root surface. As such, they were able to create steeper concentration gradients between bulk soil solution and root surface. This resulted in higher diffusive flux to the roots.(Author)

  5. Measurement of earthquake-induced shear strain in sandy gravel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohkawa, I.; Futaki, M.; Yamanouchi, H.

    1989-01-01

    The nuclear power reactor buildings have been constructed on the hard rock ground formed in or before the Tertiary in Japan. This is mainly because the nuclear reactor building is much heavier than the common buildings and requires a large bearing capacity of the underlying soil deposit, and additionally the excessive deformation in soil deposit might cause damage in reactor building and subsequently cause the malfunction of the internal important facilities. Another reason is that the Quaternary soil deposit is not fully known with respect to its dynamic property. The gravel, and the sandy gravel, the representative soils of the Quaternary, have been believed to be suitable soil deposits to support the foundation of a common building, although the soils have rarely been investigated so closely on their physical properties quantitatively. In this paper, the dynamic deformability, i.e., the shear stress-strain relationship of the Quaternary diluvial soil deposit is examined through the earthquake ground motion measurement using accelerometers, pore-pressure meters, the specific devices developed in this research work. The objective soil deposit in this research is the sandy gravel of the diluvial and the alluvial

  6. Influence of manganese fertilizer on efficiency of grapes on sandy soils of the Chechen Republic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Batukaev A.A.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available As a result of the studies, there has been obtained new information about the manganese influence on productivity of grape plantations, on sandy soils of the Chechen Republic. Manganese fertilizing of 4 kg active ingredient per 1 ha, against the background of nitrogen 90 kg, phosphorus 90 kg and potassium 90 kg/ha, made it into a phase of grape sap flow, which contributes to higher yields, increase of the sugar content of the berries and a significant decrease in juice acidity, in comparison with other options.

  7. Field-measured, hourly soil water evaporation stages in relation to reference evapotranspiration rate and soil to air temperature ratio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soil water evaporation takes critical water supplies away from crops, especially in areas where both rainfall and irrigation water are limited. This study measured bare soil water evaporation from clay loam, silt loam, sandy loam, and fine sand soils. It found that on average almost half of the ir...

  8. influence of tillage practices on physical properties of a sandy loam

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    DR. AMINU

    many regions of the world if the mechanics of tillage effects on soil physical properties is to be well understood. Thus, the ... tillage systems on water storage of a sandy loam soil after 22 years of ..... Soil infiltration ... and processes. Academy ...

  9. Relationships between soil erosion risk, soil use and soil properties in Mediterranean areas. A comparative study of three typical sceneries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil, Juan; Priego-Navas, Mercedes; Zavala, Lorena M.; Jordán, Antonio

    2013-04-01

    . Regarding soil properties, the analysis shows that organic matter from soils under minimum tillage or no-till is strongly related with runoff, the amount of sediments in runoff and soil loss. In soils from olive groves, the amount of sediments in runoff was significantly related to soil pH. Moreover, for olive-cropped soils under conventional tillage, soil loss is strongly related with clayey texture, which is characteristic of these soils. Concerning this, the relationship between soil loss and coarse sand contents is highly significant, and shows that medium-sized soil particles are most prone to detachment and transport by runoff. Thus, the average content of these fractions in soils under conventional management is more than two times that from olive groves under minimal or no tillage, which are more coarsely textured. In fine-textured soils, hydraulic conductivity is reduced, thus increasing soil erosion risk. In addition, in sandy and silty soils with low clay content, infiltration rates are high even when soil sealing is observed. At the scale of this experiment, runoff generation and soil erosion risk decrease significantly in areas under natural vegetation, with lower clay contents

  10. Active Distribute Temperature Sensing to Estimate Vertical Water Content Variations in a Loamy-Sandy Soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciocca, F.; Van De Giesen, N.; Assouline, S.; Huwald, H.; Hopmans, J. W.; Lunati, I.; Parlange, M. B.

    2011-12-01

    Optical fibers in combination with Raman scattering measurements (Distributed Temperature Sensor: DTS) have recently become more standard for the measurement of soil temperature. A recently developed technique to measure soil moisture called Active DTS (ADTS) is investigated in this study. ADTS consists of an application of a heat pulse for a fixed duration and power along the metal sheath covering the optical fiber placed in the soil. Soil moisture can be inferred from the increased temperature measured during the heating phase and the subsequent temperature decrease during the cooling phase. We assess this technique for a loamy-sandy soil as part of a field campaign that took place during the 2011 summer at EPFL. The measurements were taken within a weighing lysimeter (2.5 m depth and 1.2 m diameter) using an optical fiber arranged in 15 loops for a total measurement length of 52 m in the top 80 cm of the soil profile. Local soil moistures were simultaneously measured using capacity-based probes. Thermocouples, wrapped around the fiber, are used to account for the effects of the insulating cover surrounding the cable. Heat pulses of various duration and power have been applied for a range of soil moistures. Measurements were taken during periods of drainage and evaporation. The accuracy of the technique for the EPFL 2011 field campaign and the experiment are discussed and the soil moisture measurements are presented.

  11. Investigation of the variation of the specific heat capacity of local soil samples from the Niger delta, Nigeria with moisture content

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ofoegbu, C.O.; Adjepong, S.K.

    1987-11-01

    Results of an investigation of the variation, with moisture content, of the specific heat capacity of samples of three texturally different types of soil (clayey, sandy and sandy loam) obtained from the Niger delta area of Nigeria, are presented. The results show that the specific heat capacities of the soils studied, increase with moisture content. This increase is found to be linear for the entire range of moisture contents considered (0-25%), in the case of the sandy loam soil while for the clayey and sandy soils the specific heat capacity is found to increase linearly with moisture content up to about 15% after which the increase becomes parabolic. The rate of increase of specific heat capacity with moisture content appears to be highest in the clayey soil and lowest in the sandy soil. It is thought that the differences in the rates of increase of specific heat capacity with moisture content, observed for the soils, reflect the soils' water-retention capacities. (author) 3 refs, 5 figs

  12. Study of aliphatic-aromatic copolyester degradation in sandy soil and its ecotoxicological impact.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rychter, Piotr; Kawalec, Michał; Sobota, Michał; Kurcok, Piotr; Kowalczuk, Marek

    2010-04-12

    Degradation of poly[(1,4-butylene terephthalate)-co-(1,4-butylene adipate)] (Ecoflex, BTA) monofilaments (rods) in standardized sandy soil was investigated. Changes in the microstructure and chemical composition distribution of the degraded BTA samples were evaluated and changes in the pH and salinity of postdegradation soil, as well as the soil phytotoxicity impact of the degradation products, are reported. A macroscopic and microscopic evaluation of the surface of BTA rod samples after specified periods of incubation in standardized soil indicated erosion of the surface of BTA rods starting from the fourth month of their incubation, with almost total disintegration of the incubated BTA material observed after 22 months. However, the weight loss after this period of time was about 50% and only a minor change in the M(w) of the investigated BTA samples was observed, along with a slight increase in the dispersity (from an initial 2.75 up to 4.00 after 22 months of sample incubation). The multidetector SEC and ESI-MS analysis indicated retention of aromatic chain fragments in the low molar mass fraction of the incubated sample. Phytotoxicity studies revealed no visible damage, such as necrosis and chlorosis, or other inhibitory effects, in the following plants: radish, cres, and monocotyledonous oat, indicating that the degradation products of the investigated BTA copolyester are harmless to the tested plants.

  13. A RAINFALL SIMULATOR STUDY OF INFILTRATION INTO ARABLE SOILS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    WIERDA, A; VEEN, AWL

    Since Hortonian surface runoff is one possible mechanism for the fast transport of agricultural chemicals from arable soils to surface water, more information is needed on its significance in agricultural areas. The present study concerns the sandy soils of the Dutch Cover Sands area, and is based

  14. Zinc oxide nanoparticles affect carbon and nitrogen mineralization of Phoenix dactylifera leaf litter in a sandy soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rashid, Muhammad Imtiaz; Shahzad, Tanvir; Shahid, Muhammad; Ismail, Iqbal M I; Shah, Ghulam Mustafa; Almeelbi, Talal

    2017-02-15

    We investigated the impact of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs; 1000mgkg -1 soil) on soil microbes and their associated soil functions such as date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) leaf litter (5gkg -1 soil) carbon and nitrogen mineralization in mesocosms containing sandy soil. Nanoparticles application in litter-amended soil significantly decreased the cultivable heterotrophic bacterial and fungal colony forming units (cfu) compared to only litter-amended soil. The decrease in cfu could be related to lower microbial biomass carbon in nanoparticles-litter amended soil. Likewise, ZnO NPs also reduced CO 2 emission by 10% in aforementioned treatment but this was higher than control (soil only). Labile Zn was only detected in the microbial biomass of nanoparticles-litter applied soil indicating that microorganisms consumed this element from freely available nutrients in the soil. In this treatment, dissolved organic carbon and mineral nitrogen were 25 and 34% lower respectively compared to litter-amended soil. Such toxic effects of nanoparticles on litter decomposition resulted in 130 and 122% lower carbon and nitrogen mineralization efficiency respectively. Hence, our results entail that ZnO NPs are toxic to soil microbes and affect their function i.e., carbon and nitrogen mineralization of applied litter thus confirming their toxicity to microbial associated soil functions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Effect of soil texture on phytoremediation of arsenic-contaminated soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pallud, C. E.; Matzen, S. L.; Olson, A.

    2015-12-01

    Soil arsenic (As) contamination is a global problem, resulting in part from anthropogenic activities, including the use of arsenical pesticides and treated wood, mining, and irrigated agriculture. Phytoextraction using the hyperaccumulating fern Pteris vittata is a promising new technology to remediate soils with shallow arsenic contamination with minimal site disturbance. However, many challenges still lie ahead for a global application of phytoremediation. For example, remediation times using P. vittata are on the order of decades. In addition, most research on As phytoextraction with P. vittata has examined As removal from sandy soils, where As is more available, with little research focusing on As removal from clayey soils, where As is less available. The objective of this study is to determine the effects of soil texture and soil fertilization on As extraction by P. vittata, to optimize remediation efficiency and decrease remediation time under complex field conditions. A field study was established 2.5 years ago in an abandoned railroad grade contaminated with As (average 85.5 mg kg-1) with texture varying from sandy loam to silty clay loam. Organic N, inorganic N, organic P, inorganic P, and compost were applied to separate sub-plots; control ferns were grown in untreated soil. In a parallel greenhouse experiment, ferns were grown in sandy loam soil extracted from the field (180 mg As kg-1), with similar treatments as those used at the field site, plus a high phosphate treatment and treatments with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. In the field study, fern mortality was 24% higher in clayey soil than in sandy soil due to waterlogging, while As was primarily associated with sandy soil. Results from the sandy loam soil indicate that soil treatments did not significantly increase As phytoextraction, which was lower in phosphate-treated ferns than in control ferns, both in the field and greenhouse study. Under greenhouse conditions, ferns treated with organic N were

  16. Sensitivity analysis of the surface water- groundwater interaction for the sandy area of the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gomez del Campo, E.; Jousma, G.; Massop, H.T.L.

    1993-01-01

    The "Sensitivity Analysis of the Surface Water- Groundwater Interaction for the Sandy Area of the Netherlands" was carried out in the framework of a bilateral research project in support of the implementation of a nationwide geohydrological information system (REGIS) in the Netherlands. This

  17. Methodical comparison of neutron depth probes and long-term soil moisture measurements on loess, sandy loess, and boulder clay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neue, H.U.

    1980-01-01

    Three measuring instruments were tested: 0.05 mCi Cf-252, 100 mCi Am-241/Be, 500 mCi Am-241/Be. The advantages - measurement in undisturbed soil profiles, large depths of measurement, reproducibility of measurements in the same place over several years - and the disadvantages - radiation protection, resolution, variations of measured volume in dependence of moisture, background influences etc. - have been critically checked by experiment. In addition, annual soil moisture curves have been measured over two years by parallel use of the free probes on a loess, sandy loess, and boulder clay site. The results were compared and discussed with a view to the soil water dynamics of these sites. (orig./HP) [de

  18. Impacts of long-term waste-water irrigation on the development of sandy Luvisols: consequences for metal pollutant distributions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oort, van F.; Jongmans, A.G.; Lamy, I.; Baize, D.; Chevallier, P.

    2008-01-01

    Studies relating macro- and microscopic aspects of impacts of long-term contaminative practices on soils are scarce. We performed such an approach by assessing the fate of metal pollutants in an area close to Paris, where sandy Luvisols were irrigated for 100 years with urban waste water. As a

  19. Geochemical and physical properties, distribution coefficients of soils and sediments at the Olkiluoto Island and in the reference area in 2010-2011

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lahdenperae, A.-M.

    2014-04-01

    The report summarises the chemical, physical and mineralogical data and the calculated 'in situ' distribution coefficients (K d ) values of the indigenous elements from the different types of soil and sediment samples at the Olkiluoto Island and in the Reference area that were taken in 2010-2011. The data has been collected in order to extend the understanding of the site evolution and for radionuclide transport analyses and modelling. 'In situ' distribution coefficients, K d values are used to indicate the relevant mobility of elements and radionuclides. This report is part of the entirety of soil and sediment data from different soil types, soil layers and environmental conditions collected earlier for the biosphere site description and development. Soil and sediment samples were taken at various depths of humus, peat, gyttja, sandy/fine sandy till and cropland soils. The analyses procedure varied to some extent between the samples. In all samples were analysed pH, LOI, C, N, and the total concentrations of the elements using HNO 3 -HF extraction. The 'in situ' K d values were calculated using the formula by Sheppard et al.. For selected samples the easily leachable fraction was analysed by NH 4 Ac (pH 4.5). Bulk density and mineralogy was determined for a few samples. Grain size distribution was measured only from till samples. The results are discussed and the physical-chemical data and distribution coefficients of the results are presented. The cation exchange capacity and base saturation are calculated for the sandy/fine sandy till samples from Olkiluoto. The K d values of the important indigenous elements Ag, Cl, Cs, I, Mo, Ni, Se and Sr are of main interest in biosphere development due to the longest half-lives of the associated radionuclides, thus having long interaction times. The K d data are inherently extremely variable due to nature of practical quantity in question, aggregating a number of processes into a single value, but the data also vary

  20. Geochemical and physical properties, distribution coefficients of soils and sediments at the Olkiluoto Island and in the reference area in 2010-2011

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lahdenperae, A.-M. [Saanio and Riekkola Oy, Helsinki (Finland)

    2014-04-15

    The report summarises the chemical, physical and mineralogical data and the calculated 'in situ' distribution coefficients (K{sub d}) values of the indigenous elements from the different types of soil and sediment samples at the Olkiluoto Island and in the Reference area that were taken in 2010-2011. The data has been collected in order to extend the understanding of the site evolution and for radionuclide transport analyses and modelling. 'In situ' distribution coefficients, K{sub d} values are used to indicate the relevant mobility of elements and radionuclides. This report is part of the entirety of soil and sediment data from different soil types, soil layers and environmental conditions collected earlier for the biosphere site description and development. Soil and sediment samples were taken at various depths of humus, peat, gyttja, sandy/fine sandy till and cropland soils. The analyses procedure varied to some extent between the samples. In all samples were analysed pH, LOI, C, N, and the total concentrations of the elements using HNO{sub 3}-HF extraction. The 'in situ' K{sub d} values were calculated using the formula by Sheppard et al.. For selected samples the easily leachable fraction was analysed by NH{sub 4}Ac (pH 4.5). Bulk density and mineralogy was determined for a few samples. Grain size distribution was measured only from till samples. The results are discussed and the physical-chemical data and distribution coefficients of the results are presented. The cation exchange capacity and base saturation are calculated for the sandy/fine sandy till samples from Olkiluoto. The K{sub d} values of the important indigenous elements Ag, Cl, Cs, I, Mo, Ni, Se and Sr are of main interest in biosphere development due to the longest half-lives of the associated radionuclides, thus having long interaction times. The K{sub d} data are inherently extremely variable due to nature of practical quantity in question, aggregating a number of

  1. Occurrence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in organo-mineral particles of alluvial sandy soil profiles at a petroleum-contaminated site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Zhe; Zeng, Fangang; Xue, Nandong; Li, Fasheng

    2012-01-01

    The occurrence and the distribution of 16 USEPA priority pollutants polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in two alluvial sandy soil profiles and in their four sizes of organo-mineral particles ( 200 μm coarse sand) beside a typical oil sludge storage site in eastern China. PAHs were mainly enriched in the surface soil (0–20 cm) and the concentrations declined in deeper soils, from 3.68 to 0.128 μg/g in profile 1 and 10.8 to 0.143 μg/g in profile 2 (dry wt.). The PAHs in the upper soil layers of this study site mainly came from combustion pollution, whereas in the lower soil layers petroleum contamination became the major source of PAHs. The content of different sized organo-mineral particles of this alluvial sandy soil decreased in the following order: fine sand > coarse sand > silt > clay. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that all the different sized soil fractions of this study site were dominated by quartz, calcite and feldspar. The particle surface became smoother with size increasing as shown by scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. PAH concentrations varied largely in different sized soil fractions. The highest PAH concentration was associated with clay and decreased in the order: clay > silt > coarse sand > fine sand. Soil organic matter (SOM) content, mineral composition and particle surface characteristics were suggested as three main factors affecting the distribution of PAHs in different sized organo-mineral particles. This study will help to understand the distribution and transport characteristics of PAHs in soil profiles at petroleum-contaminated sites. -- Highlights: ► PAH concentrations varied largely in different sized fractions. ► The highest PAH concentrations were associated with clay and decreased in the order: clay > silt > coarse sand > fine sand. ► Soil organic matter (SOM) is an important factor to dominate the distribution of PAHs in this study site.

  2. Occurrence and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in organo-mineral particles of alluvial sandy soil profiles at a petroleum-contaminated site

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu, Zhe [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Anwai, Dayangfang 8, Beijing 100012 (China); Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2 (Canada); School of Environment, Renmin University of China, Zhongguancun Street 59, Beijing 100872 (China); Zeng, Fangang [School of Environment, Renmin University of China, Zhongguancun Street 59, Beijing 100872 (China); Xue, Nandong [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Anwai, Dayangfang 8, Beijing 100012 (China); Li, Fasheng, E-mail: ligulax@vip.sina.com [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Anwai, Dayangfang 8, Beijing 100012 (China)

    2012-09-01

    The occurrence and the distribution of 16 USEPA priority pollutants polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in two alluvial sandy soil profiles and in their four sizes of organo-mineral particles (< 2 {mu}m clay, 2-20 {mu}m silt, 20-200 {mu}m fine sand, and > 200 {mu}m coarse sand) beside a typical oil sludge storage site in eastern China. PAHs were mainly enriched in the surface soil (0-20 cm) and the concentrations declined in deeper soils, from 3.68 to 0.128 {mu}g/g in profile 1 and 10.8 to 0.143 {mu}g/g in profile 2 (dry wt.). The PAHs in the upper soil layers of this study site mainly came from combustion pollution, whereas in the lower soil layers petroleum contamination became the major source of PAHs. The content of different sized organo-mineral particles of this alluvial sandy soil decreased in the following order: fine sand > coarse sand > silt > clay. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that all the different sized soil fractions of this study site were dominated by quartz, calcite and feldspar. The particle surface became smoother with size increasing as shown by scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. PAH concentrations varied largely in different sized soil fractions. The highest PAH concentration was associated with clay and decreased in the order: clay > silt > coarse sand > fine sand. Soil organic matter (SOM) content, mineral composition and particle surface characteristics were suggested as three main factors affecting the distribution of PAHs in different sized organo-mineral particles. This study will help to understand the distribution and transport characteristics of PAHs in soil profiles at petroleum-contaminated sites. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer PAH concentrations varied largely in different sized fractions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The highest PAH concentrations were associated with clay and decreased in the order: clay > silt > coarse sand > fine sand. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Soil organic

  3. Behaviour of normal reinforced concrete columns exposed to different soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rasheed Laith

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Concrete resistance to sulfate attack is one of the most important characteristics for maintaining the durability of concrete. In this study, the effect of the attack of sulfate salts on normal reinforced concrete column was investigated by burying these columns in two types of soils (sandy and clayey in two pits at a depth of 3 m in one of the agricultural areas in the holy city of Karbala, one containing sandy soil (SO3 = 10.609% and the other containing clayey soil with (SO3 = 2.61%. The tests were used (pure axial compression test of reinforced concrete columns, compressive strength test, and splitting tensile strength test, absorption, voids ratio and finally density. It`s found that the strength of RC columns decreasing by (12.51% for age (240 days, for columns buried in clayey soil, where the strength increased by (11.71% for the same period, for columns buried in sandy soils, with respect to the reference column.

  4. Correlation between landscape fragmentation and sandy desertification: a case study in Horqin Sandy Land, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Xiaodong; Dong, Kaikai; Luloff, A E; Wang, Luyao; Xiao, Jun; Wang, Shiying; Wang, Qian

    2016-01-01

    The exact roles of landscape fragmentation on sandy desertification are still not fully understood, especially with the impact of different land use types in spatial dimension. Taking patch size and shape into consideration, this paper selected the Ratio of Patch Size and the Fractal Dimension Index to establish a model that reveals the association between the area of bare sand land and the fragmentation of different land use types adjacent to bare sand land. Results indicated that (1) grass land and arable land contributed the most to landscape fragmentation processes in the regions adjacent to bare sand land during the period 1980 to 2010. Grass land occupied 54 % of the region adjacent to bare sand land in 1980. The Ratio of Patch Size of grass land decreased from 1980 to 2000 and increased after 2000. The Fractal Dimension Index of grass increased during the period 1980 to 1990 and decreased after 1990. Arable land expanded significantly during this period. The Ratio of Patch Size of arable land increased from 1980 to 1990 and decreased since 1990. The Fractal Dimension Index of arable land increased from 1990 to 2000 and decreased after 2000. (2) The Ratio of Patch Size and the Fractal Dimension Index were significantly related to the area of bare sand land. The role of landscape fragmentation was not linear to sandy desertification. There were both positive and negative effects of landscape fragmentation on sandy desertification. In 1980, the Ratio of Patch Size and the Fractal Dimension Index were negatively related to the area of bare sand land, showing that the landscape fragmentation and regularity of patches contributed to the expansion of sandy desertification. In 1990, 2000, and 2010, the Ratio of Patch Size and the Fractal Dimension Index were mostly positively related to the area of bare sand land, showing the landscape fragmentation and regularity of patches contributed to the reversion of sandy desertification in this phase. The absolute values of

  5. A study on the aseismic safety of the experimental VHTR on the dense sandy layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujita, Shigeki; Ito, Yoshio; Baba, Osamu; Suzuki, Hideyuki; Takewaki, Naonobu; Kondo, Tsukasa; Yoshimura, Takashi; Yamada, Hitoshi.

    1986-12-01

    A series of studies has been carried out in 1983 and 1985 for the purpose of confirming the aseismic safety of the Experimental VHTR on the dense sandy layer. In 1983, effect of some of soil properties on seismic responses of the reactor building was estimated by means of parametric survey, and soil properties were estimated by analyzing the obserbed earthquake record. In 1985, literature review, linear, nonlinear parametric analyses and nonlinear simulation analyses were carried to study and compare the analysis method. In addition, seismic response of proposed construction site was estimated with nonlinear analysis method. As a result of these studies, the seismic response of reactor building on the dense sandy layers and wave propagation characteristics of sandy layers are understood. Especially, by means of many parametric studies, the effect of input wave characteristics, soil stiffness, nonlinear characteristics of soil properties and nonlinear analysis method on the reactor building responses were evaluated. (author)

  6. Depth distribution of preferential flow patterns in a sandy loam soil as affected by tillage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. T. Petersen

    1997-01-01

    Full Text Available Dye-tracer studies using the anionic dye Brilliant Blue FCF were conducted on a structured sandy loam soil (Typic Agrudalf. 25 mm of dye solution was applied to the surface of 11 1.6 x 1.6 m field plots, some of which had been subjected to conventional seed bed preparation (harrowing while others had been rotovated to either 5 or 15 cm depth before sowing. The soil was excavated to about 160 cm depth one or two days after dye application. Flow patterns and structural features appearing on vertical or horizontal cross sections were examined and photographed. The flow patterns were digitized, and depth functions for the number of activated flow pathways and the degree of dye coverage were calculated. Dye was found below 100 cm depth on 26 out of 33 vertical cross sections made in conventionally tilled plots showing that preferential flow was a prevailing phenomenon. The depth-averaged number of stained flow pathways in the 25-100 cm layer was significantly smaller in a plot rotovated to 5 cm depth than in a conventionally tilled plot, both under relatively dry initial soil conditions and when the entire soil profiles were initially at field capacity. There were no examples of dye penetration below 25 cm depth one month after deep rotovation. Distinct horizontal structures in flow patterns appearing at 20-40 cm depth coupled with changes in flow domains indicated soil layering with abrupt changes in soil structure and hydraulic properties.

  7. Characterization, desorption, and mining of phosphorus in noncalcareous sandy soils

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Koopmans, G.F.

    2004-01-01

    In areas with intensive livestock farming, soils have been enriched with phosphorus (P), following heavy applications of animal manure. These soils are a risk for nearby surface waters, as the leaching of P from these soils contributes to eutrophication of these surface waters. This study was set up

  8. Effects of different soil types in natural Mediterranean areas on soil organic carbon (SOC)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Requejo Silva, Ana; Lozano García, Beatriz; Parras Alcántara, Luis

    2017-04-01

    Effects of different soil types in natural Mediterranean areas on soil organic carbon (SOC) Ana Requejo1, Beatriz Lozano-García1, Luis Parras Alcántara1 1 Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science, Faculty of Science, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence - ceiA3, University of Córdoba, Spain. The carbon content of the atmosphere can be influenced by soils, since they can store carbon or emit large quantities of CO2. C sequestration into soils is one of the most important ecosystems services because of its role in climate regulation (IPPC, 2007). Thereof, agriculture and forestry are the only activities that can contribute to C sequestration through photosynthesis and its carbon incorporation into carbohydrates (Parras Alcántara et al., 2013). Dehesa is a multifunctional agro-sylvo-pastoral system and typical landscape of southern and central Spain and southern Portugal. It is an anthropogenic system dedicated to the combined production of black iberian pigs, a variety of foods, fuel, coal, and cork. Besides, it acts as well in the production of endangered species as wildlife habitat and as sustainable hunting areas. These dehesa areas are defined by a relationship between productivity and conservation of forest oaks, providing environmental benefits such as carbon capture and storage. The area focused in this study is the Cardeña-Montoro Nature Reserve, located within the Sierra Morena (Córdoba, South Spain). The most representative soils in Cardeña-Montoro Nature Reserve are Cambisols, Regosols, Leptosols and Fluvisols according to IUSS Working Group WRB (2006). They are characterized by a low fertility, poor physical conditions and marginal capacity for agricultural use, along with low organic matter content due to climate conditions (semiarid Mediterranean climate) and soil texture (sandy). Several studies have shown that land use affects the SOC concentration (Lozano-García et al., 2016; Khaledian et al., 2016). Based on this

  9. Thermomechanical Behavior of Energy Pile Embedded in Sandy Soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu Huang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The traditional energy pile (solid energy pile has been implemented for decades. However, the design of different kinds of energy piles is still not well understood. In this study, a series of model tests were performed on an aluminum pipe energy pile (PEP in dry sandy soil to investigate the thermal effects on the mechanical behaviors of pipe energy pile. The thermal responses of the PEP were also analyzed. Steady temperatures of the PEP under different working conditions were also compared with that of the solid energy pile. Different loading tests were carried out on four pipe energy piles under three different temperatures of 5, 35, and 50°C, respectively. The bearing capacity change can be interpreted through the load-displacement curves. Experiment results were also compared with the solid energy pile to evaluate bearing capacities of the PEP and the solid energy pile under different temperature conditions. The mobilized shaft resistance was also calculated and compared with the solid energy pile data and the results show that the PEP has a similar load transfer mechanism with the solid energy pile. It could also be found that, for PEPs under working load, plastic displacement would appear after a whole heating cycle.

  10. Effect of molarity in geo polymer earth brick reinforced with fibrous coir wastes using sandy soil and quarry dust as fine aggregate. (Case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Palanisamy

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available The studies are mainly carried out on strength development for various grades of geo-polymer mortar with varying molarity (M for producing geo-polymer earth brick (GPEB. The studies are focused on use of more sandy soil sieved from the raw earth available at site and quarry dust on replaced with river sand for making the un-burnt brick. The brick is reinforced with fibrous coir waste to increase shear strength and further pressed by hand compaction. Geo-polymer mortar is based on an inorganic alumina silicate binder system and it has more advantages of quick strength gain, negligence of water curing, best mechanical properties, eco-friendly, sustainable and alternate to ordinary Portland cement (OPC based mortar. Fly Ash (FA, Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS, sandy soil sieved from earth and Quarry Dust (QD are mixed with alkaline solution in different molarities 6 M, 8 M and 10 M to prepare specimens. Specimens are tested against workability, compressive strength, and water absorption test, rate of water absorption, abraded test and also fiber content of the brick. The research found that the brick is made by FA & GGBS as binders and soil & quarry dust as fine aggregate in ratio of 0.5:0.5:1.75:0.25 with fibrous coir waste 1% and alkaline solution 10 M for preparing mortar to produce, excellent compressive strength, low water absorption, low rate of absorption, good abrasive resistance etc., The new brick is placed an alternate to compressed stabilized earth block, cement block and traditional burnt brick. Keywords: Fiber reinforced geo-polymer earth brick, Geo-polymer mortar using sandy soil and quarry dust as fine-aggregate, Nature fibrous coir wastes, Un-burnt brick, Alternate to compressed stabilized earth block

  11. Measurement of surface redistribution of rainfall and modelling its effect on water balance calculations for a millet field on sandy soil in Niger.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gaze, S.R.; Simmonds, L.P.; Brouwer, J.; Bouma, J.

    1997-01-01

    During rain there can be substantial redistribution of water at the surface of sandy soils in the Sudano-Sahelian zone, because of localised runoff and runon. This results in variable infiltration over a field. Measurements of spatial variability in infiltration and crop growth were made in a millet

  12. The nematicidal effect of some bacterial biofertilizers on Meloidogyne incognita in sandy soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.E El-Hadad

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available In a greenhouse experiment, the nematicidal effect of some bacterial biofertilizers including the nitrogen fixing bacteria (NFB Paenibacillus polymyxa (four strains, the phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB Bacillus megaterium (three strains and the potassium solubilizing bacteria (KSB B. circulans (three strains were evaluated individually on tomato plants infested with the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita in potted sandy soil. Comparing with the uninoculated nematode-infested control, the inoculation with P. polymyxa NFB7, B. megaterium PSB2 and B. circulans KSB2, increased the counts of total bacteria and total bacterial spores in plants potted soil from 1.2 to 2.6 folds estimated 60 days post-inoculation. Consequently, the inoculation with P. polymyxa NFB7 increased significantly the shoot length (cm, number of leaves / plant, shoot dry weight (g / plant and root dry weight (g / plant by 32.6 %, 30.8 %, 70.3 % and 14.2 %, respectively. Generally, the majority treatments significantly reduced the nematode multiplication which was more obvious after 60 days of inoculation. Among the applied strains, P. polymyxa NFB7, B. megaterium PSB2 and B. circulans KSB2 inoculations resulted in the highest reduction in nematode population comparing with the uninoculated nematode-infested control. They recorded the highest reduction in numbers of hatched juveniles/root by 95.8 %, females/root by 63.75 % and juveniles/1kg soil by 57.8 %. These results indicated that these bacterial biofertilizers are promising double purpose microorganisms for mobilizing of soil nutrients (nitrogen, phosphate and potassium and for the biological control of M. incognita.

  13. Quasi 3D modelling of water flow in the sandy soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rezaei, Meisam; Seuntjens, Piet; Joris, Ingeborg; Boënne, Wesley; De Pue, Jan; Cornelis, Wim

    2016-04-01

    Monitoring and modeling tools may improve irrigation strategies in precision agriculture. Spatial interpolation is required for analyzing the effects of soil hydraulic parameters, soil layer thickness and groundwater level on irrigation management using hydrological models at field scale. We used non-invasive soil sensor, a crop growth (LINGRA-N) and a soil hydrological model (Hydrus-1D) to predict soil-water content fluctuations and crop yield in a heterogeneous sandy grassland soil under supplementary irrigation. In the first step, the sensitivity of the soil hydrological model to hydraulic parameters, water stress, crop yield and lower boundary conditions was assessed after integrating models at one soil column. Free drainage and incremental constant head conditions were implemented in a lower boundary sensitivity analysis. In the second step, to predict Ks over the whole field, the spatial distributions of Ks and its relationship between co-located soil ECa measured by a DUALEM-21S sensor were investigated. Measured groundwater levels and soil layer thickness were interpolated using ordinary point kriging (OK) to a 0.5 by 0.5 m in aim of digital elevation maps. In the third step, a quasi 3D modelling approach was conducted using interpolated data as input hydraulic parameter, geometric information and boundary conditions in the integrated model. In addition, three different irrigation scenarios namely current, no irrigation and optimized irrigations were carried out to find out the most efficient irrigation regime. In this approach, detailed field scale maps of soil water stress, water storage and crop yield were produced at each specific time interval to evaluate the best and most efficient distribution of water using standard gun sprinkler irrigation. The results show that the effect of the position of the groundwater level was dominant in soil-water content prediction and associated water stress. A time-dependent sensitivity analysis of the hydraulic

  14. Lead and cadmium interactions in Cynodon nlemfuensis and sandy soil subjected to treated wastewater application under greenhouse conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madyiwa, Simon; Chimbari, Moses John; Schutte, Frederik

    Pb and Cd are known to influence each other’s uptake by some plants when the two metals exist in the soil in significant amounts. This influence may be beneficial if it reduces uptake of metal by plants but may be detrimental if it increases uptake of the metal. This study was carried out to investigate the interaction of Pb and Cd in sandy soils and Cynodon nlemfluensis (star grass). Star grass was grown under greenhouse conditions in 33 fertilized pots containing sandy soils. Three weeks after planting the grass the pots were randomly assigned to the following treatments replicated three times; (a) application of three varying concentrations of Pb or Cd in addition to effluent and sludge, (b) application of three varying concentrations of combined Pb and Cd in addition to effluent and sludge, (c) application of water and (d) application of only effluent and sludge. Analysis of grass samples was done 45 and 90 days after addition of Pb and Cd to pots and that of the soil was done 90 days after addition of Pb and Cd to pots. The log normal mean level (in mg/kg) of Pb detected in the soil was 1.75 and that of Cd was 0.057 in mixed treatments while for single treatments the levels were 1.67 for Pb and 0.03 for Cd. The presence of Cd in the soil had no effect on the bio-available level of Pb but Pb significantly ( p < 0.05) increased the bio-available concentration of Cd. The log normal mean levels of Pb in grass re-growth from mixed treatment was 1.68 and that of Cd was 0.57 while the values for single treatments were 1.47 for Pb and 0.31 for Cd. There was no significant change in the level of uptake of Pb between single treatments and mixed treatments. However, Pb significantly increased uptake of Cd in mixed treatments compared to single treatments ( p < 0.05). The results of this study indicate that co-presence of Pb and Cd may have the detrimental effect of increasing uptake of Cd in star grass.

  15. Phosphorus application to cotton enhances growth, yield, and quality characteristics on a sandy loam soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad, M.; Ranjha, A.M.

    2009-01-01

    Phosphorus (P) is the second most limiting nutrient in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production after nitrogen. Under wheat-cotton cropping system of Pakistan most of the farmers apply P fertilizer only to wheat crop. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of fertilizer P on the growth, yield and fibre quality of cotton on a sandy loam calcareous soil at farmer's field in cotton growing area of district Khanewal, Punjab. Five levels of P (0, 17, 26, 34 and 43 kg P ha /sup -1/) along with 120 kg N and 53 kg K ha/sup -1/ were applied. The response of cotton growth parameters was greater than quality components to P addition in calcareous soil. There was significant increase in the growth and yield parameters with each additional rate of P. The response of number of bolls per plant, boll weight and seed cotton yield was to the tune of 88.23, 16.82 and 42%, respectively at P application rate of 34 kg ha/sup -1/. Cotton quality components (lint %age, fiber length and fiber strength) improved from 2 to 5% where 43 kg P ha/sup -1/ was added. The lint and seed P concentration was little affected by P application as compared to stem and leaves showing its essentiality for cell division and development of meristematic tissue. Phosphorus use, thus not only valuable for wheat crop but also its application to cotton crop is of vital importance in improving both lint yield and quality. (author)

  16. [Effects of desertification on C and N storages in grassland ecosystem on Horqin sandy land].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Ha-lin; Li, Yu-qiang; Zhou, Rui-lian

    2007-11-01

    Sandy grassland is widespread in northern China, where desertification is very common because of overgrazing and estrepement. However, little is known about the effects of desertification on grassland C and N storages in this region. A field survey was conducted on Horqin sandy grassland, and desertification gradients were established to evaluate the effects of desertification on C and N storages in soil, plant, and litter. The results showed that desertification had deep effects on the contents and storages of grassland C and N. The C and N contents and storages in the grassland decreased significantly with increasing desertification degree. Comparing with those in un-desertified grassland, the C and N contents in lightly, moderately, heavily, and severely desertified grasslands decreased by 56.06% and 48.72%, 78.43% and 74.36%, 88.95% and 84.62%, and 91.64% and 84.62% in 0-100 cm soil layer, and by 8.61% and 6.43%, 0.05% and 25.71%, 2.58% and 27.14%, and 8. 61% and 27. 86% in plant components, respectively. Relevantly, the C and N storages decreased by 50.95% and 43.38%, 75.19% and 71.04%, 86.76% and 81.48%, and 91.17% and 83.17% in plant underground components in 0-100 cm soil layer, and by 25.08% and 27.62%, 30.90% and 46.55%, 73.84% and 80.62%, and 90.89% and 87.31% in plant aboveground components, respectively. In 2000, the total area of desertified grassland in Horqin sandy land was 30152. 7 km2, and the C and N loss via desertification reached up to 107.53 and 9.97 Mt, respectively. Correlation analysis indicated that the decrease of soil C and N contents was mainly come from the decreased soil fine particles caused by wind erosion in the process of desertification, and the degradation of soil texture- and nutrient status led finally to the rapid decrease of C and N storages in plant biomass and litter.

  17. In-situ hydrodynamic characterization of a soil by means of an infiltration experiment. Application to a sandy soil in the central zone of Senegal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haverkamp, R.; Hamon, G.; Vauclin, M.; Vachaud, G.

    1979-01-01

    A new method is presented for predicting the hydraulic conductivity curve of an unsaturated soil from the relation between effective pressure and water content and the law of cumulative infiltration. With this method, which is based on the conceptual model proposed by Mualem (1976), it is possible to determine the parameter n as a function of the type of soil by fitting the cumulative infiltration law obtained numerically by solution of the Richards equation to that obtained experimentally. This approach is tested on experimental results obtained using the internal drainage method on sandy soil in the Central Zone of Senegal. It is shown that the moisture profiles calculated with the aid of the predicted hydraulic conductivity curve are in very good agreement with the measured profiles. This method seems well suited for studying the spatial variability of hydrodynamic characteristics since it is simple to set up and precise, and a large number of experiments can be performed in a short space of time. (author)

  18. Storm surge modeling of Superstorm Sandy in the New York City Metropolitan area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benimoff, A. I.; Blanton, B. O.; Dzedzits, E.; Fritz, W. J.; Kress, M.; Muzio, P.; Sela, L.

    2013-12-01

    Even though the New York/New Jersey area does not lie within the typical 'hurricane belt', recent events and the historical record indicate that large infrequent tropical storms have had direct hits on the region, with impacts being amplified due to the nearly right angle bend in the coastline. The recent plan unveiled by New York City's Mayor Bloomberg lays out mitigation strategies to protect the region's communities, infrastructure, and assets from future storms, and numerical simulation of storm surge and wave hazards driven by potential hurricanes plays a central role in developing and evaluating these strategies. To assist in local planning, recovery, and decision-making, we have used the tide, storm surge, and wind wave model ADCIRC+SWAN to simulate storm surge in one of the most populated areas of the United States: the New York City (NYC) metropolitan area. We have generated a new high-resolution triangular finite-element model grid for the region from recent USGS data as well as recent city topographic maps at 2-foot (0.6m) contour intervals, nautical charts, and details of shipping channels. Our hindcast simulations are compared against Superstorm Sandy. We used the City University of New York High Performance Computing Center's Cray XE6tm at the College of Staten Island for these simulations. Hindcasting and analysis of the Superstorm Sandy storm surge and waves indicates that our simulations produce a reasonable representation of actual events. The grid will be used in an ADCIRC-based forecasting system implementation for the region.

  19. Bioavailability and chronic toxicity of bismuth citrate to earthworm Eisenia andrei exposed to natural sandy soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omouri, Zohra; Hawari, Jalal; Fournier, Michel; Robidoux, Pierre Yves

    2018-01-01

    The present study describes bioavailability and chronic effects of bismuth to earthworms Eisenia andrei using OECD reproduction test. Adult earthworms were exposed to natural sandy soil contaminated artificially by bismuth citrate. Average total concentrations of bismuth in soil recovered by HNO 3 digestion ranged from 75 to 289mg/kg. Results indicate that bismuth decreased significantly all reproduction parameters of Eisenia andrei at concentrations ≥ 116mg/kg. However, number of hatched cocoons and number of juveniles seem to be more sensitive than total number of cocoons, as determined by IC 50 ; i.e., 182, 123 and > 289mg/kg, respectively. Bismuth did not affect Eisenia andrei growth and survival, and had little effect on phagocytic efficiency of coelomocytes. The low immunotoxicity effect might be explained by the involvement of other mechanisms i.e. bismuth sequestered by metal-binding compounds. After 28 days of exposure bismuth concentrations in earthworms tissue increased with increasing bismuth concentrations in soil reaching a stationary state of 21.37mg/kg dry tissue for 243mg Bi/kg dry soil total content. Data indicate also that after 56 days of incubation the average fractions of bismuth available extracted by KNO 3 aqueous solution in soil without earthworms varied from 0.0051 to 0.0229mg/kg, while in soil with earthworms bismuth concentration ranged between 0.310-1.347mg/kg dry soil. We presume that mucus and chelating agents produced by earthworms and by soil or/and earthworm gut microorganisms could explain this enhancement, as well as the role of dermal and ingestion routes of earthworms uptake to soil contaminant. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Geophysical Monitoring of Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soils Remediated with a Bioelectrochemical System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Deqiang; Lu, Lu; Revil, André; Zuo, Yi; Hinton, John; Ren, Zhiyong Jason

    2016-08-02

    Efficient noninvasive techniques are desired for monitoring the remediation process of contaminated soils. We applied the direct current resistivity technique to image conductivity changes in sandbox experiments where two sandy and clayey soils were initially contaminated with diesel hydrocarbon. The experiments were conducted over a 230 day period. The removal of hydrocarbon was enhanced by a bioelectrochemical system (BES) and the electrical potentials of the BES reactors were also monitored during the course of the experiment. We found that the variation in electrical conductivity shown in the tomograms correlate well with diesel removal from the sandy soil, but this is not the case with the clayey soil. The clayey soil is characterized by a larger specific surface area and therefore a larger surface conductivity. In sandy soil, the removal of the diesel and products from degradation leads to an increase in electrical conductivity during the first 69 days. This is expected since diesel is electrically insulating. For both soils, the activity of BES reactors is moderately imaged by the inverted conductivity tomogram of the reactor. An increase in current production by electrochemically active bacteria activity corresponds to an increase in conductivity of the reactor.

  1. Physical-hydraulic properties of a sandy loam typic paleudalf soil under organic cultivation of 'montenegrina' mandarin (Citrus deliciosa Tenore¹

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline Valverde dos Santos

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Citrus plants are the most important fruit species in the world, with emphasis to oranges, mandarins and lemons. In Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, most fruit production is found on small properties under organic cultivation. Soil compaction is one of the factors limiting production and due to the fixed row placement of this crop, compaction can arise in various manners in the interrows of the orchard. The aim of this study was to evaluate soil physical properties and water infiltration capacity in response to interrow management in an orchard of mandarin (Citrus deliciosa Tenore 'Montenegrina' under organic cultivation. Interrow management was performed through harrowing, logs in em "V", mowing, and cutting/knocking down plants with a knife roller. Soil physical properties were evaluated in the wheel tracks of the tractor (WT, between the wheel tracks (BWT, and in the area under the line projection of the canopy (CLP, with undisturbed soil samples collected in the 0.00-0.15, 0.15-0.30, 0.30-0.45, and 0.45-0.60 m layers, with four replicates. The soil water infiltration test was performed using the concentric cylinder method, with a maximum time of 90 min for each test. In general, soil analysis showed a variation in the physical-hydraulic properties of the Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico arênico (sandy loam Typic Paleudalf in the three sampling sites in all layers, regardless of the management procedure in the interrows. Machinery traffic leads to heterogeneity in the soil physical-hydraulic properties in the interrows of the orchard. Soil porosity and bulk density are affected especially in the wheel tracks of the tractor (WT, which causes a reduction in the constant rate of infiltration and in the accumulated infiltration of water in this sampling site. The use of the disk harrow and mower leads to greater harmful effects on the soil, which can interfere with mandarin production.

  2. Direct and Indirect Short-term Effects of Biochar on Physical Characteristics of an Arable Sandy Loam

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sun, Zhencai; Moldrup, Per; Elsgaard, Lars

    2013-01-01

    Biochar addition to agricultural soil is reported in several studies to reduce climate gas emissions, boost carbon storage, and improve soil fertility and crop productivity. These effects may be partly related to soil physical changes resulting from biochar amendment, but knowledge of how biochar...... application mechanistically affects soil physical characteristics is limited. This study investigated the effect of biochar application on soil structural and functional properties, including specific surface area, water retention, and gas transport parameters. Intact soil cores were taken from a field...... experiment on an arable sandy loam that included four reference plots without biochar and four plots with 20 tons ha(-1) biochar incorporated into the upper 20 cm 7 months before sampling. Water retention was measured at matric potentials ranging from wet (pF 1.0) to extremely dry conditions (pF similar to 6...

  3. Effect of lead on the microbiological activity in soil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mikkelsen, J P

    1974-01-01

    The production of CO/sub 2/ has been measured after addition of 0, 100, 1000 and 5000 ppm lead (as nitrate) to three Danish soils (two sandy soils and one clay soil). The microbiological activity was inhibited for 10-14 days in the two sandy soils at an addition of 5000 ppm lead, but not in the clay soil. Extraction experiments indicated that the sandy soil has the greatest amount of slight soluble lead, and the content of heavy adsorbed lead was greatest in the clay soil. Determinations (counts) of the effect of lead on the microbial population has shown reduction of the number of microorganisms at addition of 5000 ppm lead. The reduction was greatest in the sandy soil.

  4. [Dynamic changes of surface soil organic carbon and light-fraction organic carbon after mobile dune afforestation with Mongolian pine in Horqin Sandy Land].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shang, Wen; Li, Yu-qiang; Wang, Shao-kun; Feng, Jing; Su, Na

    2011-08-01

    This paper studied the dynamic changes of surface (0-15 cm) soil organic carbon (SOC) and light-fraction organic carbon (LFOC) in 25- and 35-year-old sand-fixing Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) plantations in Horqin Sandy Land, with a mobile dune as a comparison site. After the afforestation on mobile dune, the content of coarse sand in soil decreased, while that of fine sand and clay-silt increased significantly. The SOC and LFOC contents also increased significantly, but tended to decrease with increasing soil depth. Afforestation increased the storages of SOC and LFOC in surface soil, and the increment increased with plantation age. In the two plantations, the increment of surface soil LFOC storage was much higher than that of SOC storage, suggesting that mobile dune afforestation had a larger effect on surface soil LFOC than on SOC.

  5. Structural Stability and Hydraulic Conductivity Of Nkpologu Sandy ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Studies were conducted in the runoff plots at the University of Nigeria Nsukka Teaching and Resesarch Farm in 2010 and 2011 to monitor the changes in structural stability and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) of Nkpologu sandy loam soil under different cover management practices. The management practices were ...

  6. Effect of potassium fertilizers on 137Cs transfer from sandy soddy-podzolic soil to plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belova, N.V.; Sanzharova, N.I.; Shishulina, M.V.; Moiseenko, F.V.; Vorob'eva, L.A.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of the work is to study the behavior of potassium in sandy soddy podzolic soil and its influence on the availability of 137 Cs to plants of winter rye and lupine when applying various doses of potassium fertilizers (PF) and turf-manure compost (TMC). A many-years stationary experiment was established in the Bryansk region in 1986-1988 on soddy podzolic soil contaminated by the accident at the Chernobyl Power Station. The influence of fertilizer was studied in 4-field crop rotation in an experimental plot: seeded fallow (lupine, bird's-foot) – winter rye – potato – spring grains. Potassium and mineral fertilizers were applied. It was shown that the application of potassium fertilizers (from 0 to 180 kg/ha) increased the content of exchangeable potassium in the soil by 1.7-2-7 times and its mobility by 2.5-4.0 times which resulted in a decrease of 137Cs transfer to plants by 5.8-14 times. The inverse proportional relationship was found between the potassium mobility and the content of its mobile form and the accumulation coefficient of 137Cs by lupine and wheat rye plants. A linear relationship was reveled between the accumulation coefficient of 137Cs and the content of exchangeable radionuclide

  7. Proposal of new convenient extractant for assessing phytoavailability of heavy metals in contaminated sandy soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korzeniowska, Jolanta; Stanislawska-Glubiak, Ewa

    2017-06-01

    The aim of the study was to compare the usefulness of 1 M HCl with aqua regia, EDTA, and CaCl 2 for the extraction of phytoavailable forms of Cu, Ni, and Zn on coarse-textured soils contaminated with these metals. Two microplot experiments were used for the studies. Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), maize (Zea mays), willow (Salix viminalis), spartina (Spartina pectinata), and miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus) were used as test plants. They were grown on soil artificially spiked with Cu, Ni, and Zn. The experimental design included a control and three increasing doses of metals. Microplots (1 m 2  × 1 m deep) were filled with sandy soil (clay-6%, pH 5.5, Corg-0.8%). Metals in the form of sulfates were dissolved in water and applied to the plot using a hand liquid sprayer. During the harvest, samples were collected from aboveground parts, roots, and the soil and then tested for their Cu, Zn, and Ni contents. The metal content of the soil was determined using four tested extractants. It was found that Cu and Ni were accumulated in roots in bigger amounts than Zn. The usefulness of the extractants was evaluated based on the correlation between the content of metals in the soil and the plant (n = 32). This study demonstrated that 1 M HCl, aqua regia, and EDTA were more efficient or equally useful for the assessment of the phytoavailability of Cu, Ni, and Zn as CaCl 2 . Due to the ease of performing determinations and their low cost, 1 M HCl can be recommended to assess the excess of Cu, Ni, and Zn in the coarse-textured soils.

  8. Study of the effect of the repeated incorporation of millet straw on the availability of nitrogen in a sandy tropical soil using 15N

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guiraud, G.; Ganry, F.; Llimous, Gisele.

    1980-01-01

    In order to maintain the level of organic materials in the sandy soils of Senegal, compost was injected in these soils over a period of four consecutive years. The effects of this injection were studied by carrying out tests in pots with a nitrogen 15 labelled fertilizer. The use of compost significantly increased the amount of organic matter in the soil and led to higher yields. The nitrogen present is used by the culture, but appears to be insufficient. A proportion of this nitrogen is lost. Fertilizers still enable high yields to be maintained. The use of compost, however, enables an irreversible drop in the potential fertility of these soils over a longer term period to be avoided [fr

  9. The impact of onsite wastewater disposal systems on groundwater in areas inundated by Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, Irene; Phillips, Patrick J.; Colella, Kaitlyn; Fisher, Shawn C.; Tagliaferri, Tristen N.; Foreman, William T.; Furlong, Edward T.

    2016-01-01

    Coastal onsite wastewater disposal systems (OWDS) were inundated by Hurricane Sandy's storm tide. This study compares the shallow groundwater quality (nutrients, pharmaceuticals, and hormones) downgradient of OWDS before and after Hurricane Sandy, where available, and establishes a baseline for wastewater influence on groundwater in coastal communities inundated by Hurricane Sandy. Nutrients and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) were detected in shallow groundwater downgradient of OWDS in two settings along the New Jersey and New York coastlines: 1) a single, centralized OWDS in a park; and 2) multiple OWDS (cesspools) in low-density residential and mixed-use/medium density residential areas. The most frequently detected pharmaceuticals were lidocaine (40%), carbamazepine (36%), and fexofenadine, bupropion, desvenlafaxine, meprobamate, and tramadol (24–32%). Increases in the number and total concentration of pharmaceuticals after Hurricane Sandy may reflect other factors (seasonality, usage) besides inundation, and demonstrate the importance of analyzing for a wide variety of CECs in regional studies.

  10. Effect of some soil physical properties on water holding capacity, neutron probe calibration and salt movement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Razzouk, A. K.

    2010-04-01

    This study was conducted in tow areas representing in silty soil in Southern Syria (Draa), loamy and sandy soil in Eastern Syria (Deir Al zour) to compare the soil effect on the calibration of the neutron probe, correlation coefficient, soil characteristics curve, soil solution content of nitrates, potassium and sodium for the estimation of the optimum sampling time of soil solution by porous ceramic cups. Regression analysis results showed that the three soils curves, in which the soil contained the lowest content of clay had a high correlation coefficient and decreased with increasing the clay content. Whereas, the correlation coefficient in sandy soil was 0.96 while decreased to 0.79 in silty soil. The hydraulic head increased with decreasing the water content, which was obvious in the three soils characteristic curves. The NO - 3 content decreased due to the plants roots absorption and leaching to deeper layers, while the NO - 3 content in the surfaces layer significantly decreased in the sandy soil. Results showed that equilibrium between the soil solution and the NO - 3 content in the solution in porous cups occurred within 8 days. (author)

  11. Effect of some soil physical properties on water holding capacity, neutron probe calibration and salt movement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Razzouk, A.

    2010-01-01

    This study was conducted in tow areas representing in silty soil in Southern Syria (Dra'a), loamy and sandy soil in Eastern Syria (Deir Al zour) to compare the soil effect on the calibration of the neutron probe, correlation coefficient, soil characteristics curve, soil solution content of nitrates, potassium and sodium for the estimation of the optimum sampling time of soil solution by porous ceramic cups. Regression analysis results showed that the three soils curves, in which the soil contained the lowest content of clay had a high correlation coefficient and decreased with increasing the clay content. Whereas, the correlation coefficient in sandy soil was 0.96 while decreased to 0.79 in silty soil. The hydraulic head increased with decreasing the water content, which was obvious in the three soils characteristic curves. The NO 3 content decreased due to the plants roots absorption and leaching to deeper layers, while the NO 3 content in the surfaces layer significantly decreased in the sandy soil. Results showed that equilibrium between the soil solution and the NO 3 content in the solution in porous cups occurred within 8 days. (author)

  12. Biofuel components change the ecology of bacterial volatile petroleum hydrocarbon degradation in aerobic sandy soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elazhari-Ali, Abdulmagid; Singh, Arvind K.; Davenport, Russell J.; Head, Ian M.; Werner, David

    2013-01-01

    We tested the hypothesis that the biodegradation of volatile petroleum hydrocarbons (VPHs) in aerobic sandy soil is affected by the blending with 10 percent ethanol (E10) or 20 percent biodiesel (B20). When inorganic nutrients were scarce, competition between biofuel and VPH degraders temporarily slowed monoaromatic hydrocarbon degradation. Ethanol had a bigger impact than biodiesel, reflecting the relative ease of ethanol compared to methyl ester biodegradation. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of bacterial 16S rRNA genes revealed that each fuel mixture selected for a distinct bacterial community, each dominated by Pseudomonas spp. Despite lasting impacts on soil bacterial ecology, the overall effects on VHP biodegradation were minor, and average biomass yields were comparable between fuel types, ranging from 0.40 ± 0.16 to 0.51 ± 0.22 g of biomass carbon per gram of fuel carbon degraded. Inorganic nutrient availability had a greater impact on petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation than fuel composition. Highlights: ► The effect of 10% ethanol or 20% biodiesel on the biodegradability of volatile petroleum hydrocarbons in soil was investigated. ► Competition for scarce inorganic nutrients between biofuel and VPH degraders slowed monoaromatic hydrocarbon degradation. ► Biofuel effects were transitional. ► Each fuel selected for a distinct predominant bacterial community. ► All bacterial communities were dominated by Pseudomonas spp. - Blending of petroleum with ethanol or biodiesel changes the fuel degrading soil bacterial community structure, but the long-term effects on fuel biodegradability are minor.

  13. Water Infiltration and Hydraulic Conductivity in Sandy Cambisols

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bens, Oliver; Wahl, Niels Arne; Fischer, Holger

    2006-01-01

    from pure Scots pine stands towards pure European beech stands. The water infiltration capacity and hydraulic conductivity (K) of the investigated sandy-textured soils are low and very few macropores exist. Additionally these pores are marked by poor connectivity and therefore do not have any...... of the experimental soils. The results indicate clearly that soils play a crucial role for water retention and therefore, in overland flow prevention. There is a need to have more awareness on the intimate link between the land use and soil properties and their possible effects on flooding.......Soil hydrological properties like infiltration capacity and hydraulic conductivity have important consequences for hydrological properties of soils in river catchments and for flood risk prevention. They are dynamic properties due to varying land use management practices. The objective...

  14. Seasonal Dynamics of Water Use Strategy of Two Salix Shrubs in Alpine Sandy Land, Tibetan Plateau.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yajuan; Wang, Guojie; Li, Renqiang

    2016-01-01

    Water is a limiting factor for plant growth and vegetation dynamics in alpine sandy land of the Tibetan Plateau, especially with the increasing frequency of extreme precipitation events and drought caused by climate change. Therefore, a relatively stable water source from either deeper soil profiles or ground water is necessary for plant growth. Understanding the water use strategy of dominant species in the alpine sandy land ecosystem is important for vegetative rehabilitation and ecological restoration. The stable isotope methodology of δD, δ18O, and δ13C was used to determine main water source and long-term water use efficiency of Salix psammophila and S. cheilophila, two dominant shrubs on interdune of alpine sandy land in northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The root systems of two Salix shrubs were investigated to determine their distribution pattern. The results showed that S. psammophila and S. cheilophila absorbed soil water at different soil depths or ground water in different seasons, depending on water availability and water use strategy. Salix psammophila used ground water during the growing season and relied on shallow soil water recharged by rain in summer. Salix cheilophila used ground water in spring and summer, but relied on shallow soil water recharged by rain in spring and deep soil water recharged by ground water in fall. The two shrubs had dimorphic root systems, which is coincident with their water use strategy. Higher biomass of fine roots in S. psammophila and longer fine roots in S. cheilophila facilitated to absorb water in deeper soil layers. The long-term water use efficiency of two Salix shrubs increased during the dry season in spring. The long-term water use efficiency was higher in S. psammophila than in S. cheilophila, as the former species is better adapted to semiarid climate of alpine sandy land.

  15. Soil Fertility Gradient in the Restinga Ecosystem

    Science.gov (United States)

    América Castelar da Cunha, Joana; Casagrande, José Carlos; Soares, Marcio Roberto; Martins Bonilha, Rodolfo

    2013-04-01

    The restinga ecosystem (coastal plain vegetation) can be termed as a set of plant communities that suffer strong influenced by fluvial and marine factors and is characterized as an ecosystem of great biological diversity, therefore, represents areas of great importance in the context of ecological preservation. The degradation processes from many forms of anthropogenic disturbances that has taken place since the colonization of the country, made studies on the characterization and dynamics of soil fertility of these areas even more important in relation to the maintenance of its biodiversity and conservation. The sites studied were the Cardoso Island and Comprida Island, and in these, we analyzed four physiognomies, restinga, low restinga, dune and antedune (from continent to ocean). Chemical analyses were performed and soil salinity in these areas in depths 0-5; 0-10; 0-20; 20-40; 40-60 cm. In all soils the cationic exchange capacity was intimately associated with the concentration of soil organic matter, which makes this parameter essential to the maintenance of soil fertility of these areas; in more superficial layers (0-20 cm) there was an increase of pH and base saturation and decline of organic matter, aluminum saturation and cationic exchange capacity in the nearby sea, physiognomies what determines the existence of fertility gradient towards the continent-coast; restinga forests showed a chemical standard that is heavily marked by sandy texture, high degree of leaching, nutrient poverty, low base saturation, high saturation by aluminum and acidity, opposite conditions to soils of the dunes and antedunes, with the exception of sandy texture; despite the existence of a chemical gradient of fertility among the physiognomies studied it is possible to determine the soil acts more strongly as a physical support than as provider of fertility; as for salinity, soil collected in Cardoso Island did not present salinity in any depth, a fact which can be explained due

  16. Real-Time Monitoring of Water Content in Sandy Soil Using Shear Mode Piezoceramic Transducers and Active Sensing—A Feasibility Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qingzhao Kong

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available A quantitative understanding of soil water content or soil water status is of great importance to many applications, such as landslide monitoring, rockfill dam health monitoring, precision agriculture, etc. In this paper, a feasibility study was conducted to monitor the soil water content in real time using permanent embedded piezoceramic-based transducers called smart aggregates (SAs. An active sensing approach using a customized swept acoustic wave with a frequency range between 100 Hz and 300 kHz was used to study the wave attenuation in the soil in correlation to soil moisture levels. Two sandy soil specimens, each embedded with a pair of SAs, were made in the laboratory, and the water percentage of the soil specimens was incrementally decreased from 15% to 3% during the tests. Due to the change of the soil water status, the damping property of the soil correspondingly changes. The change of the damping property results in the variation of the acoustic wave attenuation ratios. A wavelet packet-based energy index was adopted to compute the energy of the signal captured by the SA sensor. Experimental results show a parabolic growth curve of the received signal energy vs. the water percentage of the soil. The feasibility, sensitivity, and reliability of the proposed method for in-situ monitoring of soil water status were discussed.

  17. Analysis Of Soil NPK Ph And Electrical Conductivity At Adham Area- Renk Upper Nile State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abubaker Haroun Mohamed Adam

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The objectives of this study were to investigate soil type potentiality and reaction in relation to the scattered remaining vegetation species and to quantify soil suitability for growing field crops. Adham area witnessed serious land degradation due to the rapid expansion of Rain-fed Mechanized Farming and overgrazing. Consequently the low crop yield enforced the local communities to shift to the alternative sources of income generating activities particularly those related to forest products like charcoal making firewood production logging and tree lobbing. By using Randomized Complete Block Design RCBD with emphasizes on Macro nutrients particularly the Nitrogen Phosphorous and potassium NPK in addition to soil pH and Electrical Conductivity EC. random soil samples each with three levels of depths 0 - 15 15 - 30 30 - 45 cm. were collected. All collected data were analyzed in the laboratory. The result of revealed several types of soils including the cracking and non -cracking clay sandy and red soils. The result of statistical analysis depicted variability in NPK pH and EC between the different locations and soil depths. Furthermore the result showed an association between some studied soil attributes and the spatial distribution of the vegetation species. Rational use through participatory approach is recommended for natural resources management conservation and sustainability. Moreover further study using space technology also recommended.

  18. Effect of different irrigation systems on root growth of maize and cowpea plants in sandy soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noha A. Mahgoub

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available A field experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University to study the influence of different irrigation systems on root length density and specific root length of maize and cowpea plants cultivated in sandy soil. Three irrigation systems (Surface, drip and sprinkler irrigation were used in this study. The NPK fertilizers were applied as recommended doses for maize and cowpea. Root samples were collected from the soil profile below one plant (maize and cowpea which was irrigated by the three irrigation systems by using an iron box (30 cm× 20 cm which is divided into 24 small boxes each box is (5× 5 × 5 cm. At surface irrigation, root length density of cowpea reached to soil depth 30-40cm with lateral distances 5-10 cm and 15-20 cm. Vertical distribution of root length density of maize was increased with soil depth till 20-25 cm, and then it decreased till soil depth 35-40cm. Under drip irrigation, root length density of cowpea increased horizontally from 0-5cm to 10-15cm then it decreased till soil depth 25-30 cm and below this depth root length density disappeared. For the root length density and specific root length of maize under drip irrigation, the data showed that root length density and specific root length decreased with increasing in soil depth. The root length density of cowpea under sprinkler irrigation at 0-5cm disappeared from horizontal distance at 25-30 cm. The data showed that root length density of maize under sprinkler irrigation was higher at the soil top layers 0-5 cm and 5-10 cm than other layers from 10-40 cm.

  19. Soil color indicates carbon and wetlands: developing a color-proxy for soil organic carbon and wetland boundaries on sandy coastal plains in South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pretorius, M L; Van Huyssteen, C W; Brown, L R

    2017-10-13

    A relationship between soil organic carbon and soil color is acknowledged-albeit not a direct one. Since heightened carbon contents can be an indicator of wetlands, a quantifiable relationship between color and carbon might assist in determining wetland boundaries by rapid, field-based appraisal. The overarching aim of this initial study was to determine the potential of top soil color to indicate soil organic carbon, and by extension wetland boundaries, on a sandy coastal plain in South Africa. Data were collected from four wetland types in northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Soil samples were taken to a depth of 300 mm in three transects in each wetland type and analyzed for soil organic carbon. The matrix color was described using a Munsell soil color chart. Various color indices were correlated with soil organic carbon. The relationship between color and carbon were further elucidated using segmented quantile regression. This showed that potentially maximal carbon contents will occur at values of low color indices, and predictably minimal carbon contents will occur at values of low or high color indices. Threshold values can thus be used to make deductions such as "when the sum of dry and wet Value and Chroma values is 9 or more, carbon content will be 4.79% and less." These threshold values can then be used to differentiate between wetland and non-wetland sites with a 70 to 100% certainty. This study successfully developed a quantifiable correlation between color and carbon and showed that wetland boundaries can be determined based thereon.

  20. Pore-size distribution and compressibility of coarse sandy subsoil with added biochar

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, C. T.; Hansen, E.; Larsen, H. H.

    2016-01-01

    Sustainable agricultural production on coarse sandy soil is constrained by the restricted growth of roots, and poor water and nutrient retention. Amending the soil with biochar can reduce these problems, but the processes involved are not known in detail. We investigated in the laboratory...... the effects of two fine-grained gasification biochars made of straw (LTST) and other materials (LTSN) and of one fast pyrolysis straw biochar (FPST) on pore-size distribution and soil compressibility when added to coarse sandy subsoil. Water retention and therefore pore-size distribution were affected...... systematically. All biochars converted drainable pore space with pore diameters in the range 60–300 µm into water-retaining pores of size 0.2–60 µm, which was taken as an estimate of available water capacity (AWC). Effects were linear over the whole range of biochar (0–4% by mass). The effect of LTST and LTSN...

  1. Effect of organic amendments on nitrate leaching mitigation in a sandy loam soil of Shkodra district, Albania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erdona Demiraj

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available European lacustrine systems are frequently exposed to nitrate (NO3– pollution causing eutrophication processes. An example of these lakes is Shkodra Lake, a large, shallow lake shared by Albania and Montenegro, in the Balkans Peninsula. Shkodra Lake is a natural sink that collects NO3– from agricultural activities, widely diffused in the surrounding area. The additions of wheat straw and biochar have been suggested to increase soil NO3– retention of agricultural lands. To better understand the role of these two organic soil amendments in mitigating NO3– leaching from arable lands, a pot experiment using a representative sandy loam soil of the Skodra Lake basin was performed. More specifically, a greenhouse experiment with Lolium multiflorum L. and Zea mays L., was carried out for three months, to evaluate the concentrations of NO3–-N in leachate and the cumulative leaching losses of NO3–-N, after wheat straw (10 Mg ha–1 and biochar (10 Mg ha–1 soil addition, under the same rate of NPK fertiliser (300 kg ha–1. The effect of the two organic amendments on nitrate retention, was evaluated according to two methods: i Soil NO3–-N leaching with distilled water; and ii Soil NO3–-N extraction with 2M KCl. The leached NO3–-N and the Potentially Leachable NO3–-N (2M KCl extraction were respectively determined. N uptake by plants, as well as the Nitrogen Use Efficiency were also calculated. A retention effect on nitrate was found in Lolium multiflorum L. and wheat straw treatments compared to control, by reducing leached NO3–-N almost to 35%. In SBFL (soil+biochar+fertiliser+Lolium treatment, biochar effectively reduced the total amount of nitrate in leachate of 27% and 26% compared to SFL (soil+fertiliser+Lolium and SSFL (soil+straw+fertiliser+Lolium treatments, respectively. The potentially leachable NO3–-N was two to four times higher than the leached NO3–-N. The amount of potentially leachable NO3–-N per hectare ranged

  2. Residues of Avermectin B1a in rotational crops and soils following soil treatment with [14C]Avermectin B1a

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moye, H.A.; Malagodi, M.H.; Yoh, H.; Leibee, G.L.; Ku, C.C.; Wislocki, P.G.

    1987-01-01

    [ 14 C]Avermectin B 1 a was applied twelve times to muck and sandy loam soils and three times to sandy soil at 0.025-0.030 lb/acre per application. These applications simulated the intended use of avermectin B 1 a on celery, vegetables, and cotton, respectively. Following three aging periods in each soil type, sorghum, lettuce, and carrot or turnip seeds were planted and harvested at one-fourth, half, and full size. Analysis of these crops by oxidative combustion demonstrated that crops grown in muck, sandy loam, and sandy soils contained radiolabeled residues ranging from below the limit of quantitation (BLQ) to 7.4 μg/kg of avermectin B 1 a equivalents, BLQ to 11.6 μg/kg, and BLQ to 3.54 μg/kg, respectively. There was a general trend of decreasing residue concentrations with increasing preharvest intervals in crops grown in all soils. The radioactivity present in muck and sandy loam soils disappeared with half-lives ranging from 103 to 267 days and from 102 to 132 days, respectively

  3. Sandy Hook : alternative access concept plan and vehicle replacement study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-06-01

    This study addresses two critical issues of concern to the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National : Recreational Area: (1) options for alternative access to Sandy Hook during peak summer season, : particularly when the park is closed to private vehicles...

  4. Physicochemical properties of soils in the sago palm (Metroxylon spp.) growing area of Surat Thani province Thailand

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruairuen, W.; Sparrow, E. B.; Fochesatto, G. J.

    2016-12-01

    Sago palm is one of the most important plants for sustainable agriculture and rural development in tropical swampy and peaty soils. Where no major crops can grow without drainage or soil improvement. It stores large quantities of starch which can be further processed into various basic raw materials for food, animal feed, industrial uses and alternative energy. This study aims to investigate the physicochemical properties of soil across the sago palm growing areas at Surat Thani province Thailand, where major of sago palms growth naturally exists. The soil samples from three districts Khiri Rat Nikhom (KR; 9 sampling sites), Kanchanadit (KD; 5 sampling sites), and Khian Sa (KS; 2 sampling sites) were studied and compared at 0-15 cm depth during March to June 2016. Observations indicated that the physicochemical properties of soil varied in each growing area. Soil bulk densities averages were lower in KD (0.52 g cm-3) than those in KR (0.58 g cm-3) and KS (0.57 g cm-3). Soil texture around KD and KS were dominated by silty loam. While in KR soil texture was dominated by sandy loam. The average soil conductivity in KS (5.68 mS m-1) was higher than KR (2.62 mS m-1) and KD (1.65 mS m-1). Furthermore, we found the sago palms grow well in a range of soil pH from 5.52 to 7.15, average soil pH: KS (6.8) and KD (6.96), while acid in KR (5.84). We also discuss the conservation activities to adequately protect sago palm, most of which are significantly threatened by habitat destruction and unsustainable harvesting.

  5. The impact of Hurricane Sandy on the mental health of New York area residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, Rebecca M; Sison, Cristina; Kerath, Samantha M; Murphy, Lisa; Breil, Trista; Sikavi, Daniel; Taioli, Emanuela

    2015-01-01

    To evaluate the long-term psychological impact of Hurricane Sandy on New York residents. Prospective, cross-sectional study. Community-based study. From October 2013 to February 2015, 669 adults in Long Island, Queens, and Staten Island completed a survey on their behavioral and psychological health, demographics, and hurricane impact (ie, exposure). Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using multivariable logistic regression models, the relationships between Hurricane Sandy exposure and depression, anxiety, and PTSD were examined. Participants experienced an average of 3.9 exposures to Hurricane Sandy, most of which were related to property damage/loss. Probable depression was reported in 33.4 percent of participants, probable anxiety in 46 percent, and probable PTSD in 21.1 percent. Increased exposure to Hurricane Sandy was significantly associated with a greater likelihood of depression (odds ratio [OR] = 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-1.14), anxiety (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.03-1.13), and probable PTSD (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.23-1.40), even after controlling for demographic factors known to increase susceptibility to mental health issues. Individuals affected by Hurricane Sandy reported high levels of mental health issues and were at an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and PTSD in the years following the storm. Recovery and prevention efforts should focus on mental health issues in affected populations.

  6. Effects of crust and cracks on simulated catchment discharge and soil loss

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stolte, J.; Ritsema, C.J.; Roo, de A.P.J.

    1997-01-01

    Sealing, crusting and cracking of crusts of the soil surface has been observed in many parts of the world in areas with sandy, silty and loamy soils. Sealing and crust formation occurs under the influence of rain storm and drying weather. With prolonged drying, surface crusts might crack, leading to

  7. Jatropha curcas L. Root Structure and Growth in Diverse Soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdés-Rodríguez, Ofelia Andrea; Sánchez-Sánchez, Odilón; Pérez-Vázquez, Arturo; Caplan, Joshua S.; Danjon, Frédéric

    2013-01-01

    Unlike most biofuel species, Jatropha curcas has promise for use in marginal lands, but it may serve an additional role by stabilizing soils. We evaluated the growth and structural responsiveness of young J. curcas plants to diverse soil conditions. Soils included a sand, a sandy-loam, and a clay-loam from eastern Mexico. Growth and structural parameters were analyzed for shoots and roots, although the focus was the plasticity of the primary root system architecture (the taproot and four lateral roots). The sandy soil reduced the growth of both shoot and root systems significantly more than sandy-loam or clay-loam soils; there was particularly high plasticity in root and shoot thickness, as well as shoot length. However, the architecture of the primary root system did not vary with soil type; the departure of the primary root system from an index of perfect symmetry was 14 ± 5% (mean ± standard deviation). Although J. curcas developed more extensively in the sandy-loam and clay-loam soils than in sandy soil, it maintained a consistent root to shoot ratio and root system architecture across all types of soil. This strong genetic determination would make the species useful for soil stabilization purposes, even while being cultivated primarily for seed oil. PMID:23844412

  8. Jatropha curcas L. root structure and growth in diverse soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdés-Rodríguez, Ofelia Andrea; Sánchez-Sánchez, Odilón; Pérez-Vázquez, Arturo; Caplan, Joshua S; Danjon, Frédéric

    2013-01-01

    Unlike most biofuel species, Jatropha curcas has promise for use in marginal lands, but it may serve an additional role by stabilizing soils. We evaluated the growth and structural responsiveness of young J. curcas plants to diverse soil conditions. Soils included a sand, a sandy-loam, and a clay-loam from eastern Mexico. Growth and structural parameters were analyzed for shoots and roots, although the focus was the plasticity of the primary root system architecture (the taproot and four lateral roots). The sandy soil reduced the growth of both shoot and root systems significantly more than sandy-loam or clay-loam soils; there was particularly high plasticity in root and shoot thickness, as well as shoot length. However, the architecture of the primary root system did not vary with soil type; the departure of the primary root system from an index of perfect symmetry was 14 ± 5% (mean ± standard deviation). Although J. curcas developed more extensively in the sandy-loam and clay-loam soils than in sandy soil, it maintained a consistent root to shoot ratio and root system architecture across all types of soil. This strong genetic determination would make the species useful for soil stabilization purposes, even while being cultivated primarily for seed oil.

  9. Jatropha curcas L. Root Structure and Growth in Diverse Soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ofelia Andrea Valdés-Rodríguez

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Unlike most biofuel species, Jatropha curcas has promise for use in marginal lands, but it may serve an additional role by stabilizing soils. We evaluated the growth and structural responsiveness of young J. curcas plants to diverse soil conditions. Soils included a sand, a sandy-loam, and a clay-loam from eastern Mexico. Growth and structural parameters were analyzed for shoots and roots, although the focus was the plasticity of the primary root system architecture (the taproot and four lateral roots. The sandy soil reduced the growth of both shoot and root systems significantly more than sandy-loam or clay-loam soils; there was particularly high plasticity in root and shoot thickness, as well as shoot length. However, the architecture of the primary root system did not vary with soil type; the departure of the primary root system from an index of perfect symmetry was 14±5% (mean ± standard deviation. Although J. curcas developed more extensively in the sandy-loam and clay-loam soils than in sandy soil, it maintained a consistent root to shoot ratio and root system architecture across all types of soil. This strong genetic determination would make the species useful for soil stabilization purposes, even while being cultivated primarily for seed oil.

  10. Sandy soil plantation in semi-arid zones by polyacrylamide gel conditioner prepared by ionizing radiation. Part of a coordinated programme on radiation modified polymers for biomedical and biochemical applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azzam, R.A.I.

    1983-07-01

    Polyacrylamide gel prepared by ionizing radiation was found to be capable of furnishing adequate conditions for sandy-soil plantation in semi-arid zones. The gel can be tailored for any soil texture under various climatic conditions. The sand-gel combination maintains three cycles of complete destruction and reformation without significant changes in erosion index. Water holding capacity and retention at different suctions in treated sand are increased. This increases water use efficiency. Fertilizers use efficiency is also increased to almost three times that of fertile clayey soil

  11. Pore structure characteristics after two years biochar application to a sandy loam field

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sun, Zhencai; Arthur, Emmanuel; de Jonge, Lis Wollesen

    2015-01-01

    the effects of birch wood biochar (20, 40, and 100 Mg ha−1) applied to a sandy loam on soil total porosity and pore structure indices. Bulk and intact soil samples were collected for physicochemical analyses and water retention and gas diffusivity measurements between pF 1.0 and pF 3.0. Biochar application...

  12. Irradiated Sewage Sludge for Production of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) Plants in Sandy Soil 2- Seed production, oil content, oil constituents and heavy metals in seeds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Motaium, R. A.; Abo-El-Seoud, M. A.

    2007-01-01

    Field experiment was conducted to study the impact of irradiated and non-irradiated sewage sludge applied to sandy soil on fennel plants (Foeniculum vulgare L.) productivity. In this regards, four rates of sewage sludge application were used (20, 40, 60 and 80 ton/ha) in addition to the mineral fertilizer treatment (control). Sandy soil amended with sewage sludge showed a promising effect on fennel seed yield. A linear gradual increase in seeds yield was observed as the sludge application rate increases. Seeds production increased by 41% to 308% over the control at 80 t /ha application rate, for non-irradiated and irradiated sewage sludge treatments, respectively. Irradiated sewage sludge treatments showed higher fennel seed yield than non-irradiated sewage sludge treatments.Volatile oil percent exhibited no observable variation due to the use of sewage sludge. A few and limited fluctuations could be observed. However, total oil content (cc/plot) increased due to the increase in seeds yield. The magnitude of increase in volatile oil production in response to the sewage sludge application was parallel to the increase in seeds yield. The GLC measurements of the fennel volatile oil reveal that, the t-anethole is the predominant fraction. However, fenchone was detected in relatively moderate concentration. The applied sewage sludge treatment induced some variations in fennel volatile oil constituents. The t.anethole is relatively higher in volatile oil obtained from plants grown on sandy soil fertilized with non-irradiated sewage sludge than the one fertilized with irradiated sewage sludge or chemical fertilizer. In the meantime, the obtained increase in t.anethole was accompanied by a decline in fenchone content. Seeds heavy metals (Zn, Fe, Pb, Cd) were determined. Under all sludge application rates iron and zinc concentrations were in the normal plant concentration range whereas, Cd concentrations were traces.

  13. A discrete element model for soil-sweep interaction in three different soils

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chen, Y; Munkholm, Lars Juhl; Nyord, Tavs

    2013-01-01

    . To serve the model development, the sweep was tested in three different soils (coarse sand, loamy sand, and sandy loam). In the tests, soil cutting forces (draught and vertical forces) and soil disturbance characteristics (soil cross-section disturbance and surface deformation) resulting from the sweep...... were measured. The measured draught and vertical forces were used in calibrations of the most sensitive model parameter, particle stiffness. The calibrated particle stiffness was 0.75 × 103 N m−1 for the coarse sand, 2.75 × 103 N m−1 for the loamy sand, and 6 × 103 N m−1 for the sandy loam...

  14. The structure of the radiation balance on a sandy surface: case the Błędów desert, Silesian Upland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caputa Zbigniew

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Comprehensive environmental studies taking under consideration the structure of the radiation balance during the vegetation growing seasons of 2001 and 2002 were carried out on the open sandy surface of the area called the Błędów ‘desert’ located on Silesian Upland. The research in each site covered the composition of plant species, their age and height, the condition of the substratum, the composition and structure of the soil and the meteorological conditions with elements of the radiation balance. The article presents some part of the research on meteorological elements and their impact on ecosystem. Special attention was devoted to radiation conditions on the open sandy surface in the context of the formation of BSC (biological soil crust. Having presumed that the values obtained on the grassy surface constituted 100%, the values of radiation reflection measured on the open sandy surface were 185% higher and the values of net longwave radiation were 105% higher in day time and 137% in night time. Values of net radiation of about 63% lower were observed on the sandy surface during a typical sunny summer day. It was found that a strong irradiation of the sandy surface (26 MJ·m–2d–1 creates extremely difficult conditions for the initiation of the process of ecosystem formation (including BSC or plant succession. The elements of the radiation balance, net radiation, albedo and temperature of the open sandy surface were represented quantitatively. The test surfaces were classified based on the value of the albedo: group I with low albedo values, up to 0.15 (spore-bearing plants on a dark surface, including BSC; group II with mean values of the albedo from 0.16 to 0.24 (spore-bearing plants and seed on a dark grey surface; and group III with high albedo values, above 0.25 (plants growing on bare or loose sands.

  15. Response of corn silage (Zea mays L. to zinc fertilization on a sandy soil under field and

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saad Drissi

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the experiments was to evaluate zinc (Zn fertilization effect on growth, yield and yield components of corn silage grown on a sandy soil under field and outdoor container conditions. Six rates of Zn supply (0 or control; 1.5; 3; 5; 10 and 50 mg kg−1 were tested. They were split at three different times during the growing season: (i 50% immediately after sowing, (ii 25% at 4–5 leaf stage and (iii 25% at 8–9 leaf stage. These Zn rates were applied to the soil surface as a solution of Zn sulfate (ZnSO4·7H2O. Zn deficiency symptoms appeared at an earlier stage (4–5 leaf stage as white stripes between the midrib and the margin of leaves for a Zn rate below or equal to 5 mg kg−1. Severity of these symptoms manifested more in container than in field. For both experiments, Zn supply induced a significant increase in stem height and leaf area. Furthermore, in both experiments, control plants showed a notable delay in achieving anthesis, silking, pollination and kernels maturity. The maximum shoot dry weight at harvest was recorded with Zn supply of 5 mg kg−1 in field experiment and 10 mg kg−1 in containers experiment. The shoot dry weight was especially linked to kernels dry weight. This latter was mainly enhanced through two compounds: 1000 kernels dry weight and pollination rate. On the other hand, outdoor container results can be used to help predict field plant responses to Zn except for control treatment.

  16. 2014 NOAA Ortho-rectified Mosaic of Hurricane Sandy Coastal Impact Area

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains ortho-rectified mosaic tiles at 0.35m GSD created for NOAA Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IOCM) initiative in Hurricane Sandy coastal...

  17. Geophysical surveys combined with laboratory soil column experiments to identify and explore risk areas for soil and water pollution in feedlots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Espejo-Pérez, Antonio Jesus; Sainato, Claudia Mabel; Jairo Márquez-Molina, John; Giráldez, Juan Vicente; Vanderlinden, Karl

    2014-05-01

    Changes of land use without a correct planning may produce its deterioration with their social, economical and environmental irreversible consequences over short to medium time range. In Argentina, the expansion of soybean fields induced a reduction of the area of pastures dedicated to stockbreeding. As cattle activity is being progressively concentrated on small pens, at feedlots farms, problems of soil and water pollution, mainly by nitrate, have been detected. The characterization of the spatial and temporal variability of soil water content is very important because the mostly advective transport of solutes. To avoid intensive soil samplings, very expensive, one has to recur to geophysical exploration methods. The objective of this work was to identify risk areas within a feedlot of the NW zone of Buenos Aires Province, in Argentina through geophysical methods. The surveys were carried out with an electromagnetic induction profiler EMI-400 (GSSI) and a Time domain Reflectometry (TDR) survey of depth 0-0.10 m with soil sampling and measurement of moisture content with gravimetric method (0-1.0 m). Several trenches were dug inside the pens and also at a test site, where texture, apparent density, saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), electrical conductivity of the saturation paste extract and organic matter content (OM) were measured. The water retention curves for these soils were also determined. At one of the pens undisturbed soil columns were extracted at 3 locations. Laboratory analysis for 0-1.0 m indicated that soil texture was classified as sandy loam, average organic matter content (OM) was greater than 2.3% with low values of apparent density in the first 10 cm. The range of spatial dependence of data suggested that the number of soil samples could be reduced. Soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) and soil moisture were well correlated and indicated a clear spatial pattern in the corrals. TDR performance was acceptable to identify the spatial

  18. Seasonal variations measured by TDR and GPR on an anthropogenic sandy soil and the implications for utility detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curioni, Giulio; Chapman, David N.; Metje, Nicole

    2017-06-01

    The electromagnetic (EM) soil properties are dynamic variables that can change considerably over time, and they fundamentally affect the performance of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). However, long-term field studies are remarkably rare and records of the EM soil properties and their seasonal variation are largely absent from the literature. This research explores the extent of the seasonal variation of the apparent permittivity (Ka) and bulk electrical conductivity (BEC) measured by Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) and their impact on GPR results, with a particularly important application to utility detection. A bespoke TDR field monitoring station was specifically developed and installed in an anthropogenic sandy soil in the UK for 22 months. The relationship between the temporal variation of the EM soil properties and GPR performance has been qualitatively assessed, highlighting notably degradation of the GPR images during wet periods and a few days after significant rainfall events following dry periods. Significantly, it was shown that by assuming arbitrary average values (i.e. not extreme values) of Ka and BEC which do not often reflect the typical conditions of the soil, it can lead to significant inaccuracies in the estimation of the depth of buried targets, with errors potentially up to approximately 30% even over a depth of 0.50 m (where GPR is expected to be most accurate). It is therefore recommended to measure or assess the soil conditions during GPR surveys, and if this is not possible to use typical wet and dry Ka values reported in the literature for the soil expected at the site, to improve confidence in estimations of target depths.

  19. Study on Soil Mobility of Two Neonicotinoid Insecticides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mária Mörtl

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Movement of two neonicotinoid insecticide active ingredients, clothianidin (CLO and thiamethoxam (TMX, was investigated in different soil types (sand, clay, or loam and in pumice. Elution profiles were determined to explore differences in binding capacity. Soil characterized by high organic matter content retained the ingredients, whereas high clay content resulted in long release of compounds. Decrease in concentration was strongly influenced by soil types: both CLO and TMX were retained in loam and clay soils and showed ready elution through sandy soil and pumice. Elution capability of the active ingredients in sandy soil correlated with their water solubility, indicating approximately 30% higher rapidity for TMX than for CLO. Soil organic carbon-water partitioning coefficients (Koc determined were in good agreement with literature values with somewhat lower value for CLO in sandy soil and substantially higher values for TMX in clay soil. High mobility of these neonicotinoid active ingredients in given soil types urges stronger precautionary approach taken during their application.

  20. The influence of reduced tillage on water regime and nutrient leaching in a loamy soil

    OpenAIRE

    Baigys, Giedrius; Gaigalis, Kazimieras; Kutra, Ginutis

    2006-01-01

    The effect of tillage technologies and terms on soil moisture regime and nitrate leaching was studied in field trials carried out on 0.76-1.36-ha fields. The study site was arranged in Pikeliai village (Kėdainiai district). The soil prevailing in the study site is Endocalcari - Endohypogleic Cambisol, sandy light loam and sandy loam on deeper layers of sandy loam and sandy light loam. The arable horizon contains sandy light loam, which is characteristic of the soils prevailing in the Middle L...

  1. Soil physical properties affecting soil erosion in tropical soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lobo Lujan, D.

    2004-01-01

    The total vegetated land area of the earth is about 11,500 hectare. Of this, about 12% is in South America. Of this, about 14% is degraded area. Water erosion, chemical degradation, wind erosion, and physical degradation have been reported as main types of degradation. In South America water erosion is a major process for soil degradation. Nevertheless, water erosion can be a consequence of degradation of the soil structure, especially the functional attributes of soil pores to transmit and retain water, and to facilitate root growth. Climate, soil and topographic characteristics determine runoff and erosion potential from agricultural lands. The main factors causing soil erosion can be divided into three groups: Energy factors: rainfall erosivity, runoff volume, wind strength, relief, slope angle, slope length; Protection factors: population density, plant cover, amenity value (pressure for use) and land management; and resistance factors: soil erodibility, infiltration capacity and soil management. The degree of soil erosion in a particular climatic zone, with particular soils, land use and socioeconomic conditions, will always result from a combination of the above mentioned factors. It is not easy to isolate a single factor. However, the soil physical properties that determine the soil erosion process, because the deterioration of soil physical properties is manifested through interrelated problems of surface sealing, crusting, soil compaction, poor drainage, impeded root growth, excessive runoff and accelerated erosion. When an unprotected soil surface is exposed to the direct impact of raindrops it can produce different responses: Production of smaller aggregates, dispersed particles, particles in suspension and translocation and deposition of particles. When this has occurred, the material is reorganized at the location into a surface seal. Aggregate breakdown under rainfall depends on soil strength and a certain threshold kinetic energy is needed to start

  2. Pedotransfer functions estimating soil hydraulic properties using different soil parameters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Børgesen, Christen Duus; Iversen, Bo Vangsø; Jacobsen, Ole Hørbye

    2008-01-01

    Estimates of soil hydraulic properties using pedotransfer functions (PTF) are useful in many studies such as hydrochemical modelling and soil mapping. The objective of this study was to calibrate and test parametric PTFs that predict soil water retention and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity...... parameters. The PTFs are based on neural networks and the Bootstrap method using different sets of predictors and predict the van Genuchten/Mualem parameters. A Danish soil data set (152 horizons) dominated by sandy and sandy loamy soils was used in the development of PTFs to predict the Mualem hydraulic...... conductivity parameters. A larger data set (1618 horizons) with a broader textural range was used in the development of PTFs to predict the van Genuchten parameters. The PTFs using either three or seven textural classes combined with soil organic mater and bulk density gave the most reliable predictions...

  3. Deep Soil Recharge in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions: New Evidences in MU-US Sandy Land of China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Y.; Yang, W.; Zhan, H.

    2017-12-01

    Precipitation induced recharge is an important source of groundwater budget but it is very difficult to quantify in arid and semiarid regions. In this study, a newly invented lysimeter was used to monitor deep soil recharge (DSR) under 200 cm depth in MU-US sandy land in western China under three kinds of landforms (mobile dune, semi-fixed dune, and fixed dune). We found that the annual DSRs in such three different kinds of landforms varied significantly. Specifically, the annual DSRs were 224.1 mm (50.5% of the annual precipitation), 71.1 mm (50.5% of the annual precipitation), and 1.3 mm (0.3% of the annual precipitation) in mobile dune, semi-fixed dune, and fixed dune, respectively. We also found that vegetation coverage and precipitation pattern significantly affected DSR. A 24-hr precipitation event with the precipitation amount greater than 8 mm was able to infiltrate soil deeper than 200 cm and contributed to ground water recharge directly. Vegetation was a dominant factor influencing infiltration in the fixed sand dune. Our research revealed that precipitation induced DSR in arid and semi-arid regions was a complex process that required long-term monitoring and innovative system analysis of interrelated factors such as precipitation strength and pattern, meteorological parameters, and dynamic soil moisture. Key words: Precipitation pattern, sand dune groundwater, deep soil recharge, infiltration.

  4. Treatability of volatile chlorinated hydrocarbon-contaminated soils of different textures along a vertical profile by mechanical soil aeration: A laboratory test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Yan; Shi, Yi; Hou, Deyi; Zhang, Xi; Chen, Jiaqi; Wang, Zhifen; Xu, Zhu; Li, Fasheng; Du, Xiaoming

    2017-04-01

    Mechanical soil aeration is a simple, effective, and low-cost soil remediation technology that is suitable for sites contaminated with volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons (VCHs). Conventionally, this technique is used to treat the mixed soil of a site without considering the diversity and treatability of different soils within the site. A laboratory test was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of mechanical soil aeration for remediating soils of different textures (silty, clayey, and sandy soils) along a vertical profile at an abandoned chloro-alkali chemical site in China. The collected soils were artificially contaminated with chloroform (TCM) and trichloroethylene (TCE). Mechanical soil aeration was effective for remediating VCHs (removal efficiency >98%). The volatilization process was described by an exponential kinetic function. In the early stage of treatment (0-7hr), rapid contaminant volatilization followed a pseudo-first order kinetic model. VCH concentrations decreased to low levels and showed a tailing phenomenon with very slow contaminant release after 8hr. Compared with silty and sandy soils, clayey soil has high organic-matter content, a large specific surface area, a high clay fraction, and a complex pore structure. These characteristics substantially influenced the removal process, making it less efficient, more time consuming, and consequently more expensive. Our findings provide a potential basis for optimizing soil remediation strategy in a cost-effective manner. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  5. Cyanobacteria Inoculation Improves Soil Stability and Fertility on Different Textured Soils: Gaining Insights for Applicability in Soil Restoration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sonia Chamizo

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous components of biocrust communities and the first colonizers of terrestrial ecosystems. They play multiple roles in the soil by fixing C and N and synthesizing exopolysaccharides, which increase soil fertility and water retention and improve soil structure and stability. Application of cyanobacteria as inoculants to promote biocrust development has been proposed as a novel biotechnological technique for restoring barren degraded areas and combating desertification processes in arid lands. However, previous to their widespread application under field conditions, research is needed to ensure the selection of the most suitable species. In this study, we inoculated two cyanobacterial species, Phormidium ambiguum (non N-fixing and Scytonema javanicum (N-fixing, on different textured soils (from silt loam to sandy, and analyzed cyanobacteria biocrust development and evolution of physicochemical soil properties for 3 months under laboratory conditions. Cyanobacteria inoculation led to biocrust formation in all soil types. Scanning electron microscope (SEM images showed contrasting structure of the biocrust induced by the two cyanobacteria. The one from P. ambiguum was characterized by thin filaments that enveloped soil particles and created a dense, entangled network, while the one from S. javanicum consisted of thicker filaments that grouped as bunches in between soil particles. Biocrust development, assessed by chlorophyll a content and crust spectral properties, was higher in S. javanicum-inoculated soils compared to P. ambiguum-inoculated soils. Either cyanobacteria inoculation did not increase soil hydrophobicity. S. javanicum promoted a higher increase in total organic C and total N content, while P. ambiguum was more effective in increasing total exopolysaccharide (EPS content and soil penetration resistance. The effects of cyanobacteria inoculation also differed among soil types and the highest improvement in soil

  6. Passive Microwave Observation of Soil Water Infiltration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Thomas J.; Schmugge, Thomas J.; Rawls, Walter J.; ONeill, Peggy E.; Parlange, Marc B.

    1997-01-01

    Infiltration is a time varying process of water entry into soil. Experiments were conducted here using truck based microwave radiometers to observe small plots during and following sprinkler irrigation. Experiments were conducted on a sandy loam soil in 1994 and a silt loam in 1995. Sandy loam soils typically have higher infiltration capabilities than clays. For the sandy loam the observed brightness temperature (TB) quickly reached a nominally constant value during irrigation. When the irrigation was stopped the TB began to increase as drainage took place. The irrigation rates in 1995 with the silt loam soil exceeded the saturated conductivity of the soil. During irrigation the TB values exhibited a pattern that suggests the occurrence of coherent reflection, a rarely observed phenomena under natural conditions. These results suggested the existence of a sharp dielectric boundary (wet over dry soil) that was increasing in depth with time.

  7. Incorporation of digestate selectively affects physical, chemical and biochemical properties along with CO2 emissions in two contrasting agricultural soils in the Mediterranean area.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badagliacca, Giuseppe; Petrovičová, Beatrix; Zumbo, Antonino; Romeo, Maurizio; Gullì, Tommaso; Martire, Luigi; Monti, Michele; Gelsomino, Antonio

    2017-04-01

    Soil incorporation of digestate represents a common practice to dispose the solid residues from biogas producing plants. Although the digestate constitutes a residual biomass rich in partially decomposed organic matter and nutrients, whose content is often highly variable and unbalanced, its potential fertilizer value can vary considerably depending on the recipient soil properties. The aim of the work was to assess short-term changes in the fertility status of two contrasting agricultural soils in Southern Italy (Calabria), olive grove on a clay acid soil (Typic Hapludalfs) and citrus grove on a sandy loam slightly calcareous soil (Typic Xerofluvents), respectively located along the Tyrrhenian or the Ionian coast. An amount of 30 t ha-1 digestate was incorporated into the soil by ploughing. Unamended tilled soil was used as control. The following soil physical, chemical and biochemical variables were monitored during the experimental period: aggregate stability, pH, electrical conductivity, organic C, total N, Olsen-P, N-NH4+, N-NO3-, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) and the mineralization quotient (qM). Moreover, in the olive grove soil CO2 emissions have been continuously measured at field scale for 5 months after digestate incorporation. Digestate application in both site exerted a significant positive effect on soil aggregate stability with a greater increase in clay than in sandy loam soil. Over the experimental period, digestate considerably affected the nutrient availability, namely Olsen-P, N-NH4+, N-NO3-, along with the electrical conductivity. The soil type increased significantly the soil N-NH4+ content, which was always higher in the olive than in citrus grove soil. N-NO3- content was markedly increased soon after the organic amendment, followed by a seasonal decline more evident in the sandy loam soil. Moreover, soil properties as CaCO3 content and the pH selectively affected the Olsen-P dynamics. No appreciable

  8. Evaluation of Diuron Tolerance and Biotransformation by Fungi from a Sugar Cane Plantation Sandy-Loam Soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perissini-Lopes, Bruna; Egea, Tássia Chiachio; Monteiro, Diego Alves; Vici, Ana Cláudia; Da Silva, Danilo Grünig Humberto; Lisboa, Daniela Correa de Oliveira; de Almeida, Eduardo Alves; Parsons, John Robert; Da Silva, Roberto; Gomes, Eleni

    2016-12-14

    Microorganisms capable of degrading herbicides are essential to minimize the amount of chemical compounds that may leach into other environments. This work aimed to study the potential of sandy-loam soil fungi to tolerate the herbicide Herburon (50% diuron) and to degrade the active ingredient diuron. Verticillium sp. F04, Trichoderma virens F28, and Cunninghamella elegans B06 showed the highest growth in the presence of the herbicide. The evaluation of biotransformation showed that Aspergillus brasiliensis G08, Aspergillus sp. G25, and Cunninghamella elegans B06 had the greatest potential to degrade diuron. Statistical analysis demonstrated that glucose positively influences the potential of the microorganism to degrade diuron, indicating a cometabolic process. Due to metabolites founded by diuron biotransformation, it is indicated that the fungi are relevant in reducing the herbicide concentration in runoff, minimizing the environmental impact on surrounding ecosystems.

  9. Influence of salinity on bioremediation of oil in soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rhykerd, R.L.; Weaver, R.W.; McInnes, K.J.

    1995-01-01

    Spills from oil production and processing result in soils being contaminated with oil and salt. The effect of NaCl on degradation of oil in a sandy-clay loam and a clay loam soil was determined. Soils were treated with 50 g kg -1 non-detergent motor oil (30 SAE). Salt treatments included NaCl amendments to adjust the soil solution electrical conductivities to 40, 120, and 200 dS m -1 . Soils were amended with nutrients and incubated at 25 o C. Oil degradation was estimated from the quantities of CO 2 evolved and from gravimetric determinations of remaining oil. Salt concentrations of 200 dS m -1 in oil amended soils resulted in a decrease in oil mineralized by 44% for a clay loam and 20% for a sandy-clay loam soil. A salt concentration of 40 dS m -1 reduced oil mineralization by about 10% in both soils. Oil mineralized in the oil amended clay-loam soil was 2-3 times greater than for comparable treatments of the sandy-clay loam soil. Amending the sandy-clay loam soil with 5% by weight of the clay-loam soil enhanced oil mineralization by 40%. Removal of salts from oil and salt contaminated soils before undertaking bioremediation may reduce the time required for bioremediation. (author)

  10. Direct and indirect effects of metal contamination on soil biota in a Zn-Pb post-mining and smelting area (S Poland)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kapusta, Pawel; Szarek-Lukaszewska, Grazyna; Stefanowicz, Anna M.

    2011-01-01

    Effects of metal contamination on soil biota activity were investigated at 43 sites in 5 different habitats (defined by substratum and vegetation type) in a post-mining area. Sites were characterised in terms of soil pH and texture, nutrient status, total and exchangeable metal concentrations, as well as plant species richness and cover, abundances of enchytraeids, nematodes and tardigrades, and microbial respiration and biomass. The concentrations of total trace metals were highest in soils developed on mining waste (metal-rich dolomite), but these habitats were more attractive than sandy sites for plants and soil biota because of their higher content of organic matter, clay and nutrients. Soil mesofauna and microbes were strongly dependent on natural habitat properties. Pollution (exchangeable Zn and Cd) negatively affected only enchytraeid density; due to a positive relationship between enchytraeids and microbes it indirectly reduced microbial activity. - Highlights: → Bioavailable zinc and cadmium reduce enchytraeid density. → Enchytraeids positively influence microbial respiration and biomass. → Total contents of heavy metals in soil are poor predictors of the distribution of plants and soil biota. - Elevated concentrations of exchangeable Zn and Cd reduce enchytraeid density and indirectly affect microbial activity adversely.

  11. Direct and indirect effects of metal contamination on soil biota in a Zn-Pb post-mining and smelting area (S Poland)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kapusta, Pawel, E-mail: p.kapusta@botany.pl [Department of Ecology, W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Krakow (Poland); Szarek-Lukaszewska, Grazyna; Stefanowicz, Anna M. [Department of Ecology, W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Krakow (Poland)

    2011-06-15

    Effects of metal contamination on soil biota activity were investigated at 43 sites in 5 different habitats (defined by substratum and vegetation type) in a post-mining area. Sites were characterised in terms of soil pH and texture, nutrient status, total and exchangeable metal concentrations, as well as plant species richness and cover, abundances of enchytraeids, nematodes and tardigrades, and microbial respiration and biomass. The concentrations of total trace metals were highest in soils developed on mining waste (metal-rich dolomite), but these habitats were more attractive than sandy sites for plants and soil biota because of their higher content of organic matter, clay and nutrients. Soil mesofauna and microbes were strongly dependent on natural habitat properties. Pollution (exchangeable Zn and Cd) negatively affected only enchytraeid density; due to a positive relationship between enchytraeids and microbes it indirectly reduced microbial activity. - Highlights: > Bioavailable zinc and cadmium reduce enchytraeid density. > Enchytraeids positively influence microbial respiration and biomass. > Total contents of heavy metals in soil are poor predictors of the distribution of plants and soil biota. - Elevated concentrations of exchangeable Zn and Cd reduce enchytraeid density and indirectly affect microbial activity adversely.

  12. Nitrous oxide emission from soils amended with crop residues

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Velthof, G.L.; Kuikman, P.J.; Oenema, O.

    2002-01-01

    Crop residues incorporated in soil are a potentially important source of nitrous oxide (N2O), though poorly quantified. Here, we report on the N2O emission from 10 crop residues added to a sandy and a clay soil, both with and without additional nitrate (NO3-). In the sandy soil, total nitrous oxide

  13. PCB in soils and estimated soil-air exchange fluxes of selected PCB congeners in the south of Sweden

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Backe, Cecilia; Cousins, Ian T.; Larsson, Per

    2004-01-01

    PCB concentrations were studied in different soils to determine the spatial variation over a region of approximately 11 000 km 2 . PCB congener pattern was used to illustrate the spatial differences, as shown by principal component analysis (PCA). The relationship to different soil parameters was studied. PCB concentrations in soil showed a large variation between sampling-areas with median concentrations ranging between 2.3 and 332 ng g -1 (dw). Highest concentrations were found at two sites with sandy soils, one with extremely high organic carbon content. Both sites were located on the west coast of southern Sweden. Soils with similar soil textures (i.e. sandy silt moraine) did not show any significant differences in PCB concentrations. PCB congener composition was shown to differ between sites, with congener patterns almost site-specific. PCB in air and precipitation was measured and the transfer of chemicals between the soil and air compartments was estimated. Soil-air fugacity quotient calculations showed that the PCBs in the soil consistently had a higher fugacity than the PCBs in the air, with a median quotient value of 2.7. The gaseous fluxes between soil and air were estimated using standard modelling equations and a net soil-air flux estimated by subtracting bulk deposition from gaseous soil-air fluxes. It was shown that inclusion of vertical sorbed phase transport of PCBs in the soil had a large effect on the direction of the net soil-air exchange fluxes. - Soil-air exchange of PCBs is investigated and modelled across Sweden

  14. A Comparative Study of the Soil Fauna in forests and cultivated land on sandy soils in Suriname

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Drift, van der J.

    1963-01-01

    1. In the coastal area of Suriname the soil and surface fauna were studied in various types of agricultural land, and compared with the fauna in the adjacent forests. 2. In primeval forest the soil macroarthropods are less numerous than in secondary forest (Formicidae excluded). They range generally

  15. Science and Sandy: Lessons Learned

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werner, K.

    2013-12-01

    Following Hurricane Sandy's impact on the mid-Atlantic region, President Obama established a Task Force to '...ensure that the Federal Government continues to provide appropriate resources to support affected State, local, and tribal communities to improve the region's resilience, health, and prosperity by building for the future.' The author was detailed from NOAA to the Task Force between January and June 2013. As the Task Force and others began to take stock of the region's needs and develop plans to address them, many diverse approaches emerged from different areas of expertise including: infrastructure, management and construction, housing, public health, and others. Decision making in this environment was complex with many interests and variables to consider and balance. Although often relevant, science and technical expertise was not always at the forefront of this process. This talk describes the author's experience with the Sandy Task Force focusing on organizing scientific expertise to support the work of the Task Force. This includes a description of federal activity supporting Sandy recovery efforts, the role of the Task Force, and lessons learned from developing a science support function within the Task Force.

  16. Suitability of soils of the university of Nigeria, Nsukka for the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Nkpologu series of valley bottom, plain and gentle slopes (0-6%) are suitable due to favorable topography, moderately heavy soil textures (sandy clay loam to sandy loam at the topsoil, and sandy clay at the subsoil), and relative soil fertility (with average topsoil % base sat. on the basis of ECEC of 45.08% and O.M. ...

  17. Nitrogen Amendment Stimulated Decomposition of Maize Straw-Derived Biochar in a Sandy Loam Soil: A Short-Term Study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weiwei Lu

    Full Text Available This study examined the effect of nitrogen (N on biochar stability in relation to soil microbial community as well as biochar labile components using δ13C stable isotope technology. A sandy loam soil under a long-term rotation of C3 crops was amended with biochar produced from maize (a C4 plant straw in absence (BC0 and presence (BCN of N and monitored for dynamics of carbon dioxide (CO2 flux, phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs profile and dissolved organic carbon (DOC content. N amendment significantly increased the decomposition of biochar during the first 5 days of incubation (P < 0.05, and the proportions of decomposed biochar carbon (C were 2.30% and 3.28% in BC0 and BCN treatments, respectively, during 30 days of incubation. The magnitude of decomposed biochar C was significantly (P < 0.05 higher than DOC in biochar (1.75% and part of relatively recalcitrant biochar C was mineralized in both treatments. N amendment increased soil PLFAs concentration at the beginning of incubation, indicating that microorganisms were N-limited in test soil. Furthermore, N amendment significantly (P < 0.05 increased the proportion of gram-positive (G+ bacteria and decreased that of fungi, while no noticeable changes were observed for gram-negative (G- bacteria and actinobacteria at the early stage of incubation. Our results indicated that N amendment promoted more efficiently the proliferation of G+ bacteria and accelerated the decomposition of relatively recalcitrant biochar C, which in turn reduced the stability of maize straw-derived biochar in test soil.

  18. Impact of Offshore Wind Energy Plants on the Soil Mechanical Behaviour of Sandy Seafloors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stark, Nina; Lambers-Huesmann, Maria; Zeiler, Manfred; Zoellner, Christian; Kopf, Achim

    2010-05-01

    Over the last decade, wind energy has become an important renewable energy source. Especially, the installation of offshore windfarms offers additional space and higher average wind speeds than the well-established windfarms onshore. Certainly, the construction of offshore wind turbines has an impact on the environment. In the framework of the Research at Alpha VEntus (RAVE) project in the German offshore wind energy farm Alpha Ventus (north of the island Borkum in water depths of about 30 m) a research plan to investigate the environmental impact had been put into place. An ongoing study focuses on the changes in soil mechanics of the seafloor close to the foundations and the development of scour. Here, we present results of the first geotechnical investigations after construction of the plants (ca. 1 - 6 months) compared to geotechnical measurements prior to construction. To study the soil mechanical behaviour of the sand, sediment samples from about thirty different positions were measured in the laboratory to deliver, e.g., grain size (0.063 - 0.3 mm), friction angles (~ 32°), unit weight (~ 19.9 kN/m³) and void ratios (~ 0.81). For acoustic visualisation, side-scan-sonar (towed and stationary) and multibeam-echosounders (hull mounted) were used. Data show a flat, homogenous seafloor prior to windmill erection, and scouring effects at and in the vicinity of the foundations afterwards. Geotechnical in-situ measurements were carried out using a standard dynamic Cone Penetration Testing lance covering the whole windfarm area excluding areas in a radius free-fall penetrometer Nimrod was deployed at the same spots, and furthermore, in the areas close to the tripod foundations (down to a distance of ~ 5 m from the central pile). Before construction, CPT as well as Nimrod deployments confirm a flat, homogenous sandy area with tip resistance values ranging from 1200 - 1600 kPa (CPT with a mass of ~ 100 kg and an impact velocity of ~ 1 m/s) and quasi-static bearing

  19. Structure and Composition of Leachfield Bacterial Communities: Role of Soil Texture, Depth and Septic Tank Effluent Inputs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janet A. Atoyan

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Although groundwater quality depends on microbial processes in the soil treatment area (STA of onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS, our understanding of the development of these microbial communities is limited. We examined the bacterial communities of sand, sandy loam, and clay STAs at different depths in response to septic tank effluent (STE addition using mesocosms. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP analysis was used to compare the bacterial community structure and composition of STE, native soil prior to STE addition (UNX and soil exposed to STE (EXP. Principal component analysis separated communities with depth in sand but not in sandy loam or clay. Indices of richness, diversity, and evenness followed the order: sandy loam > sand > clay. Analysis of TRF peaks indicated that STE contributed least to the composition of STA bacterial communities (5%–16%, followed by UNX soil (18%–48%, with the highest proportion of the community made up of TRFs not detected previously in either UNX or STE (50%–82% for all three soils. Soil type and depth can have a marked effect on the structure and composition of STA bacterial communities, and on the relative contribution of native soil and STE to these communities.

  20. Ecological restoration and recovery in the wind-blown sand hazard areas of northern China: relationship between soil water and carrying capacity for vegetation in the Tengger Desert.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, XingRong; Zhang, ZhiShan; Tan, HuiJuan; Gao, YanHong; Liu, LiChao; Wang, XingPing

    2014-05-01

    The main prevention and control area for wind-blown sand hazards in northern China is about 320000 km(2) in size and includes sandlands to the east of the Helan Mountain and sandy deserts and desert-steppe transitional regions to the west of the Helan Mountain. Vegetation recovery and restoration is an important and effective approach for constraining wind-blown sand hazards in these areas. After more than 50 years of long-term ecological studies in the Shapotou region of the Tengger Desert, we found that revegetation changed the hydrological processes of the original sand dune system through the utilization and space-time redistribution of soil water. The spatiotemporal dynamics of soil water was significantly related to the dynamics of the replanted vegetation for a given regional precipitation condition. The long-term changes in hydrological processes in desert areas also drive replanted vegetation succession. The soil water carrying capacity of vegetation and the model for sand fixation by revegetation in aeolian desert areas where precipitation levels are less than 200 mm are also discussed.

  1. 2014 USGS CMGP Lidar: Sandy Restoration (Delaware and Maryland)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Geographic Extent: SANDY_Restoration_DE_MD_QL2 Area of Interest covers approximately 3.096 square miles. Lot #5 contains the full project area Dataset Description:...

  2. Nano chitosan-NPK fertilizer enhances the growth and productivity of wheat plants grown in sandy soil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abdel-Aziz, H.M.M.; Hasaneen, M.N.A.; Ome, A.M.

    2016-11-01

    Nanofertilizers have become a pioneer approach in agriculture research nowadays. In this paper we investigate the delivery of chitosan nanoparticles loaded with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) for wheat plants by foliar uptake. Chiotsan-NPK nanoparticles were easily applied to leaf surfaces and entered the stomata via gas uptake, avoiding direct interaction with soil systems. The uptake and translocation of nanoparticles inside wheat plants was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The results revealed that nano particles were taken up and transported through phloem tissues. Treatment of wheat plants grown on sandy soil with nano chitosan-NPK fertilizer induced significant increases in harvest index, crop index and mobilization index of the determined wheat yield variables, as compared with control yield variables of wheat plants treated with normal non-fertilized and normal fertilized NPK. The life cycle of the nano-fertilized wheat plants was shorter than normal-fertilized wheat plants with the ratio of 23.5% (130 days compared with 170 days for yield production from date of sowing). Thus, accelerating plant growth and productivity by application of nanofertilizers can open new perspectives in agricultural practice. However, the response of plants to nanofertilizers varies with the type of plant species, their growth stages and nature of nanomaterials. (Author)

  3. Assessment of structural stability of a degraded sandy clay loam soil ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The effects of bare, two legumes and four grasses cover treatments on the structural stability of a sandy clay loam Ultisol were studied within a two year period. The experiment was of a randomised complete block design with seven treatments. The legume treatments were Centrosema pubescens (Ce) and Pueraria ...

  4. Determination of diffusion coefficients in cohesive and sandy sediment from the area of Gorleben

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klotz, D.

    1989-01-01

    The cohesive and sandy sediments stem from shaft driving at the Gorleben salt done. For the cohesive materials, HTD was used as a tracer substance, while I-131 - was used for the sandy materials. Diffusion coefficients of HTD in cohesive materials in their natural texture are in the range of 2x10 -6 to 5x10 -6 cm 2 /s, those of I-131 - in the investigated uniform fine and middle sands are approximately 3x10 -6 cm 2 /s. (DG) [de

  5. Long-term influence of tillage and fertilization on net carbon dioxide exchange rate on two soils with different textures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feiziene, Dalia; Feiza, Virginijus; Slepetiene, Alvyra; Liaudanskiene, Inga; Kadziene, Grazina; Deveikyte, Irena; Vaideliene, Asta

    2011-01-01

    The importance of agricultural practices to greenhouse gas mitigation is examined worldwide. However, there is no consensus on soil organic carbon (SOC) content and CO emissions as affected by soil management practices and their relationships with soil texture. No-till (NT) agriculture often results in soil C gain, though, not always. Soil net CO exchange rate (NCER) and environmental factors (SOC, soil temperature [T], and water content [W]), as affected by soil type (loam and sandy loam), tillage (conventional, reduced, and NT), and fertilization, were quantified in long-term field experiments in Lithuania. Soil tillage and fertilization affected total CO flux (heterotrophic and autotrophic) through effect on soil SOC sequestration, water, and temperature regime. After 11 yr of different tillage and fertilization management, SOC content was 23% more in loam than in sandy loam. Long-term NT contributed to 7 to 27% more SOC sequestration on loam and to 29 to 33% more on sandy loam compared with reduced tillage (RT) or conventional tillage (CT). Soil water content in loam was 7% more than in sandy loam. Soil gravimetric water content, averaged across measurement dates and fertilization treatments, was significantly less in NT than CT and RT in both soils. Soil organic carbon content and water storage capacity of the loam and sandy loam soils exerted different influences on NCER. The NCER from the sandy loam soil was 13% greater than that from the loam. In addition, NCER was 4 to 9% less with NT than with CT and RT systems on both loam and sandy loam soils. Application of mineral NPK fertilizers promoted significantly greater NCER from loam but suppressed NCER by 15% from sandy loam. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  6. Effect of cement injection on sandy soil slope stability, case study: slope in Petang district, Badung regency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arya, I. W.; Wiraga, I. W.; GAG Suryanegara, I.

    2018-01-01

    with cement injection interval 5 cm and third model is soil with cement injection interval 10 cm. The result is the shear strength (ϕ value) the soil is increase from 32.02° to 47.57°. The increase value of internal friction angle (ϕ) shows that an increase in shear strength of the cement improved soil. While, the value of cohesion (c) is zero indicating there is no cohesion in the soil. This is common for sand soil or sandy soil. The calculation of safety factor with GeoStructural Analysis obtained an increase of safety factor from 0.78 if the soil without cement injection to 1.07 and 1.17 if the soil is injected with cement at a distance of 10 cm and 5 cm.

  7. Soil Quality of Bauxite Mining Areas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terezinha Gonçalves Bizuti, Denise; Dinarowski, Marcela; Casagrande, José Carlos; Silva, Luiz Gabriel; Soares, Marcio Roberto; Henrique Santin Brancalion, Pedro

    2015-04-01

    The study on soil quality index (SQI) aims to assess the current state of the soil after use and estimating its recovery through sustainable management practices This type of study is being used in this work in order to check the efficiency of forest recovery techniques in areas that have been deeply degraded by bauxite mining process, and compare them with the area of native forest, through the determination of SQI. Treatments were newly mined areas, areas undergoing restoration (topsoil use with planting of native forest species), areas in rehabilitation (employment of the green carpet with topsoil and planting of native forest species) and areas of native forests, with six repetitions, in areas of ALCOA, in the municipality of Poços de Caldas/MG. To this end, we used the additive pondered model, establishing three functions: Fertility, water movement and root development, based on chemical parameters (organic matter, base saturation, aluminum saturation and calcium content); physical (macroporosity, soil density and clay content); and microbiological testing (basal respiration by the emission of CO2 ). The SQIs obtained for each treatment was 41%, 56%, 63% and 71% for newly mined areas, native forest, areas in restoration and rehabilitation, respectively. The recovering technique that most approximates the degraded soil to the soil of reference is the restoration, where there was no statistically significant difference of areas restored with native forest. It was found that for the comparison of the studied areas must take into account the nutrient cycling, that disappear with plant removal in mining areas, once the soil of native forest features low fertility and high saturation by aluminum, also taking in account recovering time.

  8. Plasticity and density-moisture-resistance relations of soils amended with fly ash

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mapfuno, E.; Chanasyk, D.S. [University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Renewable Resources

    1998-06-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of fly ash amendments on the plasticity, water retention and penetration resistance-density-moisture relationships of three soils of sandy loam, loam and clay loam textures in order to determine the potential compaction of these soil/fly ash mixtures if they were worked at different moisture ranges. For all three soils the addition of fly ash decreased the plasticity index, but slightly increased the Proctor maximum density. This implies that fly ash amendments reduce the range of moisture within which soils are most susceptible to compaction. However, for the sandy loam and loam textured soils amended with fly ash, cultivation must be avoided at moisture contents close to field capacity since maximum densification occurs at these moisture contents. In all three soils the addition of fly ash increased water retention, especially in the sandy loam. Fly ash amendments increased penetration resistance of the clay loam, but increased penetration resistance of the sandy loam.

  9. Evaporation From Soil Containers With Irregular Shapes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assouline, Shmuel; Narkis, Kfir

    2017-11-01

    Evaporation from bare soils under laboratory conditions is generally studied using containers of regular shapes where the vertical edges are parallel to the flow lines in the drying domain. The main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of irregular container shapes, for which the flow lines either converge or diverge toward the surface. Evaporation from initially saturated sand and sandy loam soils packed in cones and inverted cones was compared to evaporation from corresponding cylindrical columns. The initial evaporation rate was higher in the cones, and close to potential evaporation. At the end of the experiment, the cumulative evaporation depth in the sand cone was equal to that in the column but higher than in the inverted cone, while in the sandy loam, the order was cone > column > inverted cone. By comparison to the column, stage 1 evaporation was longer in the cones, and practically similar in the inverted cones. Stage 2 evaporation rate decreased with the increase of the evaporating surface area. These results were more pronounced in the sandy loam. For the sand column, the transition between stage 1 and stage 2 evaporation occurred when the depth of the saturation front was approximately equal to the characteristic length of the soil. However, for the cone and the inverted cone, it occurred for a shallower depth of the saturation front. It seems therefore that the concept of the characteristic length derived from the soil hydraulic properties is related to drying systems of regular shapes.

  10. Long-term fate of exogenous metals in a sandy Luvisol subjected to intensive irrigation with raw wastewater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dere, C.; Lamy, I.; Jaulin, A.; Cornu, S.

    2007-01-01

    From 1899 to 2002, sandy Luvisol in the Paris region has been intensively irrigated with raw wastewater, resulting in major soil pollution by metallic trace elements (MTE). To identify the soil phases implicated in retaining these metals, sequential extractions were performed on a solum irrigated with untreated wastewater and another reference solum. The endogenous and exogenous fractions of MTE in the contaminated soil were discriminated using correlations between MTE and major elements defined from unpolluted soils of the area. In the contaminated soil no exogenous lead and chromium are present below the surface horizon, whereas exogenous zinc and copper are found down to the base of the solum. The endogenous MTE are mainly found in the residual fraction. Exogenous MTE appear to be associated with organic matter in the surface horizon, and exogenous zinc seems to be readsorbed on iron and manganese oxyhydroxides in the underlying horizons. - After 100 years of intensive irrigation with wastewater, no exogenous Pb and Cr are found in the subsoil, while exogenous Zn and Cu are found down to the base of the solum, mostly readsorbed

  11. An appraisal of ground water for irrigation in the Wadena area, central Minnesota

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindholm, F.G.

    1970-01-01

    The Wadena area is part of a large sandy plain in central Minnesota whose soils have low water-holding capacity. Drought conditions which adversely affect plant growth frequently occur in the summer when moisture is most needed. To reduce the risk of crop failure in the area supplemental irrigation is on the increase.

  12. Patterns of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Distribution on Mainland and Island Sandy Coastal Plain Ecosystems in Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Silva, Iolanda Ramalho; de Souza, Francisco Adriano; da Silva, Danielle Karla Alves; Oehl, Fritz; Maia, Leonor Costa

    2017-10-01

    Although sandy coastal plains are important buffer zones to protect the coast line and maintain biological diversity and ecosystem services, these ecosystems have been endangered by anthropogenic activities. Thus, information on coastal biodiversity and forces shaping coastal biological diversity are extremely important for effective conservation strategies. In this study, we aimed to compare arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal communities from soil samples collected on the mainland and nearby islands located in Brazilian sandy coastal plain ecosystems (Restingas) to get information about AM fungal biogeography and identify factors shaping these communities. Soil samples were collected in 2013 and 2014 on the beachfront of the tropical sandy coastal plain at six sites (three island and three mainland locations) across the northeast, southeast, and south regions of Brazil. Overall, we recorded 53 AM fungal species from field and trap culture samples. The richness and diversity of AM fungal species did not differ between mainland and island locations, but AM fungal community assemblages were different between mainland and island environments and among most sites sampled. Glomeromycota communities registered from island samples showed higher heterogeneity than communities from mainland samples. Sandy coastal plains harbor diverse AM fungal communities structured by climatic, edaphic, and spatial factors, while the distance from the colonizing source (mainland environments) does not strongly affect the AM fungal communities in Brazilian coastal environments.

  13. Toxocara (Nematoda: Ascaridida and Other Soil-Transmitted Helminth Eggs Contaminating Soils in Selected Urban and Rural Areas in the Philippines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vachel Gay V. Paller

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The extent of contamination of soils with soil transmitted helminthes (STH eggs, particularly Toxocara, was determined in selected urban and rural towns of Laguna, Philippines. Soil samples were collected from public schools, house yards, and empty lots. Results revealed that, of the 1480 soil samples collected, 460 (31% were positive for STH eggs. Toxocara sp. was the most prevalent (77%, followed by Ascaris sp. (11%, hookworms/strongyles/free-living nematodes (7%, and Trichuris sp. (5%. Some soil physicochemical parameters were also determined and associated with Toxocara eggs prevalence and density in soil. Results revealed that Toxocara sp. eggs were most prevalent in less acidic, relatively high temperature and high moisture soil conditions. They were also prevalent in sandy, silty, and loamy soil textures but less prevalent in clayey. No significant differences were found between depth 1 (0–5 cm and depth 2 (6–10 cm. This study revealed that Toxocara sp. eggs are ubiquitous and the extent of contamination in soils from the selected towns of Laguna is relatively high. Hence, the data generated in this study can be used in promoting public awareness, particularly for pet owners and local health officials, for effective prevention and control of this parasitosis.

  14. Gas diffusion-derived tortuosity governs saturated hydraulic conductivity in sandy soils

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Masis Melendez, Federico; Deepagoda Thuduwe Kankanamge Kelum, Chamindu; de Jonge, Lis Wollesen

    2014-01-01

    Accurate prediction of saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) is essential for the development of better distributed hydrological models and area-differentiated risk assessment of chemical leaching. The saturated hydraulic conductivity is often estimated from basic soil properties such as particle......, potential relationships between Ksat and Dp/Do were investigated. A total of 84 undisturbed soil cores were extracted from the topsoil of a field site, and Dp/Do and Ksat were measured in the laboratory. Water-induced and solids-induced tortuosity factors were obtained by applying a two-parameter Dp...

  15. Soil variability in mountain areas

    OpenAIRE

    Zanini, E.; Freppaz, M.; Stanchi, S.; Bonifacio, E.; Egli, M.

    2015-01-01

    The high spatial variability of soils is a relevant issue at local and global scales, and determines the complexity of soil ecosystem functions and services. This variability derives from strong dependencies of soil ecosystems on parent materials, climate, relief and biosphere, including human impact. Although present in all environments, the interactions of soils with these forming factors are particularly striking in mountain areas.

  16. Performance of Low-Volume Roads with Wearing Course Layer of Silty Sandy Soil Modified with Rice Husk Ash and Lime

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Behak Katz, L.; Musso Laespiga, M.

    2016-07-01

    Rice husk ash (RHA) is a by-product of rice milling. Its use as soil stabilizer is a way to replace the final disposal with environmental benefit. However, RHA is not cementitious itself but when mixed with lime forms cements which improve the soil properties. A research of performance of a silty sandy soil modified with RHA and lime as wearing course layer of low-volume roads was conducted through two full-scale test sections with different pavements built in Artigas, northern Uruguay. The alkaline reactivity of RHA is low because the husk burning is not controlled. The soil-RHA-lime mix design was conducted according to the Thompson’s Method. The pavement test sections were monitored through deflection measures by Benkelman beam and observations of surface condition. The deflections decreased over time in both test sections due to the development of cementation of the study materials. After one year, the dust emission was reduced, the wet skid resistance of pavement surfaces improved and there was not rutting. The researched pavements have had a good performance under the existing traffic and environmental conditions, demonstrating that wearing course layer of silty sand modified with RHA and lime is an alternative to improve the condition of low-volume roads and to replace the final disposal of RHA, with environmental, social and economic benefits. (Author)

  17. Radiological aspects of choice of a system of cultivation of sod-podzolic sandy loam soils with different degree of humidity on lands of Mogilev region contaminated with 137Cs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lazarevich, S.S.; Ermolenko, A.V.; Shapsheeva, T.P.

    2010-01-01

    In the conditions of the Republic of Belarus there were presented data about the influence of technological factors on entry of 137Cs into plant products (grain and green mass). In course of the study there were analyzed the following variants of soil cultivation: moldboard plowing; subsurface chisel soil tillage; subsurface surface soil tillage; minimal tillage. There were presented data on specific activity of 137Cs in plant product samples of oat (Avena sativa) grain; field pea (Pisum arvense L.) and oat mixture grain and green mass; wheat (Triticum aestivum) grain. There were determined the main principles of influence of cultivation systems of sod-podzolic sandy loam soil with different degree of humidity on transition of 137Cs into plants depending on the degree of soil and crop humidity. On the automorphic soil there was revealed a tendency of increased transition of 137Cs into grain and green mass after application of subsurface surface soil tillage system

  18. Reclamation status of a degraded pasture based on soil health indicators.

    OpenAIRE

    SANTOS, C. A. dos; KRAWULSKI, C. C.; BINI, D.; GOULART FILHO, T.; KNOB, A.; MEDINA, C. C.; ANDRADE FILHO, G.; NOGUEIRA, M. A.

    2015-01-01

    Pasture degradation is a concern, especially in susceptible sandy soils for which strategies to recover them must be developed. Microbiological and biochemical soil health indicators are useful in the guindace of soil management practices and sustainable soil use. We assessed the success of threePanicum maximum Jacq. cultivars in the reclamation of a pasture in a sandy Typic Acrudox in the northwest of the state of Paraná, Brazil, based on soil health indicators. On a formerly degraded p...

  19. Effect of Different Levels of Irrigation Water Salinity and Soil Texture on Growth and N Use Efficiency of Tomato and Melochia Grown in Rotation using 15N

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Darwish, T.M.; El Moujabber, M.; Atallah, T.; El Chami, D.

    2008-01-01

    Increasing water demands and water scarcity imply large farmer's reliance on groundwater on the coastal area leading to water salinization by seawater intrusion. Irrigation using saline water accumulates salts in the soil notably under protected agriculture leading to negative impact on yields. Consequently salt removal by leaching is required. Bioremediation of salt affected soils through a rotation acquires economic and environmental importance. Pot experiments were conducted under plastic house conditions on sandy soil (T1) and clay soil (T2). Three saline water treatments were used: low (S1=1.0 dS.m-1), moderate (S2=2.5 dS.m-1) and high (S3=5.0 dS.m-1). Tomato cv Tyrade (S and G seeds) was planted first, followed by Melochia or Jew's mallow (Corchorus olitorius) for remediation purposes. Each soil was placed in 24 pots and treatments were distributed randomly. Fertigation was done using drip method. Labeled nitrogen 15 N was used to trace the direct and residual effect of nitrogen under different saline conditions. Tomato yield, for the sandy soil, was negatively affected by the higher level of salinity. This effect could be attributed to the smaller buffering capacity of the sand soil. As a result of salinity, there was a remarkable increase in dry matter contents of fruits in the sandy soil only. Texture had a major effect on leaf area index (LAI) with better development in clay soil. Water consumption in the first 200 days of growth period did not show any significant difference among treatments with around 350-375 mm consumed. Nitrogen derived from fertilizers (% Ndff) was not affected by the soil texture or by the salinity. N yield and use efficiency were higher in the clay soil texture. Moreover, yield and Ndff in Melochia plants were negatively affected due to salt accumulation in the soil. Counting for all recovered N in the tomato-Melochia rotation, N use efficiency was higher in plants grown on clay soil (47%) compared to sandy soil (37.5%). (author)

  20. IMPACT OF A USED STABILISER ON THE CALIFORNIA BEARING RATIO OF THE CLAYEY-SANDY SILT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katarzyna Kamińska

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper aimed at the determination of the California Bearing Ratio of a stabilised and unstabilised fine-grained mineral soil. A clayey-sandy silt with the addition of 3, 6 and 10% of road stabilisers Solidex and Solidex A was used for the tests. The tests were carried out in the press Tritech 50 at the loading of 22 and 44 N. The stabilised samples were subjected to 7-days treatment, whereas unstabilised 4-days treatment. Stabilization with the applied road binders brought positive effects, there occurred a significant improvement in the mechanical properties of the clayey-sandy silt. The better binder, which significantly increased the value of the CBR ratio, was Solidex A. The use of hydraulic binders is of a great importance in road building, because their addition improves the mechanical properties of weaker mineral soils.

  1. Influence of mycorrhizal fungi on the growth and development of sandy everlasting Helichrysum arenarium (L. Moench.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna K. Sawilska

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The significance of root colonization by mycorrhizal fungi for the growth and development of Helichrysum arenarium was investigated in two independent experiments. In the first experiment the association of root colonization level with the pluviothermal conditions within the growing season and the age of a natural plant population was analyzed. In the second one, under controlled conditions, the influence of artificial inoculation with the arbuscular fungus Glomus intraradices on the features of plants raised from achenes was studied. It was shown that hydrothermal conditions during blooming period had a greater influence on reproduction processes of sandy everlasting than both the population age (the secondary succession progress and the level of root colonization by mycorrhizal fungi. High amount of precipitation at plant generative development phase positively influences the potential and actual fertility of ramets. The presence of arbuscular fungus in the soil favors the growth and development of sandy everlasting specimens at their early growing stages: they have a better-developed root system and a greater photosynthetic area.

  2. Degradation kinetics of ptaquiloside in soil and soil solution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ovesen, Rikke Gleerup; Rasmussen, Lars Holm; Hansen, Hans Christian Bruun

    2008-01-01

    and soil solutions in sandy and clayey soils subjected to high natural PTA loads from bracken stands. Degradation kinetics in moist soil could be fitted with the sum of a fast and a slow first-order reaction; the fast reaction contributed 20 to 50% of the total degradation of PTA. The fast reaction...... was similar in all horizons, with the rate constant k1F ranging between 0.23 and 1.5/h. The slow degradation, with the rate constant k1S ranging between 0.00067 and 0.029/h, was more than twice as fast in topsoils compared to subsoils, which is attributable to higher microbial activity in topsoils....... Experiments with sterile controls confirmed that nonmicrobial degradation processes constituted more than 90% of the fast degradation and 50% of the slow degradation. The lower nonmicrobial degradation rate observed in the clayey compared with the sandy soil is attributed to a stabilizing effect of PTA...

  3. Analysis of volatile organic compound from Elaeis guineensis inflorescences planted on different soil types in Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhamad Fahmi, M. H.; Ahmad Bukhary, A. K.; Norma, H.; Idris, A. B.

    2016-11-01

    The main attractant compound for Eleidobius kamerunicus to male spikelet Elaeis guineensis (oil palm) were determined by analyzing volatile organic compound extracted from E. guineenses inflorescences planted on different soil types namely peat soil, clay soil and sandy soil. Anthesizing male oil palm inflorescences were randomly choosen from palm aged between 4-5 years old age. Extraction of the volatiles from the oil palm inflorescences were performed by Accelerated Solvent Extraction method (ASE). The extracted volatile compound were determined by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Out of ten identified compound, estragole was found to be a major compound in sandy soil (37.49%), clay soil (30.71%) and peat soil (27.79%). Other compound such as 9,12-octadecadieonic acid and n-hexadecanoic acid were found as major compound in peat soil (27.18%) and (7.45%); sandy soil (14.15 %) and (9.31%); and clay soil (30.23%) and (4.99%). This study shows that estragole was the predominant volatile compound detected in oil palm inflorescences with highly concentrated in palm planted in sandy soil type.

  4. Epidemic gasoline exposures following Hurricane Sandy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hong K; Takematsu, Mai; Biary, Rana; Williams, Nicholas; Hoffman, Robert S; Smith, Silas W

    2013-12-01

    Major adverse climatic events (MACEs) in heavily-populated areas can inflict severe damage to infrastructure, disrupting essential municipal and commercial services. Compromised health care delivery systems and limited utilities such as electricity, heating, potable water, sanitation, and housing, place populations in disaster areas at risk of toxic exposures. Hurricane Sandy made landfall on October 29, 2012 and caused severe infrastructure damage in heavily-populated areas. The prolonged electrical outage and damage to oil refineries caused a gasoline shortage and rationing unseen in the USA since the 1970s. This study explored gasoline exposures and clinical outcomes in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Prospectively collected, regional poison control center (PCC) data regarding gasoline exposure cases from October 29, 2012 (hurricane landfall) through November 28, 2012 were reviewed and compared to the previous four years. The trends of gasoline exposures, exposure type, severity of clinical outcome, and hospital referral rates were assessed. Two-hundred and eighty-three gasoline exposures were identified, representing an 18 to 283-fold increase over the previous four years. The leading exposure route was siphoning (53.4%). Men comprised 83.0% of exposures; 91.9% were older than 20 years of age. Of 273 home-based calls, 88.7% were managed on site. Asymptomatic exposures occurred in 61.5% of the cases. However, minor and moderate toxic effects occurred in 12.4% and 3.5% of cases, respectively. Gastrointestinal (24.4%) and pulmonary (8.4%) symptoms predominated. No major outcomes or deaths were reported. Hurricane Sandy significantly increased gasoline exposures. While the majority of exposures were managed at home with minimum clinical toxicity, some patients experienced more severe symptoms. Disaster plans should incorporate public health messaging and regional PCCs for public health promotion and toxicological surveillance.

  5. Effects of grazing strategy on limiting nitrate leaching in grazed grass-clover pastures on coarse sandy soil

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Elly Møller; Eriksen, Jørgen; Søegaard, Karen

    2012-01-01

    -term mean. The experiment was initiated in a 4-yr-old grass-clover sward in south Denmark. Three treatments were as follows grazing only (G), spring cut followed by grazing (CG) and both spring and autumn cuts with summer grazing (CGC). Nitrate leaching was calculated by extracting water isolates from 80 cm......Urinations of ruminants on grazed pastures increase the risk of nitrate leaching. The study investigated the effect of reducing the length of the grazing season on nitrate leaching from a coarse sandy, irrigated soil during 2006–2007 and 2007–2008. In both years, precipitation was above the long...... depth using ceramic suction cups. Because of considerable variation in measured nitrate concentrations, the 32 installed suction cups per treatment were insufficient to reveal differences between treatments. However, weighted nitrate leaching estimations for G, CG and CGC showed estimated mean nitrate N...

  6. Allegheny County Soil Type Areas

    Data.gov (United States)

    Allegheny County / City of Pittsburgh / Western PA Regional Data Center — This dataset contains soil type and soil classification, by area. Additional info at: http://mcdc.cas.psu.edu/datawiz.htm;...

  7. Plant-uptake of uranium: Hydroponic and soil system studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramaswami, A.; Carr, P.; Burkhardt, M.

    2001-01-01

    Limited information is available on screening and selection of terrestrial plants for uptake and translocation of uranium from soil. This article evaluates the removal of uranium from water and soil by selected plants, comparing plant performance in hydroponic systems with that in two soil systems (a sandy-loam soil and an organic-rich soil). Plants selected for this study were Sunflower (Helianthus giganteus), Spring Vetch (Vicia sativa), Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa), Juniper (Juniperus monosperma), Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea), and Bush Bean (Phaseolus nanus). Plant performance was evaluated both in terms of the percent uranium extracted from the three systems, as well as the biological absorption coefficient (BAC) that normalized uranium uptake to plant biomass. Study results indicate that uranium extraction efficiency decreased sharply across hydroponic, sandy and organic soil systems, indicating that soil organic matter sequestered uranium, rendering it largely unavailable for plant uptake. These results indicate that site-specific soils must be used to screen plants for uranium extraction capability; plant behavior in hydroponic systems does not correlate well with that in soil systems. One plant species, Juniper, exhibited consistent uranium extraction efficiencies and BACs in both sandy and organic soils, suggesting unique uranium extraction capabilities.

  8. Patterns and possible mechanisms of soil CO2 uptake in sandy soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fa, Ke-Yu; Zhang, Yu-Qing; Wu, Bin; Qin, Shu-Gao; Liu, Zhen; She, Wei-Wei

    2016-02-15

    It has been reported that soils in drylands can absorb CO2, although the patterns and mechanisms of such a process remain under debate. To address this, we investigated the relationships between soil CO2 flux and meteorological factors and soil properties in Northwest China to reveal the reasons for "anomalous" soil CO2 flux in a desert ecosystem. Soil CO2 flux increased significantly and exponentially with surficial turbulence at the diel scale under dry conditions (Psoil CO2 flux demonstrated remarkable negative correlation with soil air pressure (Psoil water content was insufficient to dissolve the absorbed CO2 in dry conditions, but was sufficient in wet conditions. The concentration of soil HCO3(-) in the morning was higher than in the evening in dry conditions, but this pattern was reversed in wet conditions. These results imply that CO2 outgassing induced by turbulence, expansion of soil air, CO2 effusion from soil water, and carbonate precipitation during daytime can explain the abiotic diurnal CO2 release. Moreover, CO2 pumping from the atmosphere into the soil, caused mainly by carbonate dissolution, can account for nocturnal CO2 absorption in dry conditions. The abiotic soil CO2 flux pattern (CO2 absorption throughout the diel cycle) in wet conditions can be attributed to downward mass flow of soil CO2 and intensified soil air shrinkage, CO2 dissolving in soil water, and carbonate dissolution. These results provide a basis for determining the location of abiotic fixed carbon within soils in desert ecosystems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Impact of Hurricane Sandy on community pharmacies in severely affected areas of New York City: A qualitative assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arya, Vibhuti; Medina, Eric; Scaccia, Allison; Mathew, Cathleen; Starr, David

    2016-01-01

    Hurricane Sandy was one of the most severe natural disasters to hit the Mid-Atlantic States in recent history. Community pharmacies were among the businesses affected, with flooding and power outages significantly reducing services offered by many pharmacies. The objectives of our study were to assess the impact of Hurricane Sandy on community pharmacies, both independently owned and chain, in the severely affected areas of New York City (NYC), including Coney Island, Staten Island, and the Rockaways, using qualitative methods, and propose strategies to mitigate the impact of future storms and disasters. Of the total 52 solicited pharmacies, 35 (67 percent) responded and were included in our analysis. Only 10 (29 percent) of the pharmacies surveyed reported having a generator during Hurricane Sandy; 37 percent reported being equipped with a generator at the time of the survey approximately 1 year later. Our findings suggest that issues other than power outages contributed more toward a pharmacy remaining operational after the storm. Of those surveyed, 26 (74 percent) suffered from structural damage (most commonly in Coney Island). Most pharmacies (71 percent) were able to reopen within 1 month. Despite staffing challenges, most pharmacies (88 percent) had enough pharmacists/staff to resume normal operations. Overall, 91 percent were aware of law changes for emergency medication access, and 81 percent found the information easy to obtain. This survey helped inform our work toward improved community resiliency. Our findings have helped us recognize community pharmacists as important stakeholders and refocus our energy toward developing sustained partnerships with them in NYC as part of our ongoing preparedness strategy.

  10. Sandy lower Gotherivian reservoirs in the south central Turkmeniya. [Siberia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mavyyev, N.Ch.; Nedirov, B.R.

    1982-01-01

    Composition and capacitance-filtering properties of sandy rocks of the early Gotherivian age developed on the fields of Karadzhaulak and Cirili within the northeast slope of the Predkopetdag marginal trough and on areas of Dengli Bakharadok of the Bakharadok monocline are studied. These rocks are viewed as analogs of the gas-bearing Shatlyk level of the Murgabskiy Basin. They can be considered the main potential source of hydrocarbons on the studied territory. In the upper part of the lower Gotherivian, a level of sandy rocks is traced. Rocks represented by small-and average-grained red and light grey differences in sandstones of polymictic composition. The porosity of the sandstones is 20-22%, permeability is 200-500 mdarcy. Not only a similar stratigraphic position of the described sandstones in the lower Gotherivian was found, but also lithological common nature of the rocks. In the south central Turkmeniya one can isolate age analogs of the Shatlyk level, the main productive level of southeast Turkmeniya. The thickness of the sandy beds is from 17 to 45 m. The sandstones of the Karadzhaulak area have the best capacitance-filtering properties. Post sedimentation changes depend on the quantity and composition of the cement, influence of formation waters, and possibly thermobaric conditions of rock formation. The presence of sandy rocks with high collector properties in the cross section of the lower Gotherivian deposits in south central Turkmeniya should be considered in determining the objects for further prospecting and exploration. The areas of Kumbet and Karadzhaulak are primary.

  11. Influence of soil texture on hydraulic properties and water relations of a dominant warm-desert phreatophyte.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hultine, K R; Koepke, D F; Pockman, W T; Fravolini, A; Sperry, J S; Williams, D G

    2006-03-01

    We investigated hydraulic constraints on water uptake by velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina Woot.) at a site with sandy-loam soil and at a site with loamy-clay soil in southeastern Arizona, USA. We predicted that trees on sandy-loam soil have less negative xylem and soil water potentials during drought and a lower resistance to xylem cavitation, and reach E(crit) (the maximum steady-state transpiration rate without hydraulic failure) at higher soil water potentials than trees on loamy-clay soil. However, minimum predawn leaf xylem water potentials measured during the height of summer drought were significantly lower at the sandy-loam site (-3.5 +/- 0.1 MPa; all errors are 95% confidence limits) than at the loamy-clay site (-2.9 +/- 0.1 MPa). Minimum midday xylem water potentials also were lower at the sandy-loam site (-4.5 +/- 0.1 MPa) than at the loamy-clay site (-4.0 +/- 0.1 MPa). Despite the differences in leaf water potentials, there were no significant differences in either root or stem xylem embolism, mean cavitation pressure or Psi(95) (xylem water potential causing 95% cavitation) between trees at the two sites. A soil-plant hydraulic model parameterized with the field data predicted that E(crit) approaches zero at a substantially higher bulk soil water potential (Psi(s)) on sandy-loam soil than on loamy-clay soil, because of limiting rhizosphere conductance. The model predicted that transpiration at the sandy-loam site is limited by E(crit) and is tightly coupled to Psi(s) over much of the growing season, suggesting that seasonal transpiration fluxes at the sandy-loam site are strongly linked to intra-annual precipitation pulses. Conversely, the model predicted that trees on loamy-clay soil operate below E(crit) throughout the growing season, suggesting that fluxes on fine-textured soils are closely coupled to inter-annual changes in precipitation. Information on the combined importance of xylem and rhizosphere constraints to leaf water supply across soil

  12. Understanding the fate of sanitation-related nutrients in a shallow sandy aquifer below an urban slum area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyenje, P. M.; Havik, J. C. N.; Foppen, J. W.; Muwanga, A.; Kulabako, R.

    2014-08-01

    We hypothesized that wastewater leaching from on-site sanitation systems to alluvial aquifers underlying informal settlements (or slums) may end up contributing to high nutrient loads to surface water upon groundwater exfiltration. Hence, we conducted a hydro-geochemical study in a shallow sandy aquifer in Bwaise III parish, an urban slum area in Kampala, Uganda, to assess the geochemical processes controlling the transport and fate of dissolved nutrients (NO3, NH4 and PO4) released from on-site sanitation systems to groundwater. Groundwater was collected from 26 observation wells. The samples were analyzed for major ions (Ca, Mg, Na, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cl and SO4) and nutrients (o-PO4, NO3 and NH4). Data was also collected on soil characteristics, aquifer conductivity and hydraulic heads. Geochemical modeling using PHREEQC was used to determine the level of o-PO4 control by mineral solubility and sorption. Groundwater below the slum area was anoxic and had near neutral pH values, high values of EC (average of 1619 μS/cm) and high concentrations of Cl (3.2 mmol/L), HCO3 (11 mmol/L) and nutrients indicating the influence from wastewater leachates especially from pit latrines. Nutrients were predominantly present as NH4 (1-3 mmol/L; average of 2.23 mmol/L). The concentrations of NO3 and o-PO4 were, however, low: average of 0.2 mmol/L and 6 μmol/L respectively. We observed a contaminant plume along the direction of groundwater flow (NE-SW) characterized by decreasing values of EC and Cl, and distinct redox zones. The redox zones transited from NO3-reducing in upper flow areas to Fe-reducing in the lower flow areas. Consequently, the concentrations of NO3 decreased downgradient of the flow path due to denitrification. Ammonium leached directly into the alluvial aquifer was also partially removed because the measured concentrations were less than the potential input from pit latrines (3.2 mmol/L). We attributed this removal (about 30%) to anaerobic ammonium oxidation

  13. Peculiarities of pulse crops mineral feeding on sod-podzolic sandy soils contaminated with radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Timofeev, S.F.; Sedukova, G.V.; Demidovich, S.A.

    2010-01-01

    In the conditions of the Republic of Belarus there was analyzed the influence of mineral fertilizers of leguminius crops (blue lupine (Lupinus angustifolius) of Gelena variety and field pea (Pisum arvense) of Alex variety) on yielding capacity, grain and green mass quality, and parameters transit of 137Cs and 90Sr radionuclides into leguminous products. In course of the experiment there were analyzed six variants of mineral fertilizer application P30K30; P30K90; P30K120; P60K60; P60K90; and P60K120. Variant without any fertilizers was as control. Double superphosphate (46% of P2O5) and potash chloride (60% of K2O) were applied as mineral fertilizers. Research results showed that application of phosphate-potassium fertilizers on sod-podzolic sandy soils moderately supplied with phosphate and potassium made it possible to increase pea and lupine yield. The highest efficiency of application of phosphate-potassium fertilizers was in the ratio of 1 (ðá2ð×5) : 2 (ðÜ2ð×) provided. Fertilizer system did not render substantial influence on indexes of nutritive value of green mass of pea and lupine. There was marked a tendency of increasing of phosphorous in lupine grain after its application in dose of P60. Mineral fertilizer application made it possible to lower 137Cs transit from soil into lupine green mass in 2 times and seeds ÔÇô in 1,5 times. Application of potassium fertilizer in dose of 120 kg/ha proved to be the most efficient for the lowering of 137Cs accumulation in products of the analyzed crops

  14. Deaths associated with Hurricane Sandy - October-November 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-24

    On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit the northeastern U.S. coastline. Sandy's tropical storm winds stretched over 900 miles (1,440 km), causing storm surges and destruction over a larger area than that affected by hurricanes with more intensity but narrower paths. Based on storm surge predictions, mandatory evacuations were ordered on October 28, including for New York City's Evacuation Zone A, the coastal zone at risk for flooding from any hurricane. By October 31, the region had 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) of precipitation, 7-8 million customers without power, approximately 20,000 persons in shelters, and news reports of numerous fatalities (Robert Neurath, CDC, personal communication, 2013). To characterize deaths related to Sandy, CDC analyzed data on 117 hurricane-related deaths captured by American Red Cross (Red Cross) mortality tracking during October 28-November 30, 2012. This report describes the results of that analysis, which found drowning was the most common cause of death related to Sandy, and 45% of drowning deaths occurred in flooded homes in Evacuation Zone A. Drowning is a leading cause of hurricane death but is preventable with advance warning systems and evacuation plans. Emergency plans should ensure that persons receive and comprehend evacuation messages and have the necessary resources to comply with them.

  15. Characteristics and environmental carrying capacities of coastal area in Yogyakarta Special Region for aquaculture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Triyatmo, B.; Rustadi; Priyono, S. B.

    2018-03-01

    The purpose of this study were to determine characteristics and environmental carrying capacities of coastal area in Yogyakarta Special Region for aquaculture. This study was conducted in 2015 by characterizing land and water dynamics, land use, and the suitability of coastal environments for aquaculture. Evaluation on the coastal environments suitability for aquaculture ponds was based on the landforms, soil properties, water quality and land. Selection of coastal locations for aquaculture development was based on the level of suitability of coastal environment. The results showed that the coastal in Kulon Progo and Bantul Regencies were characterized by sand dune and beach ridge with sandy soil texture, while in Gunungkidul Regency was characterized by limestone hill with rocky texture. Water sources of the coastal area were the sea, river, and ground water with the salinity of 31–37, 7–11, 7–31 ppt and pH of 7.4–8.4 7.0–8.2 and 7.4–9.9, respectively. The coastal lands were used for seasonal/annual planting, ponds, fish landing sites, tourism areas and conservation areas. The coastal carrying capacity was rather suitable for aquaculture, especially in the sandy soil area. Aquaculture in that area can be done intensively for shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), using biocrete (biological material) or plastic sheet.

  16. Root growth of Lotus corniculatus interacts with P distribution in young sandy soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Felderer

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Large areas of land are restored with unweathered soil substrates following mining activities in eastern Germany and elsewhere. In the initial stages of colonization of such land by vegetation, plant roots may become key agents in generating soil formation patterns by introducing gradients in chemical and physical soil properties. On the other hand, such patterns may be influenced by root growth responses to pre-existing substrate heterogeneities. In particular, the roots of many plants were found to preferentially proliferate into nutrient-rich patches. Phosphorus (P is of primary interest in this respect because its availability is often low in unweathered soils, limiting especially the growth of leguminous plants. However, leguminous plants occur frequently among the pioneer plant species on such soils, as they only depend on atmospheric nitrogen (N fixation as N source. In this study we investigated the relationship between root growth allocation of the legume Lotus corniculatus and soil P distribution on recently restored land. As test sites, the experimental Chicken Creek Catchment (CCC in eastern Germany and a nearby experimental site (ES with the same soil substrate were used. We established two experiments with constructed heterogeneity, one in the field on the experimental site and the other in a climate chamber. In addition, we conducted high-density samplings on undisturbed soil plots colonized by L. corniculatus on the ES and on the CCC. In the field experiment, we installed cylindrical ingrowth soil cores (4.5 × 10 cm with and without P fertilization around single two-month-old L. corniculatus plants. Roots showed preferential growth into the P-fertilized ingrowth-cores. Preferential root allocation was also found in the climate chamber experiment, where single L. corniculatus plants were grown in containers filled with ES soil and where a lateral portion of the containers was additionally supplied with a range of different P

  17. Microseisms from Superstorm Sandy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sufri, Oner; Koper, Keith D.; Burlacu, Relu; de Foy, Benjamin

    2014-09-01

    We analyzed and visualized the microseisms generated by Superstorm Sandy as recorded by the Earthscope Transportable Array (TA) during late October through early November of 2012. We applied continuous, frequency-dependent polarization analysis to the data and were able to track the course of Sandy as it approached the Florida coastline and, later, the northeastern coast of the U.S. The energy level of Sandy was roughly comparable to the background microseism level generated by wave-wave interactions in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. The maximum microseismic power and degree of polarization were observed across the TA when Sandy sharply changed its direction to the west-northwest (specifically, towards Long Island, New York) on October 29. The westward turn also briefly changed the dominant microseism period from 5 s to 8 s. We identified three other microseismic source regions during the 18 day observation period. In particular, peak-splitting in the double frequency band and the orientation of the 5 s and 8 s polarization vectors revealed two contemporaneous microseism sources, one in the North Atlantic and one in the Northeast Pacific, for the dates of November 3-4. Predictions of microseismic excitation based on ocean wave models showed consistency with the observed microseismic energy generated by Sandy and other storms.

  18. Assessment of the physicochemical and microbiological status of western Niger Delta soil for crude oil pollution bioremediation potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ejechi, Bernard O; Ozochi, Chizoba A

    2015-06-01

    The physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of the soil across the western Niger Delta area of Nigeria were determined to assess its potential for natural remediation of crude oil pollution. The pH (oil-producing area, 6.1 ± 1.1; non-oil producing, 5.9 ± 0.9) and temperature (28-35 °C in both areas) were favourable to natural remediation, while the fluctuating moisture (7.7-45.6 %) and the dominant sandy soil textural classes (70 %) were limitations. The carbon nitrogen phosphorus (CNP) ratio markedly exceeded recommended 100:10:1, while the cation exchange capacity was below acceptable range. Counts of heterotrophic bacteria, fungi and hydrocarbon-utilising and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (mean range log10 3.8 ± 1.5-6.52 ± 0.9 cfu/g) were favourable having markedly exceeded the minimum counts required. Crude oil loss was highest in loam soil, but significantly (P = 0.00) increased in all soil textural classes including sandy soils after amendment with cow dung/poultry dropping and manual aeration in laboratory and 8-month field tests as indicated by two-way ANOVA. Thus, the overall assessment is that while CNP can be viewed as the major limiting factor to natural oil pollution remediation in the western Niger Delta soil, its influence can be minimised by the amendment indicated in the study.

  19. Fuel consumption of tractor for different soil types in semi-arid regions; Consumo de combustivel de um trator agricola para diferentes tipos de solo em regioes semi-aridas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Montanha, Gustavo K. [Universidade Estadual Paulista (FAC/UNESP), Botucatu, SP (Brazil). Fac. de Ciencias Agronomicas. Dept. de Engenharia Rural], E-mail: gmontanha@fca.unesp.br; Guerra, Saulo P.S. [Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu, SP (Brazil). Dept. de Gestao e Tecnologia Agroindustrial; Andrade-Sanchez, Pedro; Heun, John [The University of Arizona, Maricopa, AZ (United States); Monteiro, Leonardo A. [The University of Arizona (MAC/UA), Maricopa, AZ (United States). Maricopa Agricultural Center

    2010-07-01

    The appropriate use of agricultural machinery enables greater operational efficiency and higher productivity for the farmer. Some factors such as soil type can influence the fuel consumption, one of the biggest costs. This study aimed to compare the fuel consumption of a tractor operating in two different conditions of soil in semi-arid regions. The area used for testing is located in the city of Maricopa, in Arizona, belonging to 'The University of Arizona'. The area 1 is classified as sandy clay loam soil (52% sand, 35% clay, 13% silt). The area 2 is classified as a sandy loam soil (71% sand, 12% clay and 17% silt). The tractor 4 x 2 TDA, with 88 kw (120 hp) engine power equipped with auto pilot system and an implement for tillage were used in the experiment. A data acquisition system was installed in the tractor to collect the data generated by the GPS and fuel consumption sensor. The results showed significant statistical difference in fuel consumption between soil textures. (author)

  20. Physical and hydraulic characteristics of bentonite-amended soil from Area 5, Nevada Test Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albright, W.

    1995-08-01

    Radioactive waste requires significant isolation from the biosphere. Shallow land burial using low-permeability covers are often used to prevent the release of impounded material. This report details the characterization of a soil mixture intended for use as the low-permeability component of a radioactive waste disposal site. The addition of 6.5 percent bentonite to the sandy soils of the site reduced the value of saturated hydraulic conductivity (K s ) by more than two orders of magnitude to 7.6 x 10- 8 cm/sec. Characterization of the soil mixture included measurements of grain density, grain size distribution, compaction, porosity, dry bulk density, shear strength, desiccation shrinkage, K s , vapor conductivity, air permeability, the characteristic water retention function, and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity by both experimental and numerical estimation methods. The ability of the soil layer to limit infiltration in a simulated application was estimated in a one-dimensional model of a landfill cover

  1. Effect of nitrogen and water availability of three soil types on yield, radiation use efficiency and evapotranspiration in field-grown quinoa

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Razzaghi, Fatemeh; Plauborg, Finn; Jacobsen, Sven-Erik

    2012-01-01

    Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is believed to be tolerant to abiotic stress including salinity, drought and poor soil quality. To investigate the effect of soil type and soil-drying during the seed-filling phase on N-uptake, yield and water use, a Danish-bred cultivar (cv. Titicaca) was grown...... in field lysimeters with sand, sandy loam and sandy clay loam soil. Despite application of the same amount of nitrogen (120 kg N ha−1) to all plots, there were large differences in crop nitrogen-uptake for sandy clay loam (134 kg ha−1), sandy loam (102 kg ha−1) and sand (77 kg ha−1) under full irrigation....... This lead to higher interception of photosynthetic active radiation and higher seed yield on sandy clay loam (3.3 Mg ha−1) and sandy loam (3.0 Mg ha−1) than on sand (2.3 Mg ha−1). The soil with higher clay content had also the highest transpiration, crop evapotranspiration and yield due to the higher uptake...

  2. Soil cover of gas-bearing areas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mozharova, N. V.

    2010-08-01

    Natural soils with disturbed functioning parameters compared to the background soils with conservative technogenic-pedogenic features were distinguished on vast areas above the artificial underground gas storages in the zones of spreading and predominant impact of hydrocarbon gases. The disturbance of the functioning parameters is related to the increase in the methane concentration, the bacterial oxidation intensity and destruction, and the complex microbiological and physicochemical synthesis of iron oxides. The technogenic-pedogenic features include neoformations of bacteriomorphic microdispersed iron oxides. The impurity components consist of elements typical for biogenic structures. New soil layers, horizons, specific anthropogenically modified soils, and soil-like structures were formed on small areas in the industrial zones of underground gas storages due to the mechanical disturbance, the deposition of drilling sludge, and the chemical contamination. Among the soils, postlithogenic formations were identified—chemotechnosols (soddy-podzolic soils and chernozems), as well as synlithogenic ones: strato-chemotechnosols and stratochemoembryozems. The soil-like bodies included postlithogenic soil-like structures (chemotechnozems) and synlithogenic ones (strato-chemotechnozems). A substantive approach was used for the soil diagnostics. The morphological and magnetic profiles and the physical, chemical, and physicochemical properties of the soils were analyzed. The micromorphological composition of the soil magnetic fraction was used as a magnetic label.

  3. Improvement of Faba Bean Yield Using Rhizobium/Agrobacterium Inoculant in Low-Fertility Sandy Soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sameh H. Youseif

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Soil fertility is one of the major limiting factors for crop’s productivity in Egypt and the world in general. Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF has a great importance as a non-polluting and a cost-effective way to improve soil fertility through supplying N to different agricultural systems. Faba bean (Vicia faba L. is one of the most efficient nitrogen-fixing legumes that can meet all of their N needs through BNF. Therefore, understanding the impact of rhizobial inoculation and contrasting soil rhizobia on nodulation and N2 fixation in faba bean is crucial to optimize the crop yield, particularly under low fertility soil conditions. This study investigated the symbiotic effectiveness of 17 Rhizobium/Agrobacterium strains previously isolated from different Egyptian governorates in improving the nodulation and N2 fixation in faba bean cv. Giza 843 under controlled greenhouse conditions. Five strains that had a high nitrogen-fixing capacity under greenhouse conditions were subsequently tested in field trials as faba bean inoculants at Ismaillia Governorate in northeast Egypt in comparison with the chemical N-fertilization treatment (96 kg N·ha−1. A starter N-dose (48 kg N·ha−1 was applied in combination with different Rhizobium inoculants. The field experiments were established at sites without a background of inoculation under low fertility sandy soil conditions over two successive winter growing seasons, 2012/2013 and 2013/2014. Under greenhouse conditions, inoculated plants produced significantly higher nodules dry weight, plant biomass, and shoot N-uptake than non-inoculated ones. In the first season (2012/2013, inoculation of field-grown faba bean showed significant improvements in seed yield (3.73–4.36 ton·ha−1 and seed N-yield (138–153 Kg N·ha−1, which were higher than the uninoculated control (48 kg N·ha−1 that produced 2.97 Kg·ha−1 and 95 kg N·ha−1, respectively. Similarly, in the second season (2013

  4. Investigation of superstorm Sandy 2012 in a multi-disciplinary approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kunz, M.; Mühr, B.; Kunz-Plapp, T.; Daniell, J. E.; Khazai, B.; Wenzel, F.; Vannieuwenhuyse, M.; Comes, T.; Elmer, F.; Schröter, K.; Fohringer, J.; Münzberg, T.; Lucas, C.; Zschau, J.

    2013-10-01

    At the end of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy moved from the Caribbean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean and entered the United States not far from New York. Along its track, Sandy caused more than 200 fatalities and severe losses in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, and the US. This paper demonstrates the capability and potential for near-real-time analysis of catastrophes. It is shown that the impact of Sandy was driven by the superposition of different extremes (high wind speeds, storm surge, heavy precipitation) and by cascading effects. In particular the interaction between Sandy and an extra-tropical weather system created a huge storm that affected large areas in the US. It is examined how Sandy compares to historic hurricane events, both from a hydro-meteorological and impact perspective. The distribution of losses to different sectors of the economy is calculated with simple input-output models as well as government estimates. Direct economic losses are estimated about USD 4.2 billion in the Caribbean and between USD 78 and 97 billion in the US. Indirect economic losses from power outages is estimated in the order of USD 16.3 billion. Modelling sector-specific dependencies quantifies total business interruption losses between USD 10.8 and 15.5 billion. Thus, seven years after the record impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Sandy is the second costliest hurricane in the history of the United States.

  5. Investigation of superstorm Sandy 2012 in a multi-disciplinary approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Kunz

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available At the end of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy moved from the Caribbean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean and entered the United States not far from New York. Along its track, Sandy caused more than 200 fatalities and severe losses in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, and the US. This paper demonstrates the capability and potential for near-real-time analysis of catastrophes. It is shown that the impact of Sandy was driven by the superposition of different extremes (high wind speeds, storm surge, heavy precipitation and by cascading effects. In particular the interaction between Sandy and an extra-tropical weather system created a huge storm that affected large areas in the US. It is examined how Sandy compares to historic hurricane events, both from a hydro-meteorological and impact perspective. The distribution of losses to different sectors of the economy is calculated with simple input-output models as well as government estimates. Direct economic losses are estimated about USD 4.2 billion in the Caribbean and between USD 78 and 97 billion in the US. Indirect economic losses from power outages is estimated in the order of USD 16.3 billion. Modelling sector-specific dependencies quantifies total business interruption losses between USD 10.8 and 15.5 billion. Thus, seven years after the record impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Sandy is the second costliest hurricane in the history of the United States.

  6. Soil moisture spatio-temporal behavior of Pinus pinaster stands on sandy flatlands of central Spain.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gomez-Sanz, V.; Garcia-Vinas, J. I.

    2011-07-01

    Pinus pinaster stands in the center of the Iberian Peninsula frequently grow in a unique hydrological system characterized by a variable groundwater table near the soil surface and highly permeable soils (arenosols). Over the last few decades, this superficial aquifer has been overused as a water resource, especially for irrigated crops. Overuse has reached a critical level and has caused various environmental impacts and a water sustainability crisis wherein rainfall variability does not allow for a sufficient level of aquifer recharge by natural means. Within this changing scenario, soil water significantly affects the spatio-temporal ecological response, necessitating more extensive characterization of the complex soil-tree water relationship. The primary goal of the present work was to evaluate the influence of root zone soil moisture on the observed spatial response of Pinus pinaster stands. Volumetric soil moisture content was measured at eleven forest sites, using time-domain reflectometry (TDR), over a two-year observation period. The results demonstrate that the combined effect of groundwater table proximity and dune morphology associated with this area are the main factors driving very different water availability conditions among the monitored hydrological response units, which modulate maritime pine installation and development. Topographically lower areas are more heterogeneous in terms of soil moisture behavior. In these areas, the conifer forests that are connected to the water table may be the most sensitive to land use changes within current environmental change scenarios. Consequently, in these pine ecosystems, the combined influences of geomorphology and water table proximity on variations in root zone soil moisture are essential and must be considered to develop adequate adaptive management models. (Author) 25 refs.

  7. Spatial patterns and natural recruitment of native shrubs in a semi-arid sandy land.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Bo; Yang, Hongxiao

    2013-01-01

    Passive restoration depending on native shrubs is an attractive approach for restoring desertified landscapes in semi-arid sandy regions. We sought to understand the relationships between spatial patterns of native shrubs and their survival ability in sandy environments. Furthermore, we applied our results to better understand whether passive restoration is feasible for desertified landscapes in semi-arid sandy regions. The study was conducted in the semi-arid Mu Us sandy land of northern China with the native shrub Artemisia ordosica. We analyzed population structures and patterns of A. ordosica at the edges and centers of land patches where sand was stabilized by A. ordosica-dominated vegetation. Saplings were more aggregated than adults, and both were more aggregated at the patch edges than at the patch centers. At the patch edges, spatial association of the saplings with the adults was mostly positive at distances 0.3-6.6 m, and turned from positive to neutral, and even negative, at other distances. At the patch centers, the saplings were spaced almost randomly around the adults, and their distances from the adults did not seem to affect their locations. A greater number of A. ordosica individuals emerged at the patch edges than at the patch centers. Such patterns may have resulted from their integrative adjustment to specific conditions of soil water supply and sand drift intensity. These findings suggest that in semi-arid sandy regions, native shrubs that are well-adapted to local environments may serve as low-cost and competent ecological engineers that can promote the passive restoration of surrounding patches of mobile sandy land.

  8. Volatilisation of o-Xylene from Sandy Soil

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindhardt, Bo; Christensen, Thomas Højlund; Brun, Adam

    1994-01-01

    The diffusive release of o-xylene from two soils with different contents of organic carbon (1.1 % and 0.11 % TOC) and with two different water contents (app. 5 % w/w and 15 % w/w was studied in the laboratory. The soils were spiked with o-xylene in the laboratory. The fluxes were measured over...

  9. Physiographic soil map delineation for the Nile alluvium and desert outskirts in middle Egypt using remote sensing data of EgyptSat-1

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.A. Afify

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available The objectives of this study are to produce a physiographic soil map with correlated attributes to be a base for extra modifiers within the land information system. This integrated data will serve the purposes of land use planning, precision farming practices and to be applied in other areas using the extrapolation approach. The Satellite data of EgyptSat-1 were projected on an area of Middle Egypt that represents unique physiographic features over portions of Beni Suef, El Fayoum, Helwan, and October Provinces. The spectral signatures of the land patterns were delineated by the visual interpretation using the physiographic approach, while soil taxa were categorized according to the key of Soil Taxonomy (USDA, 2010, resulting in two landscape categories. The first category includes older and developed parent materials, covering the following units: (a Pediplains of residual soils over limestone parent rock, having soils of Lithic Haplocalcids, loamy skeletal. (b Terraced old alluvial plains represent the formerly deposited alluvium that preceded the recent one of the River Nile alluvium. They includes soils of Typic Calcigypsids, loamy skeletal and old alluvial plain but are currently managed under cultivation. The soils are dominated by Typic Haplocalcids, loamy skeletal. (c Wadis that were shaped by the paleodrainage erosion, are currently subjected to the seasonal flush flooding and are sparsely vegetated including soils of Typic Torrifluvents, lamy skeletal (calcareous; Typic Torriorthents, sandy skeletal, and Typic Torriorthents, sandy. (d Aeolian plain “partly cultivated” includes soils of Typic Torripsamments (calcareous. The second category is a recent River Nile alluvium that formed the following units: (a Terraced recent alluvial plain “cultivated” includes soils of Entic Calcitorrerts, fine and Typic Haplotorrerts fine. (b Recent flat alluvial plain includes soils of Typic Haplotorrerts, fine. (c Meandering belt is aligning

  10. Apparent soil electrical conductivity in two different soil types

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilker Nunes Medeiros

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Mapping the apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa has become important for the characterization of the soil variability in precision agriculture systems. Could the ECa be used to locate the soil sampling points for mapping the chemical and physical soil attributes? The objective of this work was to examine the relations between ECa and soil attributes in two fields presenting different soil textures. In each field, 50 sampling points were chosen using a path that presented a high variability of ECa obtained from a preliminary ECa map. At each sampling point, the ECa was measured in soil depths of 0-20, 0-40 and 0-60 cm. In addition, at each point, soil samples were collected for the determination of physical and chemical attributes in the laboratory. The ECa data obtained for different soil depths was very similar. A large number of significant correlations between ECa and the soil attributes were found. In the sandy clay loam texture field there was no correlation between ECa and organic matter or between ECa and soil clay and sand content. However, a significant positive correlation was shown for the remaining phosphorus. In the sandy loam texture field the ECa had a significant positive correlation with clay content and a significant negative correlation with sand content. The results suggest that the mapping of apparent soil electrical conductivity does not replace traditional soil sampling, however, it can be used as information to delimit regions in a field that have similar soil attributes.

  11. Incorporated Woodchips as a Novel Intervention to Support Plant Growth through Increased Water Holding Capacity and Nutrient Retention in Sandy Degraded Soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menzies, E.; Schneider, R.; Walter, T.

    2017-12-01

    According to the World Wildlife Federation's most recent Plow Print report 53 million acres of temperate, water limited, grasslands across the Great Plains have been converted to agriculture since 2009. This conversion very often begins the process of soil degradation which can lead to desertification and the necessity to convert more land to agriculture. The most common solution to this problem is improved crop efficiency to reduce conversion of grasslands to agriculture while still producing enough food for us all. We suggest that while that may be the beginning of the solution, degraded soils need to be rehabilitated and brought back into production to adequately provide food crops for the increasing population of the globe. Incorporated woodchips can be used to improve the soils' water holding capacity and nutrient (N and P) retention. In a previous study we observed an increase in the gravimetric water content and a decrease in soluble N and P losses when fertilizers were applied in liquid form in soil columns with incorporated woodchips (see attached figure). In this study we examine the availability of the retained water and nutrients to grasses to determine the extent to which this intervention might be used to reestablish plant growth in degraded sandy soils. We also begin examining the quantity of woodchips necessary to retain sufficient water and nutrients to sustain the growth of grasses over the course of a growing season. A laboratory soil column study is currently underway to examine these questions; the results of this study will be presented at the Fall Meeting.

  12. Influence of N,K and CaSO4 on utilisation of sulfur by rice in red sandy loam soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patnaik, M.C.; Sathe, Arun

    1993-01-01

    A greenhouse study with rice on red sandy loam soil showed that uptake of sulphur increased from both native as well as applied source with increase in the application of sulphur from 20-60 kg S ha -1 through gypsum. The grain yields were influenced by nitrogen application but there was only relative increase with the application of potassium and sulphur. There was positive effect of applied nitrogen and sulphur for the total sulphur removal by the rice crop. The per cent sulphur utilisation decreased with increase in sulphur application from 20-60 kg S ha -1 through gypsum but increased with increase in the application of nitrogen from 0-150 kg N ha -1 . Sulphur utilization by rice crop was more in potassium treated pots compared to that without its application. (author). 7 refs., 3 tabs

  13. Deep Compaction Control of Sandy Soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bałachowski Lech

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Vibroflotation, vibratory compaction, micro-blasting or heavy tamping are typical improvement methods for the cohesionless deposits of high thickness. The complex mechanism of deep soil compaction is related to void ratio decrease with grain rearrangements, lateral stress increase, prestressing effect of certain number of load cycles, water pressure dissipation, aging and other effects. Calibration chamber based interpretation of CPTU/DMT can be used to take into account vertical and horizontal stress and void ratio effects. Some examples of interpretation of soundings in pre-treated and compacted sands are given. Some acceptance criteria for compaction control are discussed. The improvement factors are analysed including the normalised approach based on the soil behaviour type index.

  14. Potential of Ranunculus acris L. for biomonitoring trace element contamination of riverbank soils: photosystem II activity and phenotypic responses for two soil series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchand, Lilian; Lamy, Pierre; Bert, Valerie; Quintela-Sabaris, Celestino; Mench, Michel

    2016-02-01

    Foliar ionome, photosystem II activity, and leaf growth parameters of Ranunculus acris L., a potential biomonitor of trace element (TE) contamination and phytoavailability, were assessed using two riverbank soil series. R. acris was cultivated on two potted soil series obtained by mixing a TE (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn)-contaminated technosol with either an uncontaminated sandy riverbank soil (A) or a silty clay one slightly contaminated by TE (B). Trace elements concentrations in the soil-pore water and the leaves, leaf dry weight (DW) yield, total leaf area (TLA), specific leaf area (SLA), and photosystem II activity were measured for both soil series after a 50-day growth period. As soil contamination increased, changes in soluble TE concentrations depended on soil texture. Increase in total soil TE did not affect the leaf DW yield, the TLA, the SLA, and the photosystem II activity of R. acris over the 50-day exposure. The foliar ionome did not reflect the total and soluble TE concentrations in both soil series. Foliar ionome of R. acris was only effective to biomonitor total and soluble soil Na concentrations in both soil series and total and soluble soil Mo concentrations in the soil series B.

  15. influence of some types of Algerian soil on the development of rot-knot nematodes Meloidogyne incognita, M. javanica and M. arenaria (Tylenchida,Meloidogynidae)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hammach, M.

    2010-01-01

    .58 respectively). All these parameters can give one clues about the real possibility of developing root-knot nematodes on all types of soil. These findings may be real on the coastal areas of the southern regions characterized with sandy soils that are most infested, but the infestation potential of interior plains characterized by clay and clay loam are certain if necessary measures are not seriously taken to control them. (author)

  16. Waste site grouping for 200 Areas soil investigations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to identify logical waste site groups for characterization based on criteria established in the 200 Areas Soil Remediation Strategy (DOE-RL 1996a). Specific objectives of the document include the following: finalize waste site groups based on the approach and preliminary groupings identified in the 200 Areas Soil Remediation Strategy; prioritize the waste site groups based on criteria developed in the 200 Areas Soil Remediation Strategy; select representative site(s) that best represents typical and worse-case conditions for each waste group; develop conceptual models for each waste group. This document will serve as a technical baseline for implementing the 200 Areas Soil Remediation Strategy. The intent of the document is to provide a framework, based on waste site groups, for organizing soil characterization efforts in the 200 Areas and to present initial conceptual models

  17. Superstorm Sandy and the Verdant Power RITE Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corren, D.; Colby, J.; Adonizio, M.

    2013-12-01

    On October 29, 2012 Superstorm Sandy (formerly Hurricane Sandy) made landfall in New Jersey. One of the deadliest, and second-costliest hurricane in US history, Sandy was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, with a diameter of 1,800 km. It was this unprecedented size, extreme central low pressure, and full-moon timing that created a storm surge which inundated New York City with record-breaking water levels, resulting in tremendous destruction of buildings and infrastructure. At its RITE (Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy) Project in New York City's East River, Verdant Power has been installing demonstration and commercial turbine systems since 2005, along with performing related environmental monitoring and measurements. The RITE site is located in the East Channel of the East River, on the east side of Roosevelt Island. All along the East River, large areas of the adjacent boroughs were impacted by Sandy, including flooding of the subway tunnels under the river. When Sandy struck, Verdant had recently concluded a two-week in-water test at RITE of a new rotor for its Gen5 KHPS (Kinetic Hydropower System) turbine, with funding assistance by partners NYSERDA and the US Department of Energy. While the turbine had already been removed from its mounting in the river bottom in September, Verdant continued to operate two water measurement instruments in the river. These acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) measure the 3-D water velocity at various heights in the water column, and are also equipped to provide water level data. Verdant is interested in the effects such an extreme storm could have on turbines and other equipment installed in this river reach, as is planned by Verdant under a 10-year commercial pilot project licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for up to 30 turbines. Associated equipment includes navigational aids (buoys and signage), which Verdant is required to maintain to exclude vessels from the project boundaries. The East

  18. EFFECTS OF MIXED ORGANIC AND INORGANIC FERTILIZERS APPLICATION ON SOIL PROPERTIES AND THE GROWTH OF KENAF (HIBISCUS CANNABINUS L.) CULTIVATED ON BRIS SOILS

    OpenAIRE

    Mohd Hadi Akbar Basri; Arifin Abdu; Shamshuddin Jusop; Osumanu Haruna Ahmed; Hazandy Abdul-Hamid; Mohd-Ashadie Kusno; Baharom Zainal; Abdul Latib Senin; Nasima Junejo

    2013-01-01

    The demand for kenaf in the world increases rapidly by the years. Cultivation of the crop in Malaysia is a challenging task, especially when kenaf is grown on sandy soils with low fertility, such as the BRIS Soils (Beach Ridges Interspersed with Swales). A pot study was conducted in a glasshouse at Universiti Putra Malaysia to evaluate the potential of inorganic and organic fertilizers or their combination for growing kenaf on very sandy BRIS Soils, using variety V36. There were altogether si...

  19. Testing the effect of a microbial-based soil amendment on aggregate stability and erodibility

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Malozo, Mponda; Iversen, Bo Vangsø; Heckrath, Goswin Johann

    to the rainfall-runoff experiment where the microbial-based product had a clear effect on soil erodibility. In relation to measurement of aggregate stability as well as clay dispersion, the picture was less clear. Especially for the sandy Tanzania soil with a low content of organic matter, a clear effect was seen...... aggregate stability and erodibility. Two commercial products, gypsum and a microbial-based solution were used for the experiment and were tested on two Danish sandy loamy soils as well on a sandy soil from Tanzania. The carrier of the microbial-based product, a glycerol solution, was tested as well....... In the laboratory, soils were treated with the soil amendments in a two-step procedure at controlled water contents following aerobic incubation in closed containers. Water-aggregate stability and clay dispersion were measured on soil aggregates less than 8 mm in diameter. Aggregate stability was measured...

  20. Variability of Effective Micro-organisms (EM) in bokashi and soil and effects on soil-borne plant pathogens

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Shin, Keumchul; Diepen, van G.; Blok, W.; Bruggen, van A.H.C.

    2017-01-01

    The microbial inoculant ‘Effective Microorganisms’ (EM) has been used to promote soil fertility and plant growth in agriculture. We tested effects of commercial EM products on suppression of soil-borne diseases, microbial activity and bacterial composition in organically managed sandy soils. EM was

  1. Interactions between Soil Texture and Placement of Dairy Slurry Application

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glæsner, Nadia; Kjærgaard, Charlotte; Rubæk, Gitte Holton

    2011-01-01

    soils. We compared leaching of slurry-applied bromide through intact soil columns (20 cm diam., 20 cm high) of differing textures following surface application or injection of slurry. The volumetric fraction of soil pores >30 μm ranged from 43% in a loamy sand to 28% in a sandy loam and 15% in a loam...... physical protection against leaching of bromide was reflected by 60.2% of the bromide tracer was recovered in the effluent after injection, compared with 80.6% recovery after surface application. No effect of slurry injection was observed in the loamy sand and sandy loam soils. Our findings point to soil...

  2. Adsorption behavior of endosulfan on alluvial soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashraf, M.; Sherazi, S.T.H.; Nizamani, S.M.; Bhanger, M.I.

    2012-01-01

    The present study was carried out to assess the behavior of endosulfan pesticide in alluvial soil under laboratory conditions. Sandy loam soil was studied to evaluate the fate of applied endosulfan with respect to soil properties. Known amount of endosulfan was added on alluvial soil in PVC column and eluted with 1000 ml of water. Eluents were collected in 10 parts, each of 100 ml. The soil in the column was divided in to three equal parts, each of 10 cm. Each part of the soil and eluents were analyzed for the determination of Endosulfan level using GC- mu ECD and GC-MS techniques. The kinetic and equilibrium adsorption characteristics of endosulfan on sandy loam soil was also studied and found that it follows Ho's pseudo second order and Freundlich isotherm. The present study revealed that a-and beta-Endosulfan was determined efficiently with their degraded products in alluvial soil under laboratory conditions with above mentioned instruments. (author)

  3. A Comparison of Soil-Water Sampling Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tindall, J. A.; Figueroa-Johnson, M.; Friedel, M. J.

    2007-12-01

    The representativeness of soil pore water extracted by suction lysimeters in ground-water monitoring studies is a problem that often confounds interpretation of measured data. Current soil water sampling techniques cannot identify the soil volume from which a pore water sample is extracted, neither macroscopic, microscopic, or preferential flowpath. This research was undertaken to compare values of extracted suction lysimeters samples from intact soil cores with samples obtained by the direct extraction methods to determine what portion of soil pore water is sampled by each method. Intact soil cores (30 centimeter (cm) diameter by 40 cm height) were extracted from two different sites - a sandy soil near Altamonte Springs, Florida and a clayey soil near Centralia in Boone County, Missouri. Isotopically labeled water (O18? - analyzed by mass spectrometry) and bromide concentrations (KBr- - measured using ion chromatography) from water samples taken by suction lysimeters was compared with samples obtained by direct extraction methods of centrifugation and azeotropic distillation. Water samples collected by direct extraction were about 0.25 ? more negative (depleted) than that collected by suction lysimeter values from a sandy soil and about 2-7 ? more negative from a well structured clayey soil. Results indicate that the majority of soil water in well-structured soil is strongly bound to soil grain surfaces and is not easily sampled by suction lysimeters. In cases where a sufficient volume of water has passed through the soil profile and displaced previous pore water, suction lysimeters will collect a representative sample of soil pore water from the sampled depth interval. It is suggested that for stable isotope studies monitoring precipitation and soil water, suction lysimeter should be installed at shallow depths (10 cm). Samples should also be coordinated with precipitation events. The data also indicate that each extraction method be use to sample a different

  4. The significance and lag-time of deep through flow: an example from a small, ephemeral catchment with contrasting soil types in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. VanLeeuwen

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available The importance of deep soil-regolith through flow in a small (3.4 km2 ephemeral catchment in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia was investigated by detailed hydrochemical analysis of soil water and stream flow during autumn and early winter rains. In this Mediterranean climate with strong summer moisture deficits, several significant rainfalls are required to generate soil through flow and stream flow [in ephemeral streams]. During autumn 2007, a large (127 mm drought-breaking rain occurred in April followed by significant May rains; most of this April and May precipitation occurred prior to the initiation of stream flow in late May. These early events, especially the 127 mm April event, had low stable water isotope values compared with later rains during June and July and average winter precipitation. Thus, this large early autumn rain event with low isotopic values (δ18O, δD provided an excellent natural tracer. During later June and July rainfall events, daily stream and soil water samples were collected and analysed. Results from major and trace elements, water isotopes (δ18O, δD, and dissolved organic carbon analysis clearly demonstrate that a large component of this early April and May rain was stored and later pushed out of deep soil and regolith zones. This pre-event water was identified in the stream as well as identified in deep soil horizons due to its different isotopic signature which contrasted sharply with the June–July event water. Based on this data, the soil-regolith hydrologic system for this catchment has been re-thought. The catchment area consists of about 60% sandy and 40% clayey soils. Regolith flow in the sandy soil system and not the clayey soil system is now thought to dominate the deep subsurface flow in this catchment. The clayey texture contrast soils had rapid response to rain events and saturation excess overland flow. The sandy soils had delayed soil through flow and

  5. Monitoring of Nitrate and Pesticide Pollution in Mnasra, Morocco Soil and Groundwater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marouane, Bouchra; Dahchour, Abdelmalek; Dousset, Sylvie; El Hajjaji, Souad

    2015-06-01

    This study evaluates the levels of nitrates and pesticides occurring in groundwater and agricultural soil in the Mnasra, Morocco area, a zone with intensive agricultural activity. A set of 108 water samples and 68 soil samples were collected from ten selected sites in the area during agricultural seasons, from May 2010 to September 2012. The results reveal that 89.7% of water samples exceeded the standard limit of nitrate concentrations for groundwater (50 mg/L). These results can be explained by the prevailing sandy nature of the soil in the area, the frequency of fertilizer usage, and the shallow level of the water table, which favors the leaching of nitrate from field to groundwater. In contrast, the selected pesticide molecules were not detected in the analysed soil and water samples; levels were below the quantification limit in all samples. This situation could be explained by the probable partial or total transformation of the molecules in soil.

  6. Investigation of electro-kinetic methods for soil decontamination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shabanova, A.N.

    2000-01-01

    The choices of effective methods for ecological system decontamination, their perfection and introduction into practical use have been actual tasks for the Ural region. The objective of this work has been to study the potentials of electrical kinetics method of ISOTRON Corporation (US) for decontamination of the Urals soils. Results obtained have shown the method proposed to be usable for decontaminating some types of soils from strontium and plutonium; it is low effective for decontamination in the area of South-Urals radioactive plume. Thus, a low effectiveness can be expected in podsolic and leached laterite characterized by a high content of loamy sand and sandy soils, as well as for sobby-podsolic ones. The method can be promising for decontamination of soils and wastes from chemical contaminants, such as Zn, Ni, Cu, Pb, Hg, and others. Important advantages of this method compared to others have been its simplicity, small amount of wastes, and feasibility of decontamination in areas difficult to access. (authors)

  7. Effects of soil type, moisture content, redox potential and methyl bromide fumigation on Kd values of radio-selenium in soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashworth, D.J.; Moore, J.; Shaw, G.

    2008-01-01

    Understanding the processes that determine the solid-liquid partitioning (K d value) of Se is of fundamental importance in assessing the risk associated with the disposal of radio-selenium-containing waste. Using a mini-column (rather than batch) approach, K d values for 75 Se were determined over time in relation to soil moisture content (field capacity or saturated), redox potential and methyl bromide fumigation (used to disrupt the soil microbial population) in three contrasting soil types: clay loam, organic and sandy loam. The K d values were generally in the range 50-500 L kg -1 , with mean soil K d increasing with increasing organic matter content. Saturation with water lowered the measured redox potentials in the soils. However, only in the sandy loam soil did redox potential become negative, and this led to an increase in 75 Se K d value in this soil. Comparison of the data with the Eh-pH stability diagram for Se suggested that such strong reduction may have been consistent with the formation of the insoluble Se species, selenide. These findings, coupled with the fact that methyl bromide fumigation had no discernible effect on 75 Se K d value in the sandy loam soil, suggest that geochemical, rather than microbial, processes controlled 75 Se partitioning. The inter-relations between soil moisture content, redox potential and Se speciation should be considered in the modelling and assessment of radioactive Se fate and transport in the environment

  8. Use of radioactive 32P technique to study phosphate rock dissolution in acid soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahisarakul, J.; Mullins, G.L.; Chien, S.H.

    2002-01-01

    A laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate the dissolution of six sources of phosphate rock in two acid soils (Ultisols): a sandy soil and a red clay soil. Labile P was determined using the radioactive 32 P technique for Pi extractable P and resin extractable P. Incubations were conducted for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 weeks for 32 P exchangeable technique, 0 and 5 weeks for Pi technique and 5 weeks for resin technique. Rates of PR were 0 and 400 mgP/ha. The results showed that labile P in the sandy soil decreased from 0-1 weeks for all the PRs except Hahotoe PR and Hazara PR's. Between 1 and 5 weeks labile P remained relatively constant. The ranking of labile P from PRs was: North Carolina = Kouribga > Matam > Hahotoe = Hazara> Patos de Minas. In the red soil, labile P from all PRs appeared to be relatively unchanged during the 0-5 week incubation. Pi extractable P in sandy soil showed no significant differences due to incubation time. In the red clay soil, there was a significant decrease in Pi-P extracted from soil mixtures with PRs after 5 weeks as compared to 0 weeks. Results of the Resin-extractable P in both sandy and red soils were in agreement with labile P as measured by 32 P exchange technique. (author)

  9. GIS-based Analysis of LS Factor under Coal Mining Subsidence Impacts in Sandy Region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Xiao

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Coal deposits in the adjacent regions of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia province (SSI account for approximately two-thirds of coal in China; therefore, the SSI region has become the frontier of coal mining and its westward movement. Numerous adverse impacts to land and environment have arisen in these sandy, arid, and ecologically fragile areas. Underground coal mining activities cause land to subside and subsequent soil erosion, with slope length and slope steepness (LS as the key influential factor. In this investigation, an SSI mining site was chosen as a case study area, and 1 the pre-mining LS factor was obtained using a digital elevation model (DEM dataset; 2 a mining subsidence prediction was implemented with revised subsidence prediction factors; and 3 the post-mining LS factor was calculated by integrating the pre-mining DEM dataset and coal mining subsidence prediction data. The results revealed that the LS factor leads to some changes in the bottom of subsidence basin and considerable alterations at the basin’s edges of basin. Moreover, the LS factor became larger in the steeper terrain under subsidence impacts. This integrated method could quantitatively analyse LS changes and spatial distribution under mining impacts, which will benefit and provide references for soil erosion evaluations in this region

  10. Biochar amendment of fluvio-glacial temperate sandy subsoil: Effects on maize water uptake, growth and physiology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahmed, Fauziatu; Arthur, Emmanuel; Plauborg, Finn

    2018-01-01

    Coarse sandy soils have poor water retention capacity, which may constrain crop growth during drought. We investigated the effect of biochar amendment to subsoil on crop physiological processes and maize yield, comparing irrigated and drought conditions. A two-year greenhouse experiment was condu......Coarse sandy soils have poor water retention capacity, which may constrain crop growth during drought. We investigated the effect of biochar amendment to subsoil on crop physiological processes and maize yield, comparing irrigated and drought conditions. A two-year greenhouse experiment...... was conducted with one-time application of straw biochar at concentrations of 0%, 1%, 2% and 3% (B0, B1, B2 and B3). Maize was planted twice in the same large pots one week and again 12 months after biochar application. Plants were fully irrigated until flowering; thereafter, half of them were subjected...... to drought. Our results indicate B2 and B3 increased soil water content at field capacity. Leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis and transpiration were maintained in B2 and B3 during the drying cycle in year one and in all biochar levels in year two. In the first year, B3 induced...

  11. Iron forms in some egyptian soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    EL Kholi, A.F.; Massoud, M.A.; EL-Naggar, H.A.; Gadallah, A.

    1990-01-01

    The present study is an attempt to find out the available forms of iron (Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ ) in five egyptian soils samples, representing alluvial, calcareous and sandy soils. Concerning the iron content of soil either Fe 2+ or Fe 3+ , the tested soil types were relatively arranged in the order alluvial> calcareous> sandy soil. In spite of the considerable variations in the soil content of iron cations, the Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ ratio was almost kept constant around 0.83. The uniformity of the ferrous : ferric ratio in the different tested soil types indicates their similarity in their redox-potential, pH and their environmental conditions, particularly, the aeration and partial O 2 - pressure degree. Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ being less than unity suggests that the Fe 2+ Fe 3+ reaction tends towards the forward direction, i.e., to the Fe 3+ formation. As a result of the pot experiment, significant correlations have been found between the laboratory determined soil Fe 2+ and both of the plant Fe-uptake and the plant dry matter weight

  12. Strength properties of sandy soil-cement admixtures

    OpenAIRE

    Sara Rios; António Joaquim Pereira Viana Da Fonseca

    2009-01-01

    This paper will focus on the sensitivity of strength and stiffness properties of silty-sands, from granitic residual soil, which can be converted to a highly improved material if stabilized with cement. The study of soil stabilization with cement demands to quantify the influence of the cement percentage, porosity and water content adopted in the admixing process for different stresses and physical states. Firstly, this influence was quantified in terms of the unconfined strength and maximum ...

  13. Biochar application does not improve the soil hydrological function of a sandy soil

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jeffery, S.; Meinders, M.B.C.; Stoof, C.R.; Bezemer, T.M.; Van de Voorde, T.F.J.; Mommer, Liesje; Van Groenigen, J.W.

    2015-01-01

    Biochar application to soil is currently being widely posited as a means to improve soil quality and thereby increase crop yield. Next to beneficial effects on soil nutrient availability and retention, biochar is assumed to improve soil water retention. However, evidence for such an effect in the

  14. Effects of bioremediation agents on oil degradation in mineral and sandy salt marsh sediments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Q.; Mendelssohn, I.A.; Henry, C.B. Jr.; Roberts, P.O.; Walsh, M.M.; Overton, E.B.; Portier, R.J.

    1999-01-01

    Although bioremediation for oil spill cleanup has received considerable attention in recent years, its satisfactory use in the cleanup of oil spills in the wetland environment is still generally untested. A study of the often most used bioremediation agents, fertiliser, microbial product and soil oxidation, as a means of enhancing oil biodegradation in coastal mineral and sandy marsh substrates was conducted in controlled greenhouse conditions. Artificially weathered south Louisiana crude oil was applied to sods of marsh (soil and intact vegetation) at the rate of 2 l m -2 . Fertiliser application enhanced marsh plant growth, soil microbial populations, and oil biodegradation rate. The live aboveground biomass of Spartina alterniflora with fertiliser application was higher than that without fertiliser. The application of fertiliser significantly increased soil microbial respiration rates, indicating the potential for enhancing oil biodegradation. Bioremediation with fertiliser application significantly reduced the total targeted normal hydrocarbons (TTNH) and total targeted aromatic hydrocarbons (TTAH) remaining in the soil, by 81% and 17%, respectively, compared to those of the oil controls. TTNH/hopane and TTAAH/hopane ratios showed a more consistent reduction, further suggesting an enhancement of oil biodegradation by fertilisation. Furthermore, soil type affected oil bioremediation; the extent of fertiliser-enhanced oil biodegradation was greater for sandy (13% TTNH remaining in the treatments with fertiliser compared to the control) than for mineral soils (26% of the control), suggesting that fertiliser application was more effective in enhancing TTNH degradation in the former. Application of microbial product and soil oxidant had no positive effects on the variables mentioned above under the present experimental conditions, suggesting that microbial degraders are not limiting biodegradation in this soil. Thus, the high cost of microbial amendments during

  15. THE WIND DEFLATION FROM SAND AREAS AFFECTED BY ATMOSFERIC DRYNESS: LEU-ROTUNDA AND DĂBULENI FIELDS (OLTENIA PLAIN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ROȘCA FLORINA CRISTINA

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Leu-Rotunda and Dăbuleni Fields are characterized by substantial extension of sandy soils. The sands on the left of Jiu are poli-stratificated fluvial deposits eolian shaped as dunes and interdunes. During the reported period 1980-2007, it was found that the most exposed time of the year to the wind was during the spring, the months of March, April and May as in speed and frequency. According to the analyzed data, the dominant wind direction during spring season on the sandy soils from Dăbuleni is the western, with negative effects on crops who then begin their vegetation cycle. The shelterbelts have decreased, although lately there have been numerous programs which aimed afforestation of affected areas.

  16. Bio fertilization of soybean in sandy soils of egypt using N-15 tracer technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soliman, S; Galal, Y G.M.; Elghandour, I [Soil and Water Dept, Atomic Energy Authority, P.O.Box 13756 (Egypt)

    1995-10-01

    The effect of inoculation of soybeans with B. Japonicum and A. brasilense either solely or in mixture, and N fertilizer levels had been studied in pot experiment Nodulation of soybean grown in sandy soil was enhanced by inoculation. The highest values of nodules number and fresh weight were recorded at rate of 20 Kg N ha-1, and decreased with increasing N rate up to 40 kg N ha-1. In contrast, the dry weight of the above ground parts, as well as the N uptake was increased with increasing N fertilizer level. Similar effect was observed for inoculation as compared with the un inoculated treatment. Despite the nodulating and nonnodulating soybeans has almost the same dry weight, the nodulating isoline accumulated more N than the non-nodulating. Percentages of nitrogen derived from air (%Ndfa) was depressed with increasing N rates from 10 to 40 kg N ha-1 either estimated by isotope dilution (I D) or N difference method (D M). Dual inoculation resulted in high percent of N 2-fixed (42.5%) at rate of 10 kg N ha-1. Correlation between I D and D M methods was found to be dependent on inoculation treatments. However, nitrogen utilized by nodulating soybean (FUE%) was enhanced as a function of inoculation with B. Japonicum. 2 figs., 3 tabs.

  17. bio fertilization of soybean in sandy soils of egypt using N-15 tracer technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soliman, S.; Galal, Y.G.M.; Elghandour, I.

    1995-01-01

    The effect of inoculation of soybeans with B. Japonicum and A. brasilense either solely or in mixture, and N fertilizer levels had been studied in pot experiment Nodulation of soybean grown in sandy soil was enhanced by inoculation. The highest values of nodules number and fresh weight were recorded at rate of 20 Kg N ha-1, and decreased with increasing N rate up to 40 kg N ha-1. In contrast, the dry weight of the above ground parts, as well as the N uptake was increased with increasing N fertilizer level. Similar effect was observed for inoculation as compared with the un inoculated treatment. Despite the nodulating and nonnodulating soybeans has almost the same dry weight, the nodulating isoline accumulated more N than the non-nodulating. Percentages of nitrogen derived from air (%Ndfa) was depressed with increasing N rates from 10 to 40 kg N ha-1 either estimated by isotope dilution (I D) or N difference method (D M). Dual inoculation resulted in high percent of N 2-fixed (42.5%) at rate of 10 kg N ha-1. Correlation between I D and D M methods was found to be dependent on inoculation treatments. However, nitrogen utilized by nodulating soybean (FUE%) was enhanced as a function of inoculation with B. Japonicum. 2 figs., 3 tabs

  18. IMPLEMENTASI SANDI HILL UNTUK PENYANDIAN CITRA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    JJ Siang

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Hill's code is one of text encoding technique. In this research, Hill's code is extended to image encoding. The image used is BMP 24 bit format. 2x2 and 3x3 matrices is used as a key. The results show that Hill's code is suitable for image whose RGB values vary highly. On the contrary, it is not suitable for less varied RGB images since its original pattern is still persisted in encrypted image. Hill's code for image encoding has also disadvantage in the case that the key matrix is not unique. However, for daily application, with good key matrix, Hill's code can be applied to encode image since it's process only deals with simple matrix operation so it become fast. Abstract in Bahasa Indonesia : Sandi Hill merupakan salah satu teknik penyandian teks. Dalam penelitian ini, pemakaian sandi Hill diperluas dari teks ke citra bertipe BMP 24 bit. Matriks yang dipakai berordo 2x2 dan 3x3. Hasil percobaan menunjukkan bahwa sandi Hill cocok untuk enkripsi citra dengan variasi nilai RGB antar piksel berdekatan yang tinggi (seperti foto, tapi tidak cocok untuk citra dengan variasi nilai RGB yang rendah (seperti gambar kartun karena pola citra asli masih tampak dalam citra sandi. Sandi Hill juga memiliki kelemahan dalam hal tidak tunggalnya matriks kunci yang dapat dipakai. Akan tetapi untuk pemakaian biasa, dengan pemilihan matriks kunci yang baik, sandi Hill dapat dipakai untuk penyandian karena hanya melibatkan operasi matriks biasa sehingga prosesnya relatif cepat. Kata kunci: Sandi Hill, Citra, Relatif Prima.

  19. Mucilage from seeds of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) used as soil conditioner; effects on the sorption-desorption of four herbicides in three different soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Marsico, A; Scrano, L; Amato, M; Gàmiz, B; Real, M; Cox, L

    2018-06-01

    The objective of this work was to determine the effect of the mucilage extracted from Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) as soil amendment on soil physical properties and on the sorption-desorption behaviour of four herbicides (MCPA, Diuron, Clomazone and Terbuthylazine) used in cereal crops. Three soils of different texture (sandy-loam, loam and clay-loam) were selected, and mercury intrusion porosimetry and surface area analysis were used to examine changes in the microstructural characteristics caused by the reactions that occur between the mucilage and soil particles. Laboratory studies were conducted to characterise the selected herbicides with regard their sorption on tested soils added or not with the mucilage. Mucilage amendment resulted in a reduction in soil porosity, basically due to a reduction in larger pores (radius>10μm) and an important increase in finer pores (radius<10μm) and in partcles' surface. A higher herbicide sorption in the amended soils was ascertained when compared to unamended soils. The sorption percentage of herbicides in soils treated with mucilage increased in the order; sandy-loamsoils are revealed to be responsible for the higher adsorption of Diuron when compared with Terbuthylazine, Clomazone and MCPA. Desorption of the herbicides was highly inhibited in the soils treated with mucilage; only Terbuthylazine showed a slight desorption in the case of loam and clay loam-soils. This study leads to the conclusion that mucilage from Chia seeds used as soil conditioner can reduce the mobility of herbicides tested in agricultural soils with different physico-chemical properties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Interaction Among Machine Traffic, Soil Physical Properties and Loblolly Pine Root Prolifereation in a Piedmont Soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emily A. Carter; Timothy P. McDonald

    1997-01-01

    The impact of forwarder traffic on soil physical properties was evaluated on a Gwinnett sandy loam, a commonly found soil of the Piedmont. Soil strength and saturated hydraulic conductivity were significantly altered by forwarder traffic, but reductions in air-filled porosity also occurred. Bulk density did not increase significantly in trafficked treatments. The...

  1. Soils and site types in the Forsmark area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lundin, Lars; Lode, Elve; Stendahl, Johan; Melkerud, Per-Arne; Bjoerkvald, Louise; Thorstensson, Anna

    2004-01-01

    Investigations to give prerequisites for long-term storage of nuclear waste are made by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB AB). Ecosystem functions are crucial in this management. The range of the scope is wide including bedrock, regolith, hydrosphere and biosphere. The interface between deep geological formations and surface systems is then considered very important. This would be the top of the regolith, where soils are developed. Special attention has been paid to these layers with fairly comprehensive investigations. Field investigations were made for one of the candidate areas, the Forsmark area, in 2002 by the Department of Forest Soils, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. In these ecosystem functions, the upper part of the regolith is one crucial component and the focus in the investigations was on the upper metre of the soil. Variables determined include vegetation, hydrology, soil parent material, textural composition, soil type and physical and chemical properties of relevant soil layers. Methods used in the investigation coincide with those of the Swedish Forest Soil Inventory, which provide possibilities to compare properties in the Forsmark area with those of total Sweden and regions of the country. Soil properties were determined thoroughly on eight site types in two replicates to provide statistical significance. However, this meant that the investigation did not have a total spatial coverage. Instead, the spatial distribution of soils in the area was determined from a GIS based on the inventory made and information on vegetation types, distribution of Quaternary deposits and a hydrological index. From this GIS, distributions were compared with other parts of the country. The geographical location of the Forsmark area (N 60 deg 22 min; E 18 deg 13 min) is on the northeast coast of central Sweden bordering to the Bothnian Sea. The area is low-lying, reaching only up to 15 m above the sea, which means that the soils are

  2. Copper and zinc accumulation, fractionation and migration in vineyard soils from Santa Catarina State, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gustavo Brunetto

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to evaluate Cu and Zn migration and fractions in sandy soil of vineyards. In Urussanga (SC, Brazil, soil samples were collected from a 4-year-old and 15-yearold vineyard, and from a forested area. In the soils, the chemical characteristics of Cu and Zn were analyzed by the EDTA method, which determines the fraction available in soil; 3050B method of the USEPA for total concentrations, which represents the pseudo-soil contents in the soil; and chemical fractionation, which estimates soluble fraction, exchangeable fraction, fraction associated with clay minerals, fraction associated with organic matter and residual fraction. The results show that there is accumulation of Cu and Zn in sandy soils cultivated with grapevines and with frequent fungicide applications. These higher levels were found in soils with longer cultivation time (15 years old, but were restricted to the superficial layers of the soil. Most of the Cu was extracted by EDTA method, and it may be considered as available to plants. The EDTA also extracted a small part of Zn. Most of the Cu in the vineyard soils can be characterized by low geochemical mobility, but in the uppermost soil layers of the oldest vineyard, there was an increase in Cu content associated with soil organic matter. Most of the Zn in the vineyard soil was associated with minerals, which indicates low mobility and also low potential for toxicity to plants and microorganisms.

  3. Chemical and Physical Soil Restoration in Mining Areas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teresinha Gonçalves Bizuti, Denise; de Marchi Soares, Thaís; Roberti Alves de Almeida, Danilo; Sartorio, Simone Daniela; Casagrande, José Carlos; Santin Brancalion, Pedro Henrique

    2017-04-01

    The current trend of ecological restoration is to address the recovery of degraded areas by ecosystemic way, overcoming the rehabilitation process. In this sense, the topsoil and other complementary techniques in mining areas plays an important role in soil recovery. The aim of this study was to contextualize the soil improvement, with the use of topsoil through chemical and physical attributes, relative to secondary succession areas in restoration, as well as in reference ecosystems (natural forest). Eighteen areas were evaluated, six in forest restoration process, six native forests and six just mining areas. The areas were sampled in the depths of 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm. Chemical indicators measured were parameters of soil fertility and texture, macroporosity, microporosity, density and total porosity as physical parameters. The forest restoration using topsoil was effective in triggering a process of soil recovery, promoting, in seven years, chemical and physical characteristics similar to those of the reference ecosystem.

  4. Assessment of Soil Environmental Quality in Huangguoshu Waterfalls Scenic Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Rongbin; Feng, Kaiyu; Gu, Bo; Xu, Chengcheng

    2018-03-01

    This paper concentrates on five major heavy metal pollutants as soil environmental quality evaluation factors, respectively Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg), Arsenic (As), Chromium (Cr), based on the National Soil Environmental Quality Standards (GB15618 - 1995), we used single factor index evaluation model of soil environmental quality and comprehensive index evaluation model to analyze surface soil environmental quality in the Huangguoshu Waterfalls scenic area. Based on surface soil analysis, our results showed that the individual contamination index, Pb, Hg, As and Cr in the Huangguoshu Waterfalls scenic area met class I according to requirements of National Soil Environmental Quality Standards, which indicated that Pb, Hg, As and Cr were not main heavy metal pollutants in this area, but the individual contamination index of Cd in soil was seriously exceeded National Soil Environmental Quality Standards’ requirement. Soil environmental quality in Shitouzhai, Luoshitan, Langgong Hongyan Power Plant have exceeded the requirement of National Soil Environmental Quality Standards “0.7soils had been slightly polluted; the classification of soil environmental quality assessment in Longgong downstream area was above “Alert Level”, it indicated that soil in this area was not polluted. Above all, relevant measures for soil remediation are put forward.

  5. Adsorption-Desorption of Hexaconazole in Soils with Respect to Soil Properties, Temperature, and pH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maznah Zainol

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The effect of temperature and pH on adsorption-desorption of fungicide hexaconazole was studied in two Malaysian soil types; namely clay loam and sandy loam. The adsorption-desorption experiment was conducted using the batch equilibration technique and the residues of hexaconazole were analysed using the GC-ECD. The results showed that the adsorption-desorption isotherms of hexaconazole can be described with Freundlich equation. The Freundlich sorption coefficient (Kd values were positively correlated to the clay and organic matter content in the soils. Hexaconazole attained the equilibrium phase within 24 h in both soil types studied. The adsorption coefficient (Kd values obtained for clay loam soil and sandy loam soil were 2.54 mL/g and 2.27 mL/g, respectively, indicating that hexaconazole was weakly sorbed onto the soils due to the low organic content of the soils. Regarding thermodynamic parameters, the Gibb’s free energy change (ΔG analysis showed that hexaconazole adsorption onto soil was spontaneous and exothermic, plus it exhibited positive hysteresis. A strong correlation was observed between the adsorption of hexaconazole and pH of the soil solution. However, temperature was found to have no effect on the adsorption of hexaconazole onto the soils; for the range tested.

  6. Movement of 14 C-trifluralin labelled herbicide premerlin 600 CE in several soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Storino, Moises.

    1993-12-01

    The mobility behavior of the herbicide premerlin 600 CE (trifluralin was studied by using two different methodologies, i.e., soil thin layer chromatography and soil leaching columns. In the study soil thin layer chromatography were used six different Brazilian oxysols, being two sandy soils and four clayer soils. In the soil leaching columns study were used one sandy and one clayey soil. The distribution of 14 C-premerlin in the different granulometric soil fractions was determined after carried out columns experiments. Under all conditions imposed by these experiment, the herbicide 14 C-premerlin shown to be immobile being located on the surface of the soils columns. No effects of pH, concentration, metabolites or soil type were observed. (author). 46 refs., 25 figs., 3 tabs

  7. Urease activity in different soils of Egypt.

    Science.gov (United States)

    el-Shinnawi, M M

    1978-01-01

    Samples from two depths (0--15 and 15--30 cm) of five Egyptian soils: sandy, calcareous, fertile alluvial, saline alluvial, and alkali alluvial were tested for urease activity. Samples were treated with farmyard manure at rates of 0 and 0.5% C, and moisture at levels of 50, 65, and 80% of the water holding capacity. The studied Egyptian soils showed different activities of urease. Decreases in the values were shown by depth of sampling and varied in their intensities according to soil type, except for saline soil which revealed an opposite trend by the higher activity of its sub-surface layer. Order of activity was the following: fertile, saline, alkali, calcareous, and sandy soil. Farmyard manure slightly increased the activity of the enzyme. Incubation of moistened samples revealed that the optimum moisture content was 50% of W.H.C. for the tested soils, except for saline which showed best results at 65% of W.H.C.

  8. Biodegradation and bioremediation potential of diazinon-degrading Serratia marcescens to remove other organophosphorus pesticides from soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cycoń, Mariusz; Żmijowska, Agnieszka; Wójcik, Marcin; Piotrowska-Seget, Zofia

    2013-03-15

    The ability of diazinon-degrading Serratia marcescens to remove organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), i.e. chlorpyrifos (CP), fenitrothion (FT), and parathion (PT) was studied in a mineral salt medium (MSM) and in three soils of different characteristics. This strain was capable of using all insecticides at concentration of 50 mg/l as the only carbon source when grown in MSM, and 58.9%, 70.5%, and 82.5% of the initial dosage of CP, FT, and PT, respectively was degraded within 14 days. The biodegradation experiment showed that autochthonous microflora in all soils was characterized by a degradation potential of all tested OPPs; however, the initial lag phases for degradation of CP and FT, especially in sandy soil, were observed. During the 42-day experiment, 45.3%, 61.4% and 72.5% of the initial dose of CP, FT, and PT, respectively, was removed in sandy soil whereas the degradation of CP, FT, and PT in the same period, in sandy loam and silty soils reached 61.4%, 79.7% and 64.2%, and 68.9%, 81.0% and 63.6%, respectively. S. marcescens introduced into sterile soils showed a higher degradation potential (5-13%) for OPPs removal than those observed in non-sterile soil with naturally occurring attenuation. Inoculation of non-sterile soils with S. marcescens enhanced the disappearance rates of all insecticides, and DT50 for CP, FT, and PT was reduced by 20.7, 11.3 and 13.0 days, and 11.9, 7.0 and 8.1 days, and 9.7, 14.5 and 12.6 days in sandy, sandy loam, and silty soils, respectively, in comparison with non-sterile soils with only indigenous microflora. This ability of S. marcescens makes it a suitable strain for bioremediation of soils contaminated with OPPs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Hurricane Sandy Poster (October 29, 2012)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Hurricane Sandy poster. Multi-spectral image from Suomi-NPP shows Hurricane Sandy approaching the New Jersey Coast on October 29, 2012. Poster size is approximately...

  10. Volatilization of gasoline from soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arthus, P.

    1993-05-01

    Gasoline contaminated soil threatens water resources and air quality. The extent of the threat depends on gasoline behavior in soil, which is affected by various mechanisms such as volatilization. To quantify volatilization, gasoline spills were simulated in the laboratory using a synthetic gasoline and three dry soils. Total gasoline and individual gasoline compound concentrations in soil were monitored as a function of depth and time. The time to reduce overall gasoline concentration in coarse sand, sandy loam, and silt loam to 40% of initial concentration, averaged between surface and a 200-mm depth, ranged from 0.25 d to 10 d. A wicking phenomenon which contributed to gasoline flux toward the atmosphere was indicated by behavior of a low-volatility gasoline compound. Based on separate wicking experiments, this bulk immiscible movement was estimated at an upward velocity of 0.09 m/d for Delhi sandy loam and 0.05 m/d for Elora silt loam. 70 refs., 24 figs., 34 tabs

  11. Dynamic compaction with high energy of sandy hydraulic fills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khelalfa Houssam

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available A case study about the adoption of the dynamic compaction technique with high energy in a sandy hydraulic fill is presented. The feasibility of this technique to ensure the stability of the caisson workshop and to minimize the risk of liquefaction during manufacture. This Article is interested to establish diagnostic of dynamic compaction test, basing on the results of SPT tests and quality control as well as the details of work of compaction and the properties of filling materials. A theory of soil response to a high-energy impact during dynamic compaction is proposed.

  12. Development of an extraction method for perchlorate in soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cañas, Jaclyn E; Patel, Rashila; Tian, Kang; Anderson, Todd A

    2006-03-01

    Perchlorate originates as a contaminant in the environment from its use in solid rocket fuels and munitions. The current US EPA methods for perchlorate determination via ion chromatography using conductivity detection do not include recommendations for the extraction of perchlorate from soil. This study evaluated and identified appropriate conditions for the extraction of perchlorate from clay loam, loamy sand, and sandy soils. Based on the results of this evaluation, soils should be extracted in a dry, ground (mortar and pestle) state with Milli-Q water in a 1 ratio 1 soil ratio water ratio and diluted no more than 5-fold before analysis. When sandy soils were extracted in this manner, the calculated method detection limit was 3.5 microg kg(-1). The findings of this study have aided in the establishment of a standardized extraction method for perchlorate in soil.

  13. Soils and site types in the Forsmark area

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lundin, Lars; Lode, Elve; Stendahl, Johan; Melkerud, Per-Arne; Bjoerkvald, Louise; Thorstensson, Anna [Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala (Sweden). Dept. of Forest Soils

    2004-01-01

    Investigations to give prerequisites for long-term storage of nuclear waste are made by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB AB). Ecosystem functions are crucial in this management. The range of the scope is wide including bedrock, regolith, hydrosphere and biosphere. The interface between deep geological formations and surface systems is then considered very important. This would be the top of the regolith, where soils are developed. Special attention has been paid to these layers with fairly comprehensive investigations. Field investigations were made for one of the candidate areas, the Forsmark area, in 2002 by the Department of Forest Soils, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. In these ecosystem functions, the upper part of the regolith is one crucial component and the focus in the investigations was on the upper metre of the soil. Variables determined include vegetation, hydrology, soil parent material, textural composition, soil type and physical and chemical properties of relevant soil layers. Methods used in the investigation coincide with those of the Swedish Forest Soil Inventory, which provide possibilities to compare properties in the Forsmark area with those of total Sweden and regions of the country. Soil properties were determined thoroughly on eight site types in two replicates to provide statistical significance. However, this meant that the investigation did not have a total spatial coverage. Instead, the spatial distribution of soils in the area was determined from a GIS based on the inventory made and information on vegetation types, distribution of Quaternary deposits and a hydrological index. From this GIS, distributions were compared with other parts of the country. The geographical location of the Forsmark area (N 60 deg 22 min; E 18 deg 13 min) is on the northeast coast of central Sweden bordering to the Bothnian Sea. The area is low-lying, reaching only up to 15 m above the sea, which means that the soils are

  14. Long-term phytoavailability of soil-applied organo-borates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adriano, D.C.; Kaplan, D.I.; Burkman, W.G.; Mills, G.L.

    1988-01-01

    Sodium tetraphenylboron (NaTPB) is expected to be used in large quantities to separate radiocesium from high-level nuclear wastes. Greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the long-term effects of NaTPB, diphenylboric acid (DPBA, a major degradation by-product of NaTPB) and boric acid (BA) on the extractability of soil B and plant B nutrition. Sorgrass (Sorghum vulgare sudanense Hitchc. Dub-L-Graze) was planted in sandy and loamy sandy soils in two separate 2-yr studies. Results indicate that initial differences between effects of the B sources on biomass, plant B concentration, plant B uptake and hot-water extractable B disappeared after the first harvest, while differences among these parameters due to soil type and application rate remained throughout the experiments. Extractable soil and plant B concentrations tended to decrease more gradually in the loamy sand than in the sandy soil. Plant toxicity from organic sources was noted only during the first harvest while BA had no adverse effects. Both NaTPB and DPBA reduced biomass, the former more than the latter. Initially, plant B concentrations were higher in NaTPB than BA treatments. The cumulative percentage of soil-applied B removal after 2 yr by sorgrass remained fairly similar, 20.0 +/- 1.7% (1SD) among B sources and application rates. This suggests that a large fraction of B applied to the soil was not taken up by the plant, presumably due to soil fixation. Biphenyl, another major breakdown product of NaTPB, had no effect on sorgrass growth, tissue B concentration, and soil B concentration

  15. Degradation kinetics of ptaquiloside in soil and soil solution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ovesen, Rikke Gleerup; Rasmussen, Lars Holm; Hansen, Hans Christian Bruun

    2008-02-01

    Ptaquiloside (PTA) is a carcinogenic norsesquiterpene glycoside produced in bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn), a widespread, aggressive weed. Transfer of PTA to soil and soil solution eventually may contaminate groundwater and surface water. Degradation rates of PTA were quantified in soil and soil solutions in sandy and clayey soils subjected to high natural PTA loads from bracken stands. Degradation kinetics in moist soil could be fitted with the sum of a fast and a slow first-order reaction; the fast reaction contributed 20 to 50% of the total degradation of PTA. The fast reaction was similar in all horizons, with the rate constant k(1F) ranging between 0.23 and 1.5/h. The slow degradation, with the rate constant k(1S) ranging between 0.00067 and 0.029/ h, was more than twice as fast in topsoils compared to subsoils, which is attributable to higher microbial activity in topsoils. Experiments with sterile controls confirmed that nonmicrobial degradation processes constituted more than 90% of the fast degradation and 50% of the slow degradation. The lower nonmicrobial degradation rate observed in the clayey compared with the sandy soil is attributed to a stabilizing effect of PTA by clay silicates. Ptaquiloside appeared to be stable in all soil solutions, in which no degradation was observed within a period of 28 d, in strong contrast to previous studies of hydrolysis rates in artificial aqueous electrolytes. The present study predicts that the risk of PTA leaching is controlled mainly by the residence time of pore water in soil, soil microbial activity, and content of organic matter and clay silicates.

  16. A Technical Design Approach to Soil Moisture Content Measurement

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Soil moisture is an important type of data in many fields; ranging from agriculture to environmental monitoring. Three soil samples were collected at definite proportions to represent the three basic soil types (sandy, loamy and clay soils). The moisture contents of these soil samples were analyzed using the thermogravimetric ...

  17. Ni adsorption and Ni-Al LDH precipitation in a sandy aquifer: An experimental and mechanistic modeling study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Regelink, I.C.; Temminghoff, E.J.M.

    2011-01-01

    Mining activities and industries have created nickel (Ni) contaminations in many parts of the world. The objective of this study is to increase our understanding of Ni adsorption and Nickel-Aluminium Layered Double Hydroxide (Ni-Al LDH) precipitation to reduce Ni mobility in a sandy soil aquifer. At

  18. Freihoelser Forst Local Training Area Demonstration Project: Prescription development and installation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hinchman, R.R.; Zellmer, S.D.; Brent, J.J.

    1989-04-01

    The Freiholser Forst Local Training Area (LTA) Rehabilitation Demonstration Project is part of the Integrated Training Area Management program being developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers' Construction Engineering Research Laboratory for the Seventh Army Training Command of the US Army in Europe. The rehabilitation demonstration project was begun in 1987 to develop and demonstrate rapid, cost-effective methods to stabilize the LTA's barren, eroding maneuver areas and make training conditions more realistic. The sandy, infertile, and acidic soils at the LTA are considered the major factor limiting rehabilitation efforts there. The project involves the evaluation of three procedures to revegetate the soils, each incorporating identical methods for preparing the seedbed and a single seed mixture consisting of adapted, native species but using different soil amendments. All three treatments have satisfactorily reestablished vegetation and controlled erosion on the demonstration plots at the LTA, but their costs have varied widely

  19. Preliminary study of soil liquefaction hazard at Terengganu shoreline, Peninsular Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashim, H.; Suhatril, M.; Hashim, R.

    2017-06-01

    Terengganu is a shoreline state located in Peninsular Malaysia which is a growing hub for port industries and tourism centre. The northern part offers pristine settings of a relax beach areas whereas the southern part are observed to be a growing centre for development. The serious erosion on soil deposit along the beach line presents vulnerable soil condition to soil liquefaction consists of sandy with low plasticity and shallow ground water. Moreover, local earthquake from nearby fault have present significant tremors over the past few years which need to be considered in the land usage or future development in catering the seismic loading. Liquefaction analysis based on field standard penetration of soil is applied on 546 boreholes scattered along the shoreline areas ranging 244 km of shoreline stretch. Based on simplified approach, it is found that more than 70% of the studied areas pose high liquefaction potential since there are saturated loose sand and silt deposits layer ranges at depth 3 m and up to 20 m. The presence of clay deposits and hard stratum at the remaining 30% of the studied areas shows good resistance to soil liquefaction hence making the area less significant to liquefaction hazard. Result indicates that liquefaction improving technique is advisable in future development of shoreline areas of Terengganu state.

  20. Topsoil and subsoil properties influence phosphorus leaching from four agricultural soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersson, Helena; Bergström, Lars; Djodjic, Faruk; Ulén, Barbro; Kirchmann, Holger

    2013-01-01

    Eutrophication, a major problem in many fresh and brackish waters, is largely caused by nonpoint-source pollution by P from agricultural soils. This lysimeter study examined the influence of P content, physical properties, and sorption characteristics in topsoil and subsoil on P leaching measured during 21 mo in 1-m-long, undisturbed soil columns of two clay and two sandy soils. Total P losses during the period varied between 0.65 and 7.40 kg ha. Dissolved reactive P was the dominant form in leachate from the sandy soils and one clay soil, varying from 48 to 76%. Particulate P dominated in leachate from the other clay soil, where low pH (5.2) in the subsoil decreased aggregate stability and thereby probably increased the dispersion of clay particles. Phosphorus leaching was small from soils with high P sorption index (PSI) and low P saturation (35% of PSI) in the profile. High sorption capacity in the subsoil was more important for P leaching in sandy soils than in clay soils with macropore flow, where the effect of high sorption capacity was reduced due to less interaction between percolating water and the soil matrix. The results suggest that P leaching is greatly affected by subsoil properties and that topsoil studies, which dominate current research, are insufficient for assessing P leaching in many soils. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  1. Growth, Yield and WUE of Drip and Sprinkler Irrigated Okra Grown On Sandy Soil Under Semi-Arid Conditions in Southeast Ghana

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Plauborg, Finn

    Vegetable production systems at the Keta sand spit, Southeast Ghana, are typically managed with excessive amounts of irrigation water and fertilizers on sandy soils with low inherent water and nutrient retention capacities. The shallow groundwater which is the primary irrigation water resource...... is prone to salinization from the Keta lagoon, the Atlantic Ocean and brackish water underneath (Kortatsi and Agyeku, 1999). To ensure the sustainability of vegetable production at the Keta spit, introduction of water saving irrigation systems and improved irrigation management schemes are important. Thus......, the main aim of our study was to explore the water sa ving potential of drip irrigation in order to save the shallow groundwater from over exploitation. A two season study (minor dry season, 2011 and major dry season, 2012) were carried out to determine the okra crop response to the following treatments: 1...

  2. Assessing and monitoring soil quality at agricultural waste disposal areas-Soil Indicators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doula, Maria; Kavvadias, Victor; Sarris, Apostolos; Lolos, Polykarpos; Liakopoulou, Nektaria; Hliaoutakis, Aggelos; Kydonakis, Aris

    2014-05-01

    The necessity of elaborating indicators is one of the priorities identified by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The establishment of an indicator monitoring system for environmental purposes is dependent on the geographical scale. Some indicators such as rain seasonality or drainage density are useful over large areas, but others such as soil depth, vegetation cover type, and land ownership are only applicable locally. In order to practically enhance the sustainability of land management, research on using indicators for assessing land degradation risk must initially focus at local level because management decisions by individual land users are taken at this level. Soils that accept wastes disposal, apart from progressive degradation, may cause serious problems to the surrounding environment (humans, animals, plants, water systems, etc.), and thus, soil quality should be necessarily monitored. Therefore, quality indicators, representative of the specific waste type, should be established and monitored periodically. Since waste composition is dependent on their origin, specific indicators for each waste type should be established. Considering agricultural wastes, such a specification, however, could be difficult, since almost all agricultural wastes are characterized by increased concentrations of the same elements, namely, phosphorous, nitrogen, potassium, sulfur, etc.; contain large amounts of organic matter; and have very high values of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and electrical conductivity. Two LIFE projects, namely AgroStrat and PROSODOL are focused on the identification of soil indicators for the assessment of soil quality at areas where pistachio wastes and olive mill wastes are disposed, respectively. Many soil samples were collected periodically for 2 years during PROSODOL and one year during AgroStrat (this project is in progress) from waste disposal areas and analyzed for 23 parameters

  3. Improvement in the water retention characteristics of sandy loam soil using a newly synthesized poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid)/AlZnFe2O4 superabsorbent hydrogel nanocomposite material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahid, Shaukat Ali; Qidwai, Ansar Ahmad; Anwar, Farooq; Ullah, Inam; Rashid, Umer

    2012-08-03

    The use of some novel and efficient crop nutrient-based superabsorbent hydrogel nanocomposites (SHNCs), is currently becoming increasingly important to improve the crop yield and productivity, due to their water retention properties. In the present study a poly(Acrylamide-co-acrylic acid)/AlZnFe2O4 superabsorbent hydrogel nanocomposite was synthesized and its physical properties characterized using Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), FE-SEM and FTIR spectroscopic techniques. The effects of different levels of SHNC were studied to evaluate the moisture retention properties of sandy loam soil (sand 59%, silt 21%, clay 19%, pH 7.4, EC 1.92 dS/m). The soil amendment with 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 w/w% of SHNC enhanced the moisture retention significantly at field capacity compared to the untreated soil. Besides, in a separate experiment, seed germination and seedling growth of wheat was found to be notably improved with the application of SHNC. A delay in wilting of seedlings by 5-8 days was observed for SHNC-amended soil, thereby improving wheat plant growth and establishment.

  4. Adsorption and desorption characteristic of benzimidazole based fungicide carbendazim in pakistani soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad, K.S.; Rashid, N.; Tazaiyen, S.; Nazar, M.F.

    2013-01-01

    A versatile cost-effective Benzimidazole based fungicide, Carbendazim (methyl 1H-benzimidazole-2 carboxylate ) has been utilized to investigate its sorption-desorption behaviour on physicochemical properties of geographical soils, ranging from hilly to desert areas of Pakistan, via batch equilibrium method. The data obtained in all tests showed that adsorption co-efficient isotherm for Carbendazim in four tested soil were well fitted the freundlich equation. Distribution co-efficient (K d ) parameters are low (3.59 to 11.60 ml micro g/sup -1/) indicating low adsorption. It was observed that Carbendazim showed a relatively greater degree of adsorption on soil samples (Soil 4) that were collected from northern hilly areas Ayubia, Khyber Pakhton khaw (KPK) (Silt loam) i.e.11.60 ml mu g/sup -1/ and least adsorption on sandy Soil of Multan Punjab(Soil 2). While other two soils 1 were collected from Murree region, a boarder of Punjab and KPK mountain area and Soil 3 from Tarnol, Islamabad. Desorption studies reveal that the adsorbed fungicide is firmly retained by soil particles and their adsorption are almost irreversible. The results indicate that soil organic matter (SOM) and appropriate pH also play key role in sorption capacity. (author)

  5. Time-dependent transfer of 54Mn, 60Co, 85Sr and 137Cs from a sandy soil to soybean plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Yong-Ho; Lim, Kwang-Muk; Jun, In; Keum, Dong-Kwon; Han, Moon-Hee

    2011-01-01

    Greenhouse experiments were performed to investigate the dependence of 54 Mn, 60 Co, 85 Sr and 137 Cs transfer from sandy soil to soybean plants on the growth stage when a radioactive deposition occurs. A solution containing 54 Mn, 60 Co, 85 Sr and 137 Cs was applied onto the soil surfaces in the lysimeters at six different times -2 d before sowing and 13, 40, 61, 82 and 96 d after sowing. Soil-to-plant transfer was quantified with a transfer factor (m 2 kg -1 -dry) specified for the deposition time. The transfer factor values of 54 Mn, 60 Co, 85 Sr and 137 Cs for the seeds were in the range of 1.5×10 -3 -1.0×10 -2 , 4.7×10 -4 -3.2×10 -3 , 5.7×10 -4 -1.0×10 -2 and 3.0×10 -5 -2.7×10 -4 , respectively, for different deposition times. The corresponding values for the leaves were 6.4×10 -3 -3.2×10 -2 , 4.3×10 -4 -2.0×10 -3 , 5.1×10 -3 -5.3×10 -2 and 9.2×10 -5 -1.9×10 -4 , respectively. The values for the seeds were on the whole highest following the middle-growth-stage deposition. After the pre-sowing deposition, the transfer factor values of 54 Mn, 60 Co and 137 Cs for the seeds decreased annually so those in the fourth year were 53%, 75% and 34% of those in the first year, respectively. The present results may be useful for predicting the radionuclide concentrations in soybean plants due to their root uptake following an acute soil-deposition during the vegetation period, and for validating a relevant model. (author)

  6. Impact of pulp and paper mill effluents and solid wastes on soil mineralogical and physicochemical properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adhikari, Gopi; Bhattacharyya, Krishna G

    2015-03-01

    The present study was carried out to evaluate the impact of the effluents and the solid wastes generated by a giant pulp and paper mill in the northeastern part of India on soil mineralogy of the area. The impacts were monitored by analysis of soil samples from seven sites located in the potential impact zone and a control site where any kind of effluent discharge or solid waste dumping was absent. The soil belonged to medium texture type (sandy clay loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, and silt loam), and the soil aggregate analysis indicated higher levels of organic carbon, pH, electrical conductivity, effective cation exchange capacity, and mean weight diameter at sites receiving effluents and solid wastes from the pulp and paper mill. Depletion in soil silica level and in feldspar and quartz contents and rise in iron and calcium contents at the sites receiving effluents from the pulp and paper mill indicated significant influence on soil mineralogy. The soil contained a mixture of minerals consisting of tectosilicates (with silicate frameworks as in quartz or feldspar), phylosilicates (layered clays like kaolinite, smectite, chlorite, illite, etc.), and carbonates. Absence of pure clay minerals indicated a state of heterogeneous intermediate soil clay transformation. The significance of the mixed mineralogy in relation to the disposal of effluents and dumping of solid wastes is discussed in details.

  7. Using Biochar composts for improving sandy vineyard soils while reducing the risk of

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kammann, Claudia; Mengel, Jonathan; Mohr, Julia; Muskat, Stefan; Schmidt, Hans-Peter; Löhnertz, Otmar

    2016-04-01

    In recent years, biochar has increasingly been discussed as an option for sustainable environmentalmanagement, combining C sequestration with the aim of soil fertility improvement. Biochar has shownpositive effects in viticulture before (Genesio et al. 2015) which were largely attributed to improved water supply to the plants. However, in fertile temperate soils, the use of pure, untreated biochar does not guarantee economic benefits on the farm level (Ruysschaert et al., 2016). Hence, recent approaches started introducing biochar in management of nutrient-rich agricultural waste, e.g. in compost production (Kammann et al. 2015). Compost is frequently used in German vineyards for humus buildup and as a slow-release organic fertilizer. This, and increasingly mild, precipitation-rich winters, promoting mineralization, increase the risk of unwanted nitrate leaching losses into surface and ground waters during winter. To investigate if biochar pure, or biochar-compost mixtures and -products may have the potential to reduce nitrate leaching, we set up the following experiment: Either 30 or 60 t ha-1 of the following additives were mixed into the top 30 cm of sandy soil in large (120 L) containers, and planted with oneRiesling grapevine (Clone 198-30 GM) per container: Control (no addition), pure woody biochar, pure compost, biochar-compost (produced from the same organic feedstock than the compost, with 20 vol. - % of a woody biochar added), and pure compost plus pure biochar (same mixing ratio as in the former product). Once monthly, containers were exposed to simulated heavy rainfall that caused drainage. Leachates were collected from an outlet at the bottom of the containers, and analyzed for nutrients. The nutrient-rich additives containing compost all improved grape biomass and yield, most markedly pure compost and biochar-compost; same amendments were not significantly different. However,while the addition of the lower amount (30 t ha-1) of compost reduced nitrate

  8. Pupal development of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) at different moisture values in four soil types.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bento, F de M M; Marques, R N; Costa, M L Z; Walder, J M M; Silva, A P; Parra, J R P

    2010-08-01

    This study aimed to evaluate adult emergence and duration of the pupal stage of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), and emergence of the fruit fly parasitoid, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead), under different moisture conditions in four soil types, using soil water matric potential. Pupal stage duration in C. capitata was influenced differently for males and females. In females, only soil type affected pupal stage duration, which was longer in a clay soil. In males, pupal stage duration was individually influenced by moisture and soil type, with a reduction in pupal stage duration in a heavy clay soil and in a sandy clay, with longer duration in the clay soil. As matric potential decreased, duration of the pupal stage of C. capitata males increased, regardless of soil type. C. capitata emergence was affected by moisture, regardless of soil type, and was higher in drier soils. The emergence of D. longicaudata adults was individually influenced by soil type and moisture factors, and the number of emerged D. longicaudata adults was three times higher in sandy loam and lower in a heavy clay soil. Always, the number of emerged adults was higher at higher moisture conditions. C. capitata and D. longicaudata pupal development was affected by moisture and soil type, which may facilitate pest sampling and allow release areas for the parasitoid to be defined under field conditions.

  9. Sorption of thiabendazole in sub-tropical Brazilian soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Oliveira Neto, Odilon França; Arenas, Alejandro Yopasa; Fostier, Anne Hélène

    2017-07-01

    Thiabendazole (TBZ) is an ionizable anthelmintic agent that belongs to the class of benzimidazoles. It is widely used in veterinary medicine and as a fungicide in agriculture. Sorption and desorption are important processes influencing transport, transformation, and bioavailability of xenobiotic compounds in soils; data related to sorption capacity are therefore needed for environmental risk assessments. The aim of this work was to assess the sorption potential of TBZ in four Brazilians soils (sandy, sandy-clay, and clay soils), using batch equilibrium experiments at three pH ranges (2.3-3.0, 3.8-4.2, and 5.5-5.7). The Freundlich sorption coefficient (K F ) ranged from 9.0 to 58 μg 1-1/n  (mL) 1/n  g -1 , with higher values generally observed at the lower pH ranges (2.3-3.0 and 3.8-4.2) and for clay soils. The highest organic carbon-normalized sorption coefficients (K OC ) obtained at pH 3.8-5.7 (around the natural pH range of 4.1-5.0) for both clay soils and sandy-clay soil were 3255 and 2015 mL g -1 , respectively. The highest correlations K F vs SOM (r = 0.70) and K F vs clay content (r = 0.91) were observed at pH 3.8-4.2. Our results suggest that TBZ sorption/desorption is strongly pH dependent and that its mobility could be higher in the studied soils than previously reported in soils from temperate regions.

  10. Soils on raised marine terraces in the Metaponto area, S Italy: not a simple chronosequence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sauer, Daniela; Al-Sharif, Riyad; Wagner, Stephen; Scarciglia, Fabio; Deffontaines, Benoît; Benvenuti, Marco; Carnicelli, Stefano; Brückner, Helmut

    2015-04-01

    the deposition of the alluvial sediments. For example, a several metres thick marine gravel body, overlain by a layer of alluvial sandy-loamy sediments, is exposed in a gravel quarry on terrace T2 (assumed to have accumulated during MIS 5c). The boundary between the two sediment packages is very sharp and wavy, indicating a period of incision into the gravel body prior to the deposition of the alluvial sediments. Based on these observations, the following chronological sequence of events is assumed for this site: 1) accumulation of the gravel body in a delta environment during MIS 5c; 2) period of soil formation during late MIS 5c, after the surface of the gravel body had fallen dry; 3) incision of creeks, cutting channels into the gravel body as sea level dropped during MIS 5b; 4) sea-level rise during MIS 5a, not reaching the same level as during MIS 5c due to progressing regional uplift in the meantime; wave action of the MIS 5a sea removed part of the MIS 5c gravel body and cut a cliff into it, thus shaping the seaward edge of terrace T2; 5) accumulation of alluvial deposits in the previously incised channels and on top of the erosional gravel-body surface during MIS 5a because of the raised erosion base level; 6) incorporation of sandy sediments from the near-by MIS 5a beach, possibly with some contribution from temporarily dry beds of the nearby torrential rivers, into the alluvial deposits. Similarly complex sediment successions can be observed in several exposures. In addition, in some locations up to several metres of loess-like sediments are exposed. They probably accumulated during glacial periods, being blown out from the wide, temporarily dry river beds and from the exposed shelf. These observations led to a more differentiated reconstruction of the evolution of the landscape and soils in the Metaponto area.

  11. Microstructure and stability of two sandy loam soils with different soil management

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bouma, J.

    1969-01-01

    A practical problem initiated this study. In the Haarlemmermeer, a former lake reclaimed about 1850, several farmers had difficulties with soil structure. Land, plowed in autumn, was very wet in spring. Free water was sometimes present on the soil surface. Planting and seeding were long delayed in

  12. [Fish community structure and its seasonal change in subtidal sandy beach habitat off southern Gouqi Island].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhen-Hua; Wang, Kai; Zhao, Jing; Zhang, Shou-Yu

    2011-05-01

    To understand the characteristics of fish community structure in sandy beach habitats of island reef water areas, and to evaluate the potential capacity of these habitats in local fish stock maintenance, fishes were monthly collected with multi-mesh trammel nets in 2009 from the subtidal sandy beach habitat off southern Gouqi Island, taking the adjacent rocky reef habitat as the control. alpha and beta species diversity indices, index of relative importance (IRI), relative catch rate, and dominance curve for abundance and biomass (ABC curve) were adopted to compare the fish species composition, diversity, and community pattern between the two habitats, and multivariate statistical analyses such as non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) and cluster were conducted to discuss the fish assemblage patterns. A total of 63 fish species belonging to 11 orders, 38 families, and 56 genera were collected, of which, 46 fish species were appeared in the two habitats. Due to the appearance of more warm water species in sandy bottom, the fishes in subtidal sandy beach habitat showed much higher richness, and the abundance catch rate (ACR) from May to July was higher than that in rocky reef habitat. In most rest months, the ACR in subtidal sandy beach habitat also showed the similar trend. However, the species richness and diversity in spring and summer were significantly lower in subtidal sandy beach habitat than in rocky reef habitat, because of the high species dominance and low evenness in the sandy beach habitat. Japanese tonguefish (Paraplagusia japonica) was the indicator species in the sandy beach habitat, and dominated in early spring, later summer, autumn, and winter when the fishing pressure was not strong. In sandy bottom, a unique community structure was formed and kept in dynamic, due to the nursery use of sandy beach by Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) from May to July, the gathering of gray mullet (Mugil cephalus) in most months for feeding, and the large

  13. [Introduction of upland rice cultivars to eastern Keerqin sandy land and their biological characteristics].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Dehui; Zhang, Chunxing; Wang, Guirong; Fan, Zhiping

    2004-10-01

    Developing water-saving rice cultivation is one important strategy for food security in China. This paper reported the experimental results of introducing six upland rice cultivars to eastern Keerqin sandy land. The field experiment results showed that under the condition of 60% water-saving, the yield of cultivars XH 95-13 and XH 95-13-6 was 10.2% and 5.5% higher than the control, respectively, while other four cultivars decreased by 6.7%-18.6%. Economically, all the cultivars except JP 121 had a higher income than the control, and the profitability of cultivars XH 95-13 and XH 95-13-6 reached 24.0% and 19.3%, respectively. The water productivity of all the six cultivars was over 0.566 kg x m(-3), increased by 59.89%-116.38%. Pot experiment showed that 12.1%-16.3% of soil moisture in 0-15 cm layer was beneficial to the growth of upland rice. In eastern Keerqin sandy land, effective tillers occurred before July 18. In brief, upland rice production could be extensively applicable in eastern Keerqin sandy land to gradually alternate the traditional lowland rice cultivation with continuous flooding, and save much underground water.

  14. Dynamic chemical characteristics of soil solution after pig manure application: a column study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Xiuzhen; Zhou, Dongmei; Sun, Lei; Li, Lianzhen; Zhang, Hailin

    2008-06-01

    When manures from intensive livestock operations are applied to agricultural or vegetable fields at a high rate, large amounts of salts and metals will be introduced into soils. Using a column leaching experiment, this study assessed the leaching potential of the downward movement of Cu and Zn as well as some salt ions after an intensive farm pig manure at rates of 0%, 5% and 10% (w/w) were applied to the top 20 cm of two different textured soils (G soil -sandy loam soil; H soil-silty clay loam soil), and investigated the growth of amaranth and Cu and Zn transfer from soil to amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor). Soil solutions were obtained at 20, 40 and 60 cm depth of the packed column and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved organic matter (DOC) and Cu and Zn concentrations. The results indicated that application of pig manure containing Cu and Zn to sandy loam soil might cause higher leaching and uptake risk than silty clay loam soil, especially at high application rates. And manure amendment at 5% and 10% significantly decreased the biomass of amaranth, in which the salt impact rather than Cu and Zn toxicity from manures played more important role in amaranth growth. Thus the farmer should avoid application the high rate of pig manure containing metal and salt to soil at a time, especially in sandy soil.

  15. 222Rn flux and soil air concentration profiles in West-Germany. Soil 222Rn as tracer for gas transport in the unsaturated soil zone

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doerr, H.; Muennich, K.O.

    1990-01-01

    Measurements of the 222 Rn activity concentration profile in the soil and the 222 Rn flux in West-Germany are presented. The spatial pattern of the 222 Rn flux depends more on soil type than on the 226 Ra activity of the soil material. The average 222 Rn flux from sandy soils is 1000-2000 dpm m -2 h -1 and 4000-6000 dpm m -2 h -1 froam loamy and clayey soils. Weekly 222 Rn flux measurements during a period of 1 year at a sandy site show no significant temporal variations. At a clayey site, the 222 Rn flux tends to be higher in summer than in winter. The permeability coefficient P Rn , obtained from simultaneous 222 Rn flux and concentration profile measurements in various soils, can be expressed as a function of the soil parameters total porosity ε 0 , soil moisture F, tortuosity k and the molecular diffusion coefficient D 0 of 222 Rn in air: P = D 0 ((ε 0 -F)/k-const.). The flux of any other gas into or out of the soil can thus be calculated from its measured concentration profile in the soil and from the 222 Rn permeability coefficient, replacing the molecular diffusion coefficient of 222 Rn by that of the specific gas under consideration. As an example, this method of flux determination is demonstrated for the soil CO 2 flux to the atmosphere and for the flux of atmospheric CH 4 into the soil. (author) 14 refs

  16. Solos e geoambientes do Parque Nacional do Viruá e entorno, Roraima: visão integrada da paisagem e serviço ambiental

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruno Araujo Furtado de Mendonça

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The Viruá National Park (PARNA Viruá occupies 227.011 ha, in the region of the low ‘Branco’ river, in Roraima state. This area includes an extensive mosaic of complex seasonally flooded forested and nonforested environments. The present work aimed to characterize pedological aspects and identify the geoenvironmental units of the Park and surroundings, in an integrated vision of the landscape and,additionally, estimate the carbon stocks in soils and geo-environments. We described and collected 29 soil profiles according with the main vegetation types of Campinaranas and Forests of PARNA Viruá and surroundings. The main soil classes are: Espodossolo Humilúvico, Neossolo Quartzarênico, Neossolo Flúvico, Neossolo Litólicos, Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo, Latossolo Vermelho, Cambissolo Háplico, Cambissolo Flúvico, Gleissolo Háplico and Plintossolo Háplico. The soils present an spatial distribution marked by abrupt limits and close association with the vegetation type. We identified three pedo-environments: (1 sandy soils of the Campinaranas; (2 soils associated with the inselbergs and adjacencies; and (3 alluvial soils. We mapped and described 18 geoenvironmental units in PARNA Viruá National Park and surroundings. The main geoenvironments are: i Sandy plains and Paleodunes with grassy and arborous Campinarana on ‘Neossolos Quartzarênicos hidromórficos’ and ‘Espodossolos’; and Floodplains and; ii Terraces with Igapó Forest on sandy hydromorphic soils, occupying 24.6 % and 20.1 % of the studied area, respectively. In terms of total soil carbon stocks, the geo-environments of the sandy complex of Campinaranas and associations stand out, with 9450.9 Gg C. The great extension and representativeness of the sandy areas of Campinaranas characterize PARNA Viruá Park as an important conservation unit for protecting Amazonian sandy soil systems. The areas under the domain of ‘Espodossolos’ possess the largest stocks of organic

  17. Soil strength and forest operations

    OpenAIRE

    Beekman, F.

    1987-01-01

    The use of heavy machinery and transport vehicles is an integral part of modern forest operations. This use often causes damage to the standing trees and to the soil. In this study the effects of vehicle traffic on the soil are analysed and the possible consequences for forest management discussed. The study is largely restricted to sandy and loamy soils because of their importance for Dutch forestry.

    Soil strength, defined as the resistance of soil structure against the impa...

  18. Hurricane Sandy: An Educational Bibliography of Key Research Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piotrowski, Chris

    2013-01-01

    There, undoubtedly, will be a flurry of research activity in the "Superstorm" Sandy impact area on a myriad of disaster-related topics, across academic disciplines. The purpose of this study was to review the disaster research related specifically to hurricanes in the educational and social sciences that would best serve as a compendium…

  19. [Ecological hygienic assessment of soils quality in urban areas].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vodyanova, M A; Kriatov, I A; Donerian, L G; Evseeva, I S; Ushakov, D I; Sbitnev, A V

    Assessment of the soil quality is ofprime importance essential for the characterization of the ecological and hygienic condition of the territory, as the soil is the first link of the food chain, the source of secondary air and water pollution, as well as an integral index of ecological well-being of the environment. Herewith the qualitative analysis of soil complicated by the specifics of the soil genesis in the urban environment, in which an important role is played by manmade land bulk and alluvial soils; the inclusion of construction of material debris and household garbage in upper horizons; the growing up of the profile due to the perpetual introduction of different materials and intensive aeolian deposition. It is advisable to consider the currently neglected question of the study of soil vapor containing volatile chemicals. These pollutants penetrate into the building through cracks in the foundation and openings for utilities. Soil evaporation may accumulate in residential areas or in the soil under the building. Because of this, it is necessary to pay attention to the remediation of areas allocated for the built-up area, possessing a large-scale underground parking. Soil contamination is the result of significant anthropogenic impacts on the environment components. In general, about 89.1 million people (62.6% of the population of the country) live in terms of complex chemical load, determined by contamination offood, drinking water, air and soil. The list of microbiological and sanitary-chemical indices of the assessment of soils of urban areas may vary in dependence on the data obtained in pilot studies due to changes and additions to the assigned tasks. Timely forecast for the possibility of the usage of released lands of urban territories for the construction and the creation of new objects for different purposes should become the prevention of chronic non-infectious diseases in the population residing in urban areas.

  20. Effect of biosurfactant[0] on the sorption of phenanthrene onto original and H2O2-treated soils

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    PEI Xiaohong; ZHAN Xinhua; ZHOU Lixiang

    2009-01-01

    The objective of this study was to examine the effect of biosurfactant on sorption of phenanthrene (PHE) onto the original or H2O2-treated black loamy soil (typic isohumisols) and red sandy soil (typic ferralisols). The sorption isotherms were performed with the original and "soft" carbon-removed soils in the presence and absence of biosurfactant (200 mg/L). The sorption and degradation of biosurfactant were investigated. The result showed that organic matter played an important role in PHE sorption onto the black loamy and red sandy soils, and the PHE sorption isotherms on the "soft" carbon-removed soils exhibited more nonlinearity than those on the original soils. The values of partition coefficient (Kd) on the original black loamy soil with or without 200 mg/L biosurfactant were 181.6 and 494.5 mL/g, respectively. Correspondingly, in the red sandy soil, Kd was 246.4 and 212.8 mL/g in the presence or absence of biosurfactant, respectively. The changes of Kd suggested that biosurfactant inhibited PHE sorption onto the black loamy soil, but facilitated PHE sorption onto the red sandy soil. The nonlinearity of PHE sorption isotherm was decreased in the presence of biosurfactant. Site specific sorption might occur during PHE sorption onto both the original and the "soft" carbon-removed soils in the presence of biosurfactant. It was noted that biosurfactant could also be sorbed onto soils. The maximal sorption capacity of the red sandy soil for biosurfactant was (76.9 ± 0.007) μg/g, which was 1.31 times that of black loamy soil. Biosurfactant was degraded quickly in the two selected soils, and 92% of biosurfactant were mineralized throughout the incubation experiment for 7 d. It implied that biosurfactant should be added frequently when the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soils was conducted through PAH desorption approach facilitated by biosurfactant.

  1. The mathematical model accuracy estimation of the oil storage tank foundation soil moistening

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gildebrandt, M. I.; Ivanov, R. N.; Gruzin, AV; Antropova, L. B.; Kononov, S. A.

    2018-04-01

    The oil storage tanks foundations preparation technologies improvement is the relevant objective which achievement will make possible to reduce the material costs and spent time for the foundation preparing while providing the required operational reliability. The laboratory research revealed the nature of sandy soil layer watering with a given amount of water. The obtained data made possible developing the sandy soil layer moistening mathematical model. The performed estimation of the oil storage tank foundation soil moistening mathematical model accuracy showed the experimental and theoretical results acceptable convergence.

  2. HPLC Analysis to Determine the Half-life and Bioavailability of the Termiticides Bifenthrin and Fipronil in Soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manzoor, F; Pervez, M

    2017-12-05

    The aim of this study was to test the bioavailability and degradation in soil of the termiticides bifenthrin and fipronil, which are used to treat subterranean termites (Heterotermes indicola, Wasmann). Soil collected from different areas of Lahore was categorized as sandy clay loam (SCL) or sandy loam (SL). Laboratory bioassays were conducted to determine the bioavailability ratio of bifenthrin and fipronil in each type of soil after different periods of time. LT50 values were determined posttreatment at different time intervals. Regarding soil type, both termiticides were more effective in SL soil, compared with SCL soil posttreatment. There were significant differences in termite mortality in treated compared with untreated control samples (P bifenthrin (maximum, 1,002 and 1,262 d in SCL soil and SL soil, respectively) indicated that it persisted in both soil types at all concentrations. The maximum calculated half-life values of fipronil were 270 and 555 d in SCL and SL soil, respectively. At lower concentrations and over longer periods of time, fipronil completely degraded in SL soil, while a negligible amount was detected in SCL soil. Termiticide concentration decreased over time, as did the termiticide recovery rate. Overall, bifenthrin was more persistent than fipronil under all treatment conditions tested. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. Soil Quality in Mining Areas Undergoing Ecological Restoration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dinarowski, Marcela; Casagrande, José Carlos; Bizuti, Denise T. G.; Silva, Luiz Gabriel; Soares, Marcio Roberto; Brancalion, Pedro H. S.

    2014-05-01

    Mining is one of the anthropogenic activities most impactful to natural resources, and can profoundly affect the resilience of ecosystems depending on the level of soil degradation. Ecological restoration has generated promising results even in situations of degradation as intense as those of mining. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of the soil in areas explored by the bauxite extraction undergoing restoration: recently mined, seven years, 20 years and native forest. The studied areas are located in the municipality of Poços de Caldas-MG, belonging to ALCOA Alumínio. The mined-out areas for seven and twenty years were uncompressed and received topsoil, liming and fertilization with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Samples for chemical analyses of soil fertility were carried out at depths of 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm. Soil quality was evaluated by pondered additive model. The parameters were considered organic matter (0.6) and bases saturation (0.4) for soil fertility function (0.6) and calcium (0.5) and aluminum saturation (0.5) for the function root development (0.4) - (the numbers in parentheses represent the weights attributed). Despite the high content, only the organic matter was not a parameter enough to classify the soil quality, once the native forest has very low base saturation (7%). The soil quality index(SQI) obtained allowed to classify the areas, being the first restored 20 years ago with SQI equal to 0.7 followed of the restored 7 years ago, native forest and newly mined with SQIs equal to 0.6, 04 and 0.3, respectively. The native tropical forests have low soil fertility, keeping by the cycling of nutrients. This demonstrates the need for the degraded areas, especially the mined, are uncompressed to allow storage of water and root development, in addition to the replacement of nutrients and soil acidity correction, especially high levels of aluminum saturation (66%) and low calcium (3 mmolcdm-3).

  4. Transfer Factor of Radioactive Cs and Sr from Egyptian Soils to Roots and Leafs of Wheat Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abu Khadra, S.A.; Abdel Fattah, A.T.; Eissa, H.S.; Abdel Sabour, M.F.

    2009-01-01

    Transfer factors (TFs) of long lived radionuclide such as 137 Cs and 90 Sr from three different Egyptian soils type to wheat plant have been studied by radiotracer experiments. Most typical Egyptian soils (sandy, sandy loam and clayey) from three different locations (Al -Oboor, Abu- Zaabal and Shebeen cities) were selected for the experiments carried out under outdoor conditions. The plant selected was wheat because the high consumption of wheat in Egypt. In the present study radioactive strontium and caesium uptake from different types of soil was investigated .These radionuclide showed a considerable difference in their distribution within the plant .The results showed that soil type influences the transfer factors. Sandy soil resulted in the highest transfer factor for both (Cs and Sr) from soil to wheat. TFs for leafs were higher than those for roots in case of 90 Sr (for all types of soil). However, TFs of ( 137 Cs) for roots were higher than those for leafs for all soils. Grains of the wheat showed the lowest transfer factor for the Cs and Sr (for all types of soil)

  5. Fate of diuron and terbuthylazine in soils amended with two-phase olive oil mill waste.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabrera, A; Cox, Lucia; Velarde, P; Koskinen, William C; Cornejo, Juan

    2007-06-13

    The addition of organic amendments to soil increases soil organic matter content and stimulates soil microbial activity. Thus, processes affecting herbicide fate in the soil should be affected. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of olive oil production industry organic waste (alperujo) on soil sorption-desorption, degradation, and leaching of diuron [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] and terbuthylazine [N2-tert-butyl-6-chloro-N4-ethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine], two herbicides widely used in olive crops. The soils used in this study were a sandy soil and a silty clay soil from two different olive groves. The sandy soil was amended in the laboratory with fresh (uncomposted) alperujo at the rate of 10% w/w, and the silty clay soil was amended in the field with fresh alperujo at the rate of 256 kg per tree during 4 years and in the laboratory with fresh or composted alperujo. Sorption of both herbicides increased in laboratory-amended soils as compared to unamended or field-amended soils, and this process was less reversible in laboratory-amended soils, except for diuron in amended sandy soil. Addition of alperujo to soils increased half-lives of the herbicides in most of the soils. Diuron and terbuthylazine leached through unamended sandy soil, but no herbicide was detected in laboratory-amended soil. Diuron did not leach through amended or unamended silty clay soil, whereas small amounts of terbuthylazine were detected in leachates from unamended soil. Despite their higher sorption capacity, greater amounts of terbuthylazine were found in the leachates from amended silty clay soils. The amounts of dissolved organic matter from alperujo and the degree of humification can affect sorption, degradation, and leaching of these two classes of herbicides in soils. It appears that adding alperujo to soil would not have adverse impacts on the behavior of herbicides in olive production.

  6. Soil survey of Solid Waste Storage Area 6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lietzke, D.A.; Lee, S.Y.

    1986-06-01

    An intensive soil survey was made of Solid Waste Storage Area (SWSA) 6 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) at a scale of 1:1200. The amount of chemical weathering, the thickness of upland soils, and the depth to unoxidized rock are dependent on slope gradient, water-flow pathways, degree of rock fracturing, and the extent of soil and rock erosion by late Pleistocene and Holocene geomorphic processes. Foot-slope landforms have generally concave slope shapes where sediment accumulates. Colluvium stratigraphy exhibits at least one lithologic discontinuity, but there may be two discontinuities preserved in some thicker colluvia. One or more paleosols, either complete or partially truncated, are preserved in these concave landforms. Alluvial soils were not examined in detail but were separated from colluvial soils because of their wetness. A small area of ancient alluvium was located on a stable upland summit that formed the highest elevation in SWSA-6. On the nearly level summit, a thin loess cap was preserved on the older alluvial soil. Upland and colluvial soils are all highly leached and strongly acid even though they are formed from a calcareous parent rock. The highly fractured rock, being relatively permeable, has been leached free of carbonates in the upper levels so that there is a wide pH gradient from the surface downward. Most of the soils were classified as Ultisols, with minimal areas of Alfisols, Inceptisols, and Entisols. Based on the soil survey, representative landforms and soils will be selected to study physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of the soil and weathered rock. Those properties will be used to predict both the amount and duration of leachate filtration and purification in downward migration to the water table or lateral migration through colluvial and alluvial soils to ground-water seeps

  7. Soil resistance and resilience to mechanical stresses for three differently managed sandy loam soils

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arthur, Emmanuel; Schjønning, Per; Møldrup, Per

    2012-01-01

    carbon (CCCsoils to compaction using air permeability (ka), void ratio (e) and air-filled porosity (ε) as functional indicators and to characterise aggregate stability, strength and friability. Aggregate tensile strength...... the compression index and a proposed functional index,was significantly greater for theMFC soil compared to the other two soils. The change in compression index with initial void ratio was significantly less for the MFC than the other soils. Plastic reorganisation of the soil particles immediately after......To improve our understanding of how clay-organic carbon dynamics affect soil aggregate strength and physical resilience, we selected three nearby soils (MFC,Mixed Forage Cropping; MCC,Mixed Cash Cropping; CCC, Cereal Cash Cropping)with identical clay content and increasing contents of organic...

  8. Fates of nickel and fluoranthene during the bioremediation by Pleurotus eryngii in three different soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Xia; Dong, Shunwen; Shi, Wenjin; Gao, Ni; Zuo, Lei; Xu, Heng

    2016-11-01

    This study focused on the bioremediation role of Pleurotus eryngii in different characteristics soils contaminated with nickel (Ni) and fluoranthene. The results of bioremediation experiments showed that fluoranthene had a positive effect on the growth of P. eryngii, whereas Ni exerted a negative influence. The concentration of fluoranthene significantly decreased in inoculated soil accounting for 86.39-91.95% of initial concentration in soils and 71.46-81.76% in non-inoculated soils, which showed that the dissipation of fluoranthene was enhanced by mushroom inoculating. The highest removal rates of fluoranthene in sandy loam, loamy clay, and sandy soils reached to 87.81, 86.39, and 91.95%, respectively, which demonstrated that P. eryngii was more suitable for the bioremediation of sandy soil contaminated with fluoranthene. In addition, the presence of Ni tended to decrease the dissipation of fluoranthene in inoculated soil. Higher ligninolytic enzymes activities were detected in inoculated soils, resulting in the enhanced dissipation of fluoranthene in inoculated soils. Furthermore, P. eryngii had the ability to uptake Ni (4.88-39.53 mg kg -1 ) in co-contamination soil. In conclusion, the inoculating of P. eryngii was effective in remediating of Ni-fluoranthene co-contaminated soils. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Influence of red mud on soil microbial communities: Application and comprehensive evaluation of the Biolog EcoPlate approach as a tool in soil microbiological studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feigl, Viktória; Ujaczki, Éva; Vaszita, Emese; Molnár, Mónika

    2017-10-01

    Red mud can be applied as soil ameliorant to acidic, sandy and micronutrient deficient soils. There are still knowledge gaps regarding the effects of red mud on the soil microbial community. The Biolog EcoPlate technique is a promising tool for community level physiological profiling. This study presents a detailed evaluation of Biolog EcoPlate data from two case studies. In experiment "A" red mud from Ajka (Hungary) was mixed into acidic sandy soil in soil microcosms at 5-50 w/w%. In experiement "B" red mud soil mixture was mixed into low quality subsoil in a field experiment at 5-50 w/w%. According to average well color development, substrate average well color development and substrate richness 5-20% red mud increased the microbial activity of the acidic sandy soil over the short term, but the effect did not last for 10months. Shannon diversity index showed that red mud at up to 20% did not change microbial diversity over the short term, but the diversity decreased by the 10th month. 30-50% red mud had deteriorating effect on the soil microflora. 5-20% red mud soil mixture in the low quality subsoil had a long lasting enhancing effect on the microbial community based on all Biolog EcoPlate parameters. However, 50% red mud soil mixture caused a decrease in diversity and substrate richness. With the Biolog EcoPlate we were able to monitor the changes of the microbial community in red mud affected soils and to assess the amount of red mud and red mud soil mixture applicable for soil treatment in these cases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Transport of Pathogen Surrogates in Soil Treatment Units: Numerical Modeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivan Morales

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Segmented mesocosms (n = 3 packed with sand, sandy loam or clay loam soil were used to determine the effect of soil texture and depth on transport of two septic tank effluent (STE-borne microbial pathogen surrogates—green fluorescent protein-labeled E. coli (GFPE and MS-2 coliphage—in soil treatment units. HYDRUS 2D/3D software was used to model the transport of these microbes from the infiltrative surface. Mesocosms were spiked with GFPE and MS-2 coliphage at 105 cfu/mL STE and 105–106 pfu/mL STE, respectively. In all soils, removal rates were >99.99% at 25 cm. The transport simulation compared (1 optimization; and (2 trial-and-error modeling approaches. Only slight differences between the transport parameters were observed between these approaches. Treating both the die-off rates and attachment/detachment rates as variables resulted in an overall better model fit, particularly for the tailing phase of the experiments. Independent of the fitting procedure, attachment rates computed by the model were higher in sandy and sandy loam soils than clay, which was attributed to unsaturated flow conditions at lower water content in the coarser-textured soils. Early breakthrough of the bacteria and virus indicated the presence of preferential flow in the system in the structured clay loam soil, resulting in faster movement of water and microbes through the soil relative to a conservative tracer (bromide.

  11. Degradation of zearalenone and ochratoxin A in three Danish agricultural soils

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mortensen, G.K.; Strobel, B.W.; Hansen, H.C.B.

    2006-01-01

    Degradation of two mycotoxins: zearalenone (ZON) produced by species of Fusarium and ochratoxin A (OTA) produced by species of Penicillium were followed in pot experiments using agricultural topsoils from Danish experimental farms: a sandy soil, a sandy clay soil and a gyttja soil with a high...... content of silt. Experiments with unplanted soil and pots planted with barley were included. Soil samples were withdrawn during a period of 225 days and analysed for the content of OTA and ZON. The degradation of both toxins consisted of an initial fast degradation followed by a slower transformation step......, whereas the half-lives for OTA were about 0.2-1 day. The slowest degradation was measured in soil rich in clay. After 225 days, neither OTA nor ZON was detected in any of the soil types. Generally, the degradation of ZON and OTA was faster in planted soil than in unplanted soil, probably due to higher...

  12. Construction of disturbed and intact soil blocks to develop percolating soil based treatment systems for dirty water from dairy farms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brookman, S K E; Chadwick, D R; Headon, D M

    2002-03-01

    Intact soil blocks with a surface area of 1.8 x 1.6 m, 1.0 m deep, were excavated in a coarse sandy loam. The sides of the soil blocks were supported with plywood before using hydraulic rams to force a steel cutting plate beneath them. Disturbed soil blocks of the same depth as the intact blocks were also established. Experiments were conducted to determine purification efficiencies for biological oxygen demand (BOD), molybdate reactive phosphorus (MRP), nitrate and ammonium-N after the application of dirty water. A preliminary experiment is described where a low application of dirty water was applied to the soil blocks, 2 mm day(-1). In addition, a chloride tracer was conducted for the duration of the experiment. Disturbed soil had a purification efficiency for BOD of 99% compared to 96% from intact soil (Pammonium-N were 100 and 99%, respectively, for the intact and disturbed soils. Nitrate-N concentration increased in leachate from both treatments reaching maximum concentrations of 15 and 8 mg l(-1) from disturbed and intact soils, respectively. Chloride traces for each soil block followed similar patterns with 47 and 51% loss from disturbed and intact soils, respectively.

  13. The behavior and bioactivity of imazaquin in soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKinnon, E.J.

    1989-01-01

    Laboratory studies were conducted to determine the adsorption and relative mobility of 14 C-labelled imazaquin (2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imadazol-2-yl]-3-quinolinecarboxylic acid) and 14 C labelled metolachlor (2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl) acetamide) on Norfolk sand loan (Typic Paleudult), Rion sandy clay loam (Typic Hapludult), Cape Fear sandy clay loam (Typic Umbraquult) and Webster clay loam (Typic Hapluquoll). Imazaquin was more mobile than metolachlor on all four soils. Soils high in humic matter content retained between 45 and 48% of the applied imazaquin and 93 and 97% of the applied metolachlor. The relative order of mobility of imazaquin in the soils was Rion = Norfolk > Cape Fear = Webster. The order for metolachlor in the soils was Rion > Norfolk > Cape Fear > Webster. Adsorption of imazaquin and metolachlor was inversely related to their mobility in the soil columns. Adsorption of imazaquin increased as the suspension pH decreased

  14. Adsorption-desorption characteristics of Ni, Zn and Pb in soils of a landfill environment in Metro Manila, Philippines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castañeda, Soledad S.; Cuarto, Christina D.; David, Carlos Primo C.

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the sorption-desorption characteristics of Ni, Zn, and Pb on two soil types in the environment of a municipal waste disposal facility. Batch experiments were carried out in ambient temperature and in unadjusted and close to soil field pH conditions. The kinetics of of adsorption fitted a pseudo second-order model. Rate constants were calculated and an empirical model for predicting adsorption of metal ions at a given time was derived from these constants. The equilibrium sorption capacities for the heavy metals in the clay and sandy loam soils were estimated using the Linear, Freundlich, and Langmuir isotherm models. The sorption process of Ni, Pb, and Zn in both soils generally fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm model at moderate to high initial concentration range of the metals. The Langmuir isotherm was applicable to the adsorption of Ni and Zn only. The adsorption capacity of the clay soil for the metals followed the order Zn > Pb > Ni. In the sandy loam soil, the adsorption capacity for the metals under the same conditions followed the order Pb > Zn > Ni. The adsorption capacities for the metals were in order of 1mg/g in both the landfill clay soil and the Lukutan River sandy loam soil, with slightly higher values for the clay soil. Desorption was minimal, less than 1% in the clay soil and about 2% in the sandy loam soil. Sorption reversibility tests showed that the retention of the metals in both soils follows the order Ni> Pb> Zn. (author)

  15. [The influence of straw, particularly rice straw, together with calcium-cyanamide on the microbiological activity of two Portuguese soils (author's transl)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glathe, H; El Din, A; Scheuer, A

    1976-01-01

    The influence of calcium-cyanamide upon the microbiological activity was tested in pot experiments under controlled conditions in two Portuguese soils (sandy and loamy) after the addition of rice or wheat straw (rice straw 0.275% N, wheat straw 0.307% N). The amount of straw was equalled to 100 dz/ha, the application of calcium-cyanamide to 25, 50 and 100 kg N/ha. In the containers treated with straw the total amount of microorganisms (Koch-method) was higher in sandy than in loamy soil after 30 days, but after 70 days it was higher in loamy soil. The content of active nitrogen (NH4 + NO3) increased, when calcium-cyanamide was added, but decreased after the application of straw. After 70 days sandy soil again showed an increase of active nitrogen. Straw increased the rates of CO2-production considerably, wheat straw was superior to rice straw. Calcium-cyanamide increased the CO2-production more in sandy than in loamy soil or German loess, which was also used for this experiment. Only in the case of rice straw higher doses of calcium-cyanamide had a positive effect. After 70 days the CO2-production rose only when rice straw was applied. The dehydrogenase-activity was increased in both soils, but a superiority of wheat straw occurred in sandy soil only. The microbiological activity in the pots with straw was higher in sandy than in loamy soil, the addition of calcium-cyanamide accelerated it. Doses of 25-50 kg N/ha are sufficient generally. The period of the formation of insoluble organic N-compounds, usually connected with the application of organic matter with a wide N:C-ratio, seems to be reduced by the addition of calcium-cyanamide.

  16. [Influence of a new phosphoramide urease inhibitor on urea-N transformation in different texture soil].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Xuan; Wu, Liang Huan; Dai, Feng

    2016-12-01

    Addition of urease inhibitors is one of the important measures to increase nitrogen (N) use efficiency of crop, due to retardant of urea hydrolysis and reduction of ammonia volatilization loss. An incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the urease inhibition effect of a new phosphoramide urease inhibitor, NPPT (N-(n-propyl) thiophosphoric triamide) in different texture soils under dark condition at 25 ℃, and NBPT (N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide) was obtained to compare the inhibition effect on urease in different soil textures by different dosages of urea adding. Results showed that the effective reaction time of urea was less than 9 d in the loamy and clay soil. Addition of inhibitors for retardation of urea hydrolysis was more than 3 d. In sandy soil, urea decomposition was relatively slow, and adding inhibitor significantly inhibited soil urease acti-vity, and reduced NH 4 + -N content. During the incubation time, the inhibition effect of high dosage urea in the soil was better than that of low dosage. At day 6, the urease inhibition rate of NBPT and NPPT (N 250 mg·kg -1 ) were 56.3% and 53.0% in sandy soil, 0.04% and 0.3% in loamy soil, 4.1% and 6.2% in clay soil; the urease inhibition rate of NBPT and NPPT (N 500 mg·kg -1 ) were 59.4% and 65.8% in sandy soil, 14.5% and 15.1% in loamy soil, 49.1% and 48.1% in clay soil. The urease inhibition effects in different texture soil were in order of sandy soil > clay soil> loamy soil. The soil NH 4 + -N content by different inhibitors during incubation time increased at first and then decreased, while soil NO 3 - -N content and apparent nitrification rate both showed rising trends. Compared with urea treatment, addition of urease inhibitors (NBPT and NPPT) significantly increased urea-N left in the soil and reduced NH 4 + -N content. In short, new urease inhibitor NPPT in different texture is an effective urease inhibitor.

  17. Study on reinforcement of soil for suppressing fugitive dust by bio-cementitious material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhan, Qiwei; Qian, Chunxiang

    2017-06-01

    Microbial-induced reinforcement of soil, as a new green and environmental-friendly method, is being paid extensive attention to in that it has low cost, simple operation and rapid effects. In this research, reinforcement of soil for suppressing fugitive dust by bio-cementitious material was investigated. Soil cemented by bio-cementitious material had superior mechanical properties, such as hardness, compressive strength, microstructure, wind-erosion resistance, rainfall-erosion resistance and freeze-thaw resistance. The average hardness of sandy soil, floury soil and clay soil is 18.9 º, 25.2 º and 26.1 º, while average compressive strength of samples is 0.43 MPa, 0.54 MPa and 0.69 MPa, respectively; meanwhile, the average calcite content of samples is 6.85 %, 6.09 %, and 5.96 %, respectively. Compared with the original sandy soil, floury soil and clay soil, the porosity decreases by 38.5 %, 33.7 % and 29.2 %. When wind speed is 12 m/s, the mass loss of sandy soil, floury soil and clay soil cemented by bio-cementitious material are all less than 30 g/(m2·h). After three cycles of rainfall erosion of 2.5 mm/h, the mass loss are less than 25 g/(m2·h) and the compressive strength residual ratio are more than 98.0 %. Under 25 cycles of freeze-thaw, the mass loss ratio are less than 3.0 %.

  18. [Assessment of Soil Fluorine Pollution in Jinhua Fluorite Ore Areas].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Qun-feng; Zhou, Xiao-ling

    2015-07-01

    The contents of. soil total fluorine (TF) and water-soluble fluorine (WF) were measured in fluorite ore areas located in Jinhua City. The single factor index, geoaccumulation index and health risk assessment were used to evaluate fluorine pollution in soil in four fluorite ore areas and one non-ore area, respectively. The results showed that the TF contents in soils were 28. 36-56 052. 39 mg.kg-1 with an arithmetic mean value of 8 325.90 mg.kg-1, a geometric mean of 1 555. 94 mg.kg-1, and a median of 812. 98 mg.kg-1. The variation coefficient of TF was 172. 07% . The soil WF contents ranged from 0. 83 to 74. 63 mg.kg-1 with an arithmetic mean value of 16. 94 mg.kg-1, a geometric mean of 10. 59 mg.kg-1, and a median of 10. 17 mg.kg-1. The variation coefficient of WF was 100. 10%. The soil TF and WF contents were far higher than the national average level of the local fluorine epidemic occurrence area. The fluoride pollution in soil was significantly affected by human factors. Soil fluorine pollution in Yangjia, Lengshuikeng and Huajie fluorite ore areas was the most serious, followed by Daren fluorite ore area, and in non-ore area there was almost no fluorine pollution. Oral ingestion of soils was the main exposure route. Sensitivity analysis of model parameters showed that children's weight exerted the largest influence over hazard quotient. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was found among the three kinds of evaluation methods.

  19. Soil Texture and Cultivar Effects on Rice (Oryza sativa, L. Grain Yield, Yield Components and Water Productivity in Three Water Regimes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fugen Dou

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to determine the effects of water regime/soil condition (continuous flooding, saturated, and aerobic, cultivar ('Cocodrie' and 'Rondo', and soil texture (clay and sandy loam on rice grain yield, yield components and water productivity using a greenhouse trial. Rice grain yield was significantly affected by soil texture and the interaction between water regime and cultivar. Significantly higher yield was obtained in continuous flooding than in aerobic and saturated soil conditions but the latter treatments were comparable to each other. For Rondo, its grain yield has decreased with soil water regimes in the order of continuous flooding, saturated and aerobic treatments. The rice grain yield in clay soil was 46% higher than in sandy loam soil averaged across cultivar and water regime. Compared to aerobic condition, saturated and continuous flooding treatments had greater panicle numbers. In addition, panicle number in clay soil was 25% higher than in sandy loam soil. The spikelet number of Cocodrie was 29% greater than that of Rondo, indicating that rice cultivar had greater effect on spikelet number than soil type and water management. Water productivity was significantly affected by the interaction of water regime and cultivar. Compared to sandy loam soil, clay soil was 25% higher in water productivity. Our results indicated that cultivar selection and soil texture are important factors in deciding what water management option to practice.

  20. The Effect of Polymer-Cement Stabilization on the Unconfined Compressive Strength of Liquefiable Soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Ateş

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Soil stabilization has been widely used as an alternative to substitute the lack of suitable material on site. The use of nontraditional chemical stabilizers in soil improvement is growing daily. In this study a laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of waterborne polymer on unconfined compression strength and to study the effect of cement grout on pre-venting of liquefiable sandy soils. The laboratory tests were performed including grain size of sandy soil, unit weight, ultrasonic pulse velocity, and unconfined compressive strength test. The sand and various amounts of polymer (1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% and cement (10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% were mixed with all of them into dough using mechanical kneader in laboratory conditions. Grouting experiment is performed with a cylindrical mould of  mm. The samples were subjected to unconfined compression tests to determine their strength after 7 and 14 days of curing. The results of the tests indicated that the waterborne polymer significantly improved the unconfined compression strength of sandy soils which have susceptibility of liquefaction.

  1. A Comparative Study of the Persistence, Movement and Metabolism of Six Insecticides in Soils and Plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuhremann, T.W.; Lichtenstein, E.P.

    1981-01-01

    Full text: Two soil types and oat plants grown in these soils were incubated under identical environmental conditions. The insecticides used in order to increase the water solubility were 14 C-DDT, 14 C-lindane, 14 C-fonofos, 14 C-parathion, 14 C-phorate and 14 C-carbofuran. Total amounts of 14 C-residues recovered from insecticide-treated loam soils plus oats grown in these soils were similar with DDT and oarbofuran. They were also higher than those observed with the other insecticides. While most of the 14 C-DDT residues remained in the soils, most of the 14 C-carbofuran residues were recovered from oat leaves in the form of carbofuran and 3-hydroxycarbofuran. 14 C-residues of all insecticides were more persistent in loam than in sandy soil and sand-grown oats took up more 14 C-insecticide residues than loamgrown oats. The more water-soluble insecticides, 14 C-phorate and Ccarbofuran were more mobile and were metabolized to a greater extent than insecticides of lower water solubilities. Unextractable (bound) 14 C-residues in loam soil ranged from 2.8% to 29.1% of the applied doses of 14 C-DDT and 14 C-parathion, respectively. Bound 14 C-residues were lower in the sandy soil than in the loam soil, however, plant-bound 14 C-residues were higher in oats grown in the sandy soil than in loam grown oats. Insecticide metabolites recovered from soils and plants were identified and quantitated whenever possible. The oxygen analog metabolites of the organophosphorus insecticides were most abundant in the sandy soil and in oats grown therein. Data illustrate the importance of chemical structure, water solubility and soil type in predicting the comparative environmental behaviour of pesticides. (author)

  2. nfluences of ammonium-nitrate, food waste compost and bacterial fertilizer on soluble soil nitrogen forms and on the growth of carrot (Daucus Carota L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Balla Kovács

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports a greenhouse study to compare the effects of food waste compost, bacterial fertilizer and their combination with the effect of mineral fertilizer on yield of carrot and the available nutrient content of soils. The study was conducted on calcareous chernozem and acidic sandy soils and consisted of 8 treatments in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The NH4NO3 resulted in reduced growing of carrot plant in sandy soil, and the treatment effect of mineral fertilizer was not observed significantly in chernozem soil. Sandy soil showed higher response of growth of carrot to food waste compost fertilization than chernozem soil. Sole application of EM-1 bacterial fertilizer did not have marked effect on yield parameters and sizes of roots. When EM-1 bacterial fertilizer was applied together with ammonium-nitrate or with compost in chernozem soil, the weights of roots and the sizes of roots in some cases became higher compared to the values of appropriate treatments without inoculation. In sandy soil the diameter of roots slightly increased when EM-1 bacterial fertilizer was applied with ammonium-nitrate and with ammonium-nitrate+compost combination compared to appropriate treatment without inoculation. In chernozem soil the maximum weights and sizes of roots were achieved with the combined treatment of ammonium-nitrate+compost+EM-1 bacterial fertilizer and in sandy soil with compost treatment. Our results of soluble nitrogen content of soils are in good agreement with yield parameters of carrot. Results suggest that food waste compost could be a good substitute for mineral fertilizer application in carrot production mainly in sandy soil. EM-1 bacterial fertilizer did not cause marked effect on yield and yield parameters of carrot plant, but its combination with other fertilizers promises a little bit higher yield or plant available nutrient in the soil. These effects do not clear exactly, so further studies are

  3. Manure-amended soil characteristics affecting the survival of E. coli O157:H7 in 36 Dutch soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franz, Eelco; Semenov, Alexander V; Termorshuizen, Aad J; de Vos, O J; Bokhorst, Jan G; van Bruggen, Ariena H C

    2008-02-01

    The recent increase in foodborne disease associated with the consumption of fresh vegetables stresses the importance of the development of intervention strategies that minimize the risk of preharvest contamination. To identify risk factors for Escherichia coli O157:H7 persistence in soil, we studied the survival of a Shiga-toxin-deficient mutant in a set of 36 Dutch arable manure-amended soils (organic/conventional, sand/loam) and measured an array of biotic and abiotic manure-amended soil characteristics. The Weibull model, which is the cumulative form of the underlying distribution of individual inactivation kinetics, proved to be a suitable model for describing the decline of E. coli O157:H7. The survival curves generally showed a concave curvature, indicating changes in biological stress over time. The calculated time to reach the detection limit ttd ranged from 54 to 105 days, and the variability followed a logistic distribution. Due to large variation among soils of each management type, no differences were observed between organic and conventional soils. Although the initial decline was faster in sandy soils, no significant differences were observed in ttd between both sandy and loamy soils. With sandy, loamy and conventional soils, the variation in ttd was best explained by the level of dissolved organic carbon per unit biomass carbon DOC/biomC, with prolonged survival at increasing DOC/biomC. With organic soils, the variation in ttd was best explained by the level of dissolved organic nitrogen (positive relation) and the microbial species diversity as determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (negative relation). Survival increased with a field history of low-quality manure (artificial fertilizer and slurry) compared with high-quality manure application (farmyard manure and compost). We conclude that E. coli O157:H7 populations decline faster under more oligotrophic soil conditions, which can be achieved by the use of organic fertilizer with a

  4. Managed Retreat in New York after Sandy: Incentivizing Participation in High-Cost Areas

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonnell, S.; Ghorbani, P.; Wolf, C.; Stovall, G.

    2017-12-01

    Extreme weather events may potentially displace millions of people worldwide by 2100 (Nicholls et al., 2011). In the US, flood-prone areas are still attractive to many residents (Dyckman, St. John, & London, 2014), and the most common policies such as zoning or subsidized flood insurance continue to incentivize more development (Mechler & Bouwer, 2015). An increasingly popular alternative for mitigating flood damage is managed retreat, which consists of buying out properties in hazardous areas and relocating the owners elsewhere. We explore New York State's buyout program—a $680 million program administered under its Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) allocation—in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Buyouts in New York tend to be costlier because of higher housing prices and density (Lincoln Institute, 2016), and potential participants may face challenges finding comparable housing within their communities. Since buyout offers are based on property values, homeowners with lower net property values may have less incentive to participate. We ask what neighborhood, household, and property characteristics affect the likelihood of participating in the buyout program. Specifically, are lower property values a disincentive to participation? We use binomial and multinomial logistic regression analyses to estimate the likelihood of participation for a sample of 2,062 properties invited to the program. Our main predictor compares the net offer amount against the local median housing value, controlling for an array of household and neighborhood characteristics. We find that relative property values are inversely correlated with participation, more visibly pronounced in areas with larger gaps between applicants' property values and local home values. While CDBG-DR is specifically geared towards lower-income families and neighborhoods, our findings imply that its existing structure may hinder engagement of these target groups in high-cost areas

  5. Arsenic distribution in soils and rye plants of a cropland located in an abandoned mining area

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Álvarez-Ayuso, Esther, E-mail: esther.alvarez@irnasa.csic.es [Department of Environmental Geochemistry, IRNASA (CSIC), C/ Cordel de Merinas 40-52, 37008 Salamanca (Spain); Abad-Valle, Patricia [Department of Environmental Geochemistry, IRNASA (CSIC), C/ Cordel de Merinas 40-52, 37008 Salamanca (Spain); Murciego, Ascensión [Department of Geology, Plza. de los Caídos s/n, Salamanca University, 37008 Salamanca (Spain); Villar-Alonso, Pedro [Saloro SLU, Avda. Italia 8, 37006 Salamanca (Spain)

    2016-01-15

    A mining impacted cropland was studied in order to assess its As pollution level and the derived environmental and health risks. Profile soil samples (0–50 cm) and rye plant samples were collected at different distances (0–150 m) from the near mine dump and analyzed for their As content and distribution. These cropland soils were sandy, acidic and poor in organic matter and Fe/Al oxides. The soil total As concentrations (38–177 mg kg{sup −1}) and, especially, the soil soluble As concentrations (0.48–4.1 mg kg{sup −1}) importantly exceeded their safe limits for agricultural use of soils. Moreover, the soil As contents more prone to be mobilized could rise up to 25–69% of total As levels as determined using (NH{sub 4}){sub 2}SO{sub 4}, NH{sub 4}H{sub 2}PO{sub 4} and (NH{sub 4}){sub 2}C{sub 2}O{sub 4}·H{sub 2}O as sequential extractants. Arsenic in rye plants was primarily distributed in roots (3.4–18.8 mg kg{sup −1}), with restricted translocation to shoots (TF = 0.05–0.26) and grains (TF = < 0.02–0.14). The mechanism for this excluder behavior should be likely related to arsenate reduction to arsenite in roots, followed by its complexation with thiols, as suggested by the high arsenite level in rye roots (up to 95% of the total As content) and the negative correlation between thiol concentrations in rye roots and As concentrations in rye shoots (| R | = 0.770; p < 0.01). Accordingly, in spite of the high mobile and mobilizable As contents in soils, As concentrations in rye above-ground tissues comply with the European regulation on undesirable substances in animal feed. Likewise, rye grain As concentrations were below its maximum tolerable concentration in cereals established by international legislation. - Highlights: • Environmental assessment of a rye cultivated area impacted by past mining activities. • Soil As contents exceeded the recommended safe limits for agricultural use of soils. • Soil soluble As concentrations attained high

  6. Adsorption-desorption reactions of selenium (VI) in tropical cultivated and uncultivated soils under Cerrado biome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lessa, J H L; Araujo, A M; Silva, G N T; Guilherme, L R G; Lopes, G

    2016-12-01

    Soil management may affect selenium (Se) adsorption capacity. This study investigated adsorption and desorption of Se (VI) in selected Brazilian soils from the Cerrado biome, an area of ever increasing importance for agriculture expansion in Brazil. Soil samples were collected from cultivated and uncultivated soils, comprising clayed and sandy soils. Following chemical and mineralogical characterization, soil samples were subjected to Se adsorption and desorption tests. Adsorption was evaluated after a 72-h reaction with increasing concentrations of Se (0-2000 μg L -1 ) added as Na 2 SeO 4 in a NaCl electrolyte solution (pH 5.5; ionic strength 15 mmol L -1 ). Desorption, as well as distribution coefficients (K d ) for selenate were also assessed. Soil management affected Se adsorption capacity, i.e., Se adsorbed amounts were higher for uncultivated soils, when compared to cultivated ones. Such results were also supported by data of K d and maximum adsorption capacity of Se. This fact was attributed mainly to the presence of greater amounts of competing anions, especially phosphate, in cultivated soils, due to fertilizer application. Phosphate may compete with selenate for adsorption sites, decreasing Se retention. For the same group of soils (cultivated and uncultivated), Se adsorption was greater in the clayed soils compared to sandy ones. Our results support the idea that adding Se (VI) to the soil is a good strategy to increase Se levels in food crops (agronomic biofortification), especially when crops are grown in soils that have been cultivated over the time due to their low Se adsorption capacity (high Se availability). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Liquefaction analysis of alluvial soil deposits in Bedsa south west of Cairo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamal Mohamed Hafez Ismail Ibrahim

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Bedsa is one of the districts in Dahshour that lays south west of Cairo and suffered from liquefaction during October 1992 earthquake, Egypt. The soil profile consists of alluvial river Nile deposits mainly sandy mud with low plasticity; the ground water is shallow. The earthquake hypocenter was 18 km far away with local magnitude 5.8; the fault length was 13.8 km, as recorded by the Egyptian national seismological network (ENSN at Helwan. The analysis used the empirical method introduced by the national center for earthquake engineering research (NCEER based on field standard penetration of soil. It is found that the studied area can liquefy since there are saturated loose sandy silt layers at depth ranges from 7 to 14 m. The settlement is about 26 cm. The probability of liquefaction ranges between 40% and 100%. The presence of impermeable surface from medium cohesive silty clay acts as a plug resisting and trapping the upward flow of water during liquefaction, so fountain and spouts at weak points occurs. It is wise to use point bearing piles with foundation level deeper than 14 m beyond the liquefiable depth away from ground slopes, otherwise liquefaction improving techniques have to be applied in the area.

  8. Influence of wood-derived biochar on the physico-mechanical and chemical characteristics of agricultural soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Ahmed S. F.; Raghavan, Vijaya

    2018-01-01

    Amendment of soil with biochar has been shown to enhance fertility and increase crop productivity, but the specific influence of biochar on soil workability remains unclear. Select physico-mechanical and chemical properties of clay loam and sandy loam soils were measured after amendment with wood-derived biochar of two particle size ranges (0.5-425 and 425-850 µm) at five dosages ranging from 0.5 to 10% dry weight. Whereas the clay loam soil workability decreased when the finer wood-derived biochar was applied at rates of 6 or 10%, soil fertility was not enhanced. The sandy loam soil, due to Proctor compaction, significantly decreased in bulk density with 6 and 10% wood-derived biochar amendments indicating higher soil resistance to compaction.

  9. Bioremediation of soil contaminated by dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane with the use of aerobic strain Rhodococcus wratislaviensis Ch628

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egorova, D. O.; Farafonova, V. V.; Shestakova, E. A.; Andreyev, D. N.; Maksimov, A. S.; Vasyanin, A. N.; Buzmakov, S. A.; Plotnikova, E. G.

    2017-10-01

    The concentration of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) was determined in a sandy soil of specially Protected Natural Area Osinskaya Lesnaya Dacha (Perm region) 45 years after the last application of the insecticide in this area. The concentration of DDT in the soil exceeded the maximum permissible concentration by 250 times and reached 25.05 mg/kg of soil. Under the conditions of model experiment, efficient decontamination of the soil was recorded in the system with the introduced strain Rhodococcus wratislaviensis Ch628; the DDT concentration decreased by 99.7% and equaled 0.07 mg/kg. The process of DDT degradation proceeded slower in the model soil system with autochthonous microbial complex. In this case, 58.2% DDT degraded in 70 days, and the final concentration was 10.47 mg/kg. The soil lost its toxicity for animal and plant test objects by the end of the experiment only in the model system containing the R. wratislaviensis Ch628 strain.

  10. Sandy PMO Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 Financial Data

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Homeland Security — Sandy PMO: Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 (Sandy Supplemental Bill) Financial Data. This is the Sandy Supplemental Quarterly Financial Datasets that are...

  11. Effect of Calcium Levels on Strontium Uptake by Canola Plants Grown on Different Texture Soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Shazly, A.A.; Rezk, M. A.; Abdel-Sabour, M.F.; Mousa, E.A.; Mostafa, M.A.Z.; Lotfy, S.M.; Farid, I.M.; Abbas, M.H.H.; Abbas, H.H.

    2016-01-01

    Canola is considered aphytoremediator where, it can remove adequate quantities of heavy metals when grown on polluted soils.This study aimed to investigate growth performance of canola plants grown on clayey non-calcareous, sandy non-calcareous and sandy clay loam calcareous soils with different CaCO 3 contents. These soils were artificially contaminated with 100 mg Sr kg -1 and cultivated with canola plants under three levels of applied calcium i.e. 0, 60 and 85 mg Ca kg -1 in the form of CaCl 2 . The grown plants were kept under the green house conditions until (pot experiment) maturity. Afterwards, plants were harvested, separated into shoots, roots and seeds, and analyzed for their contents of calcium and strontium. Application of calcium to the sandy soil increased Ca uptake by canola plants whereas, Sr uptake, plant growth and seed yield were reduced. In the other soils, Ca and Sr uptake values were increased with minimized Ca rate. Such increases were associated with significant increases in the plant biomass and crop yield in the clayey soil; whereas, in the sandy clay loam calcareous soil, such increases were insignificant. Increasing the dose of the applied Ca (its higher rate) was associated with significant reduction in the plant growth and seed yield in these two soils. Both the biological concentration factor and the biological accumulation factors were relatively high (>1). The biological transfer factor was also high indicating high translocation of Sr from root to shoot. However, Sr translocation decreased with Ca applications. Accordingly canola plants are highly recommended for phytoextraction of Sr from polluted soils

  12. Transfer of radionuclides in soil-plant systems following aerosol simulation of accidental release: design and first results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rauret, G.; Real, J.

    1995-01-01

    The behaviour of 134 Cs, 110m Ag and 85 Sr was studied in different soil-plant systems, using two types of Mediterranean soil with contrasting properties (sandy and sandy-loam soils). The plant species used was lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Contamination was induced at different stages of plant growth, using a synthetic aerosol which simulated a distant contamination source. Characterisation of aerosol and soils, interception factors in the various growth stages, foliar and root uptake, leaching from leaves by irrigation and distribution and migration of radionuclides of soils were studied, in an attempt to understand the key factors involving radionuclide soil-to-plant transferance. (author)

  13. Transfer of radionuclides in soil-plant systems following aerosol simulation of accidental release: design and first results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rauret, G. [Universitat de Barcelona (Spain). Dept. of Quimica Analitica; Vallejo, V.R. [Universitat de barcelona (Spain). Dept. of Biologia Vegetal; Cancio, D. [Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas, Medioambientales y Tecnologicas (CIEMAT), Madrid (Spain); Real, J. [CEA Centre d`Etudes de Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France). Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire

    1995-12-31

    The behaviour of {sup 134}Cs, {sup 110m}Ag and {sup 85}Sr was studied in different soil-plant systems, using two types of Mediterranean soil with contrasting properties (sandy and sandy-loam soils). The plant species used was lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Contamination was induced at different stages of plant growth, using a synthetic aerosol which simulated a distant contamination source. Characterisation of aerosol and soils, interception factors in the various growth stages, foliar and root uptake, leaching from leaves by irrigation and distribution and migration of radionuclides of soils were studied, in an attempt to understand the key factors involving radionuclide soil-to-plant transferance. (author).

  14. GERMINATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF BRACHIARIA SEEDLING IN TEXTURES OF SOIL AND SOWING DEPTH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. H. Castaldo

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The agriculture expansion at Brazil is turning to lower clay index soils and consequently, less organic matter content and cation exchange capacity. To overcome those deficiencies, an intense organic matter addition in these soils may be a solution, and this solution is positive when using a crop-livestock integration with corn-pasture dual crop planted on winter. However, to establish this dual-crop system, there is a need to study the behavior of seeds and seedlings of Brachiaria ruziziensis sown in greater depths than normally recommended. Thus, this work aimed to determine the best depth of sowing B. ruziziensis in sandy and loamy soils of Umuarama region, studying the germination and early development of seedlings. The work was held in pots of 12 cm diameter x 12 cm deep, filled with 2 types of soil, a sandy and clay ones with 30 B. ruziziensis seeds sown each pot in five sowing depths: 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 cm. After 16 days, the number of emerged seedlings was evaluated to set up the germination rate of each treatment, after that, the plants where leveled to 4 each pot, those were cultivated for another 45 days to evaluate the fresh and dried masses of plants and roots, the height of the plants and average length of roots. The sowing depth with higher percentage of germination estimated was 2.65 cm to sandy and 3.02 cm to clay soil. At seedlings development, there was a standard, with better development seedling at lower sowing depths on clay soil and better developments at higher sowing depths in sandy soil.

  15. Thallium dynamics in contrasting light sandy soils-Soil vulnerability assessment to anthropogenic contamination

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vaněk, A.; Chrastný, V.; Komárek, M.; Galušková, I.; Drahota, Petr; Grygar, Tomáš; Tejnecký, V.; Drábek, O.

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 173, 1/3 (2010), s. 717-723 ISSN 0304-3894 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30130516; CEZ:AV0Z40320502 Keywords : thallium * soil * LMWOA * retention * mobility Subject RIV: DF - Soil Science Impact factor: 3.723, year: 2010

  16. Elimination of radionuclides and heavy metals from soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Navarcik, I.; Cipakova, A.; Palagyi, S.

    1994-01-01

    At present increased attention is devoted to occurrence of radionuclides and heavy metals in soils, that enter them, owing to a development of power supply, industry, agriculture, traffic etc. These pollutants can cumulate in soils and therefore it is necessary to know to what extent and under which conditions they are held by soil material, so their transfer into plants and so enter into foodchains and their penetration into underground waters could be stopped. Sorption and desorption processes are the basic ones that can determine migration range of radionuclides and heavy metals. Distribution coefficients (K D ) characterize division of pollutants between soil and soil solution. There is connection between K D and soil characteristics and therefore it is possible to use this quantity for observation of factors influencing sorption of pollutants in soils. In the first period of our work sorption and desorption of radionuclides (RN) and heavy metals (HM) in soils, their vertical migration and gradual extraction from soils were verified. In experiments samples of arable and forest soils of the Slovak Republic (black earth, brown soil and sandy soil) were used. Tessier sequential extraction method was used for determination of RN and HM physico-chemical forms. On the base of obtained experimental results we can claim: From the point of view of RN and HM receipt by root system of plants and their appropriate leaching into ground waters, fixed forms (unavailable) are prevailing in soils. Ratio of their unavailable forms are increasing with content of organic matter and clay minerals in soils. As to artificial RN ( 90 Sr, 137 Cs) ratio of firmly bound forms with soil compartments is higher for 137 Cs (black earth - about 95 % , sandy soil - 62 %). Higher measure of 90 Sr depth migration and higher ratio of its availability for plants follow from it. From studied HM, Cd is more mobile, because of its not firm linkage with soil compartments. Ratio of Cd easily available

  17. Composting Technology and the Impact of Compost on Soil Biochemical Properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdel-aziz, Reda Abdel Thaher; Al-Barakh, Fahad bin Nasser

    2005-01-01

    Organic farming is one of several approaches to sustainable agriculture. Properly managed, organic farming reduces or eliminates environmental pollution and helps conserve water and soil on the farm. Organic farming systems require significantly greater amounts of organic fertilizers input than conventional systems. Because of the shortage of organic fertilizers in arid areas, composting is a way to transform waste materials left over from agricultural production and processing into a useful resource. Mature compost is an excellent organic fertilizer and soil amendment. The potential of composting to turn on-farm waste material into farm resources makes it an attractive proposition. Composting offers several benefits such as to enhance soil fertility and soil health, thereby increasing agricultural productivity, improving soil biodiversity, reducing ecological risks and improving the environment. Aerobic composting of some agricultural wastes (peanut, wheat straw and palm tree wastes) was carried out to raise its fertilizing value compared with widely used organic fertilizer, farmyard manure. The influence of composted and non-composted agricultural wastes on the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) in sandy soil, as well as the uptake of these elements by corn plants, was also studied. Results indicated a rapid degradation of palm tree and wheat straw wastes as compared with peanut wastes. The composting process raised the fertilizing value of agricultural wastes as indicated by increase in nutritional availability. The application of the composted wastes as organic fertilizers to sandy soil increased the content of available N, P and K. Results showed that the application of different composted organic materials increased the dry weight and NPK uptake by corn plants. (author)

  18. Effect of Tractor Forward Speed on Sandy Loam Soil Physical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Results indicate significant differences in soil physical conditions arising from different levels of tractor forward speed. A forward speed of approximately 7km/h resulted in appreciable amelioration of soil structure as reflected in improvements in the soil strength properties and maximum reduction in clod mean weight ...

  19. [Soil seed bank research of China mining areas: necessity and challenges].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Qing; Zhang, Da-Wei; Li, Xue; Peng, Jian; Guan, Ai-Nong; Liu, Xiao-Si

    2011-05-01

    Soil seed bank consists of all living seeds existed in soil and its surface litter, especially in topsoil, and can reflect the characteristics of regional biodiversity. As the base of vegetation restoration and potential greening material, topsoil and its seed bank are the limited and non-renewable resources in mining areas. The study of soil seed bank has become one of the hotspots in the research field of vegetation restoration and land reclamation in China mining areas. Owing to the special characteristics of mining industry, the soil seed bank study of mining areas should not only concern with the seed species, quantities, and their relations with ground surface vegetation, but also make use of the research results on the soil seed bank of other fragile habitats. Besides, a breakthrough should be sought in the thinking ways and research approach. This paper analyzed the particularity of mining area's soil seek bank research, summarized the research progress in the soil seed bank of mining areas and other fragile habitats, and put forward the challenges we are facing with. It was expected that this paper could help to reinforce the soil seed bank research of China mining areas, and provide scientific guidelines for taking great advantage of the significant roles of soil seed bank in land reclamation and vegetation restoration in the future.

  20. The effect of autumn ridging and inter-row subsoiling on potato tuber yield and quality on a sandy soil in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Jens Christian Martin Bugge; Mølgaard, Jens Peter; Rasmussen, Jesper

    2007-01-01

    Autumn ridging is a modified version of the ridge tillage system. Instead of setting up ridges during the growing season, they are established in autumn and left for the winter. Previous studies have documented positive effects of autumn ridging on potato yield and we hypothesized that subsoiling...... could enhance these effects. To determine the effect of autumn ridging and inter-row subsoiling on potato yield and quality a field experiment was conducted on sandy soil from 2001 to 2003. Autumn ridging resulted in an average total and marketable tuber yield of 25.6 and 9.2 t ha1, which...... was not significantly different from the average total and marketable yield of 25.6 and 8.9 t ha1 with ploughing. However, autumn ridging significantly reduced the incidence of black scurf from 2.5% to 2.2%. Inter-row subsoiling in the growing season significantly increased marketable potato tuber yield from 8.4 to 9...

  1. The influence of interstitial water velocity on the migration of 85Sr and 137Cs in an aerated sandy soil layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohnuki, Toshihiko; Takebe, Shinichi; Yamamoto, Tadatoshi; Wadachi, Yoshiki

    1983-01-01

    The influence of interstitial water velocity on the migration of Sr-85 and Cs-137 in an aerated sandy soil layer was studied at different feed water velocities and feed times. As well known, it was found that Sr-85 migrated with interstitial water, but Cs-137 little migrated with interstitial water. The apparent migration velocity for each fraction corresponding to three concentrations (2 x 10 -2 , 1 x 10 -2 and 5 x 10 -3 μCi/g) of Sr-85 was further investigated. At constant interstitial water velocity (1cm/ min), different values were given for the apparent migration velocity of three fractions, and the fraction with thin concentration migrated faster. At constant feeding time (100hr), there was a linear relationship between apparent migration velocity of three fractions and interstitial water velocity, in the range of slow water velocity ( -2 and 5 x 10 -3 μCi/g) and interstitial water velocity, in the range of fast water velocity (> 1cm/min). (author)

  2. Comparison of chromium and nickel uptake of plants grown in different soils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vago, I. [University of Agriculture, Faculty of Agronomy, H-4015 Debrecen, P.O. Box 36 (Hungary); Gyoeri, Z. [University of Agriculture, Faculty of Agronomy, H-4015 Debrecen, P.O. Box 36 (Hungary); Loch, J. [University of Agriculture, Faculty of Agronomy, H-4015 Debrecen, P.O. Box 36 (Hungary)

    1996-03-01

    The chromium and nickel uptake of ryegrass has been examined in pot experiments in extremely different soils, poor sandy and fertile black chernozem. The effect of calcium carbonate doses and nitrogen supply on heavy metal uptake of the plant has been studied for chromium and nickel loadings (0-100 mg/kg Cr{sup 3+} or Ni{sup 2+}) applied as inorganic salts. The ability to uptake Cr{sup 3+} and Ni{sup 2+} differs significantly and is highly affected by the characteristics of soils, and depends on the metal investigated. The heavy metal uptake of the plant differs significantly in acid, colloid deficient sandy soils; while artificial chromium contamination did not modify the dry-matter production in the pots in either soil, a large quantity of nickel reduced the yields significantly. Nitrogen application did not change significantly the uptake of heavy metals. Lime application reduced the Ni{sup 2+} uptake of plants considerably, especially in sandy soil. In case of a calcium carbonate addition the dry-matter production of the plant was not affected by nickel. In chernozem soil the effect of lime application - i.e., the reduction of nickel uptake - was of a lesser degree. The significantly lesser Cr{sup 3+} uptake was further limited by a calcium carbonate application for both soils studied. A graphic presentation of these effects is given. (orig.). With 3 figs., 3 tabs.

  3. Fungal Community Responses to Past and Future Atmospheric CO2 Differ by Soil Type

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellis, J. Christopher; Fay, Philip A.; Polley, H. Wayne; Jackson, Robert B.

    2014-01-01

    Soils sequester and release substantial atmospheric carbon, but the contribution of fungal communities to soil carbon balance under rising CO2 is not well understood. Soil properties likely mediate these fungal responses but are rarely explored in CO2 experiments. We studied soil fungal communities in a grassland ecosystem exposed to a preindustrial-to-future CO2 gradient (250 to 500 ppm) in a black clay soil and a sandy loam soil. Sanger sequencing and pyrosequencing of the rRNA gene cluster revealed that fungal community composition and its response to CO2 differed significantly between soils. Fungal species richness and relative abundance of Chytridiomycota (chytrids) increased linearly with CO2 in the black clay (P 0.7), whereas the relative abundance of Glomeromycota (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) increased linearly with elevated CO2 in the sandy loam (P = 0.02, R2 = 0.63). Across both soils, decomposition rate was positively correlated with chytrid relative abundance (r = 0.57) and, in the black clay soil, fungal species richness. Decomposition rate was more strongly correlated with microbial biomass (r = 0.88) than with fungal variables. Increased labile carbon availability with elevated CO2 may explain the greater fungal species richness and Chytridiomycota abundance in the black clay soil, whereas increased phosphorus limitation may explain the increase in Glomeromycota at elevated CO2 in the sandy loam. Our results demonstrate that soil type plays a key role in soil fungal responses to rising atmospheric CO2. PMID:25239904

  4. Restoration of Soil Physical and Chemical Properties of Abandoned Tin- Mining in Bangka Belitung Islands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ishak Yuarsah

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The practices of tin mining that remove all soil layers on top of the mineral deposit layers have caused serious environmental problems, i.e. degradation of soil physical and chemical properties and disappearance of vegetation, flora and fauna in ecosystems, which further can change the local microclimate. The tailing area of tin mining have unstable soil structure and low organic matter content, so it is vulnerable to land slides and erosion. The characteristics of the soils in the tailing area that are very acidic, low nutrient availability, low water holding capacity and high soil temperature challange the restoration and improvement processes of this area. The aim of the research was to develop appropriate restoration techniques to improve the soil properties of post tin mining land that have been degraded due to mining activities. Appropriate plant species and specific location technology were determined based on the characterization and evaluation of potential land resources. Annual crop cultivation, cultivation of legume cover crops (Mucuna sp., Calopogonium sp., Pueraria javanica and management of top soil and organic matter should be applied in order to improve soil structure, maintain soil moisture, as well as to reduce nutrient loss in coarse sandy soils.

  5. [Characteristics of N2, N2O, NO, CO2 and CH4 Emissions in Anaerobic Condition from Sandy Loam Paddy Soil].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Na; Wang, Rui; Liao, Ting-ting; Chen, Nuo; Zheng, Xun-hua; Yao, Zhi-sheng; Zhang, Hai; Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus

    2015-09-01

    Understanding the characteristics of the production of nitrogen gases (N2, N2O and NO), CO2 and CH4 in anaerobic paddy soils is not only a prerequisite for an improved mechanistic understanding of key microbial processes involved in the production of atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHG), but might also provide the basis for designing greenhouse gas mitigation strategies. Moreover, quantifying the composition fractions of denitrification gaseous products is of key importance for improving parameterization schemes of microbial processes in process-oriented models which are increasingly used for assessing soil GHG emissions at site and national scales. In our experiments we investigated two sandy loam soils from two paddy fields. The initial concentrations of soil nitrate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were set at approximately 50 mg.kg-1 and mg.kg-1, respectively, by adding a mixture solution of KNO3 and glucose. The emissions of N2, N2O NO, CO2 and CH4, as well as concentrations of carbon and nitrogen substrates for each soil sample were measured simultaneously, using a gas-flow-soil-core technique and a paralleling substrate monitoring system. The results showed that the accumulative emissions of N2, N2O and NO of the two soil samples for the entire incubation period were 6 - 8, 20, and 15 - 18 mg.kg-1, respectively. By measuring the cumulative emissions of denitrification gases (N, = N2 + N2O + NO) we were able to explain 95% to 98% of observed changes in s1ifr nilrate concentrations. The mass fractions of N2, N2O and NO emissions to Nt were approximately 15% -19%, 47% -49%, and 34% -36%, respectively. Thus, in our experiments N2O and NO were the main products of denitrification for the entire incubation period. However, as the temporal courses of hourly or daily production of the denitrification gases showed, NO production dominated and peaked firstly, and then N2O, before finally N2 became the dominant product. Our results show the high temporal dynamic of

  6. Environmental Assessment: Eagle Heights Housing Area Revitalization Dover Air Force Base, Delaware

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-07-01

    tidal species. Butterflies were the only insects surveyed, and nine were found on base. Approximately 51 species of birds were recorded on base...Jones River adjacent to the northern border of the housing area, the fro-fruit (Phyla lanceolata) and the hyssop-leaf hedge- nettle (Stachys...other sites in Delaware that this species is found. The hyssop-leaf hedge- nettle thrives in moist sandy soil along the coast and shoreline and occurs

  7. Efficient phosphorus management practices in the Everglades Agricultural Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhadha, J. H.; Lang, T. A.; Daroub, S. H.; Alvarez, O.; Tootoonchi, M.; Capasso, J.

    2016-12-01

    In the 450,000 acres of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) of South Florida, farming practices have long been mindful of phosphorus (P) management as it relates to sufficiency and efficiency of P utilization. Over two decades of P best management practices have resulted in 3001 metric-ton of P load reduction from the EAA to downstream ecosystems. During the summer, more than 50,000 acres of fallow sugarcane land is available for rice production. The net value of growing flooded rice in the EAA as a rotational crop with sugarcane far exceeds its monetary return. Soil conservation, improvement in tilth and P load reduction are only some of the benefits. With no P fertilizer applied, a two-year field trial on flooded rice showed improved outflow P concentrations by up to 40% as a result of particulate setting and plant P uptake. Harvested whole grain rice can effectively remove a significant amount of P from a rice field per growing season. In parts of the EAA where soils are sandy, the application of using locally derived organic amendments as potential P fertilizer has gained interest over the past few years. The use of local agricultural and urban organic residues as amendments in sandy soils of South Florida provide options to enhance soil properties and improve sugarcane yields, while reducing waste and harmful effects of agricultural production on the environment. A lysimeter study conducted to determine the effect of mill ash and three types of biochar (rice hulls, yard waste, horse bedding) on sugarcane yields, soil properties, and drainage water quality in sandy soils showed that mill ash and rice hull biochar increased soil TP, Mehlich 3-P (M3-P), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) compared to the control. TP and M3-P content remained constant after 9 months, CEC showed a significant increase over time with rich hull biochar addition. Future projects include the utilization of aquatic vegetation, such as chara and southern naiad as bio-filters in farm

  8. Nodulation of legumes, nitrogenase activity of roots and occurrence of nitrogen-fixing Azospirillum spp. In representative soils of central Amazonia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sylvester-Bradley, R; De Oliverira, L A; De Podesta Filho, J A; John, T V

    1980-12-01

    Leguminosae do not predominate in the Brazilian Amazon rain forest, although they are among the five best represented families. Plant roots from various soils were examined for the presence of nodules, acetylene-reducing activity and N/sub 2/-fixing Azospirillum spp. Abundant nodulation was found in black earth (''terra preta dos indios'') and in one case on sandy soil under campinarana vegetation along a tributary of the upper Rio Negro. In sandy latosol some nodules occurred in secondary forest and fewer in primary forest. Legumes in disturbed clayey or sandy latosol showed more frequent nodulation. Primary forest on alluvial (''varzea'') soil, and in Bahia coastal rain forest on sandy latosol and Erythrina glauca used for shading cacao plantations were abundantly nodulated. Acetylene reduction assays showed no, or very little, nitrogenase activity of roots from primary or secondary forest on clayey latosol near Manaus. Nodulated roots from secondary forest on sandy latosol showed acetylene-reducing activity. High rates of acetylene reduction were observed in nodulated roots of primary forest on alluvial ''varzea'' soil. Root samples showed ethylene absorption in controls without acetylene which might interfere with the results of acetylene reduction tests. The incidence of Azospirillum was also higher in black earth than the other soils examined, and in soils with higher pH. The hypothesis that Azospirillum is associated with Trema micantha roots was refuted. Roots and soils collected under cultivated grasses showed a higher incidence of Azospirillum when fertilized with phosphorus and lime. Results indicate that nitrogen fixation did occur in association with roots in some soils, but not with roots of primary or secondary forest on clayey latosol in the vicinity of Manaus, which is the most common soil in Central Amazonia. The possible reasons for this are discussed.

  9. The effects of the African Green Revolution on nitrogen losses from two contrasting soil types in sub-Saharan Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tully, K. L.; Russo, T.; Hickman, J. E.; Palm, C.

    2013-12-01

    Nearly 80% of countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face problems of nitrogen (N) scarcity, which together with poverty causes food insecurity and malnutrition. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa has set a goal of increasing fertilizer use in the region six-fold by 2015. While there is substantial evidence that greater N fertilizer use will improve crop yields, it could lead to increased N leaching and elevated nitrate (NO3-) concentrations in surface water and groundwater reservoirs. However, it is unclear what the magnitude of impacts will be in SSA given historically low nutrient additions (of less than 5 kg N/ha/yr), highly degraded soils (due to years of nutrient and soil organic matter depletion), and a wide range of soil types on which increased fertilizer use is occurring. Current estimates of N dynamics and balances in SSA agriculture now rely on data from other regions with different soil types, soil fertility, and land management practices. To understand the influence of increased fertilizer use on water quality requires data from representative areas in SSA. Experimental maize plots were established in a randomized complete block design in both western Kenya (clayey soil) and mid-western Tanzania (sandy soil). Plots were amended with 0, 50, 75, and 200 kg N/ha/yr as mineral fertilizer. Tension lysimeters were installed at three depths in each treatment, and water was collected throughout the maize growing season. Soil water solutions were analyzed for NO3--N. Flow through the soil column at each soil depth, was modeled using VS2DT, a variably saturated flow and solute transport model, and water flux values were multiplied by measured NO3--N concentrations to estimate seasonal N leaching flux. Soil texture was a major driver of N losses, altering both the pathways and magnitude of losses. Clayey soils in western Kenya show an enormous potential for loss of NO3--N immediately following the onset of rains as they trigger high rates of N

  10. Comparison of two different dust emission mechanisms over the Horqin Sandy Land area: Aerosols contribution and size distributions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ju, Tingting; Li, Xiaolan; Zhang, Hongsheng; Cai, Xuhui; Song, Yu

    2018-03-01

    Dust aerosols (PM10) emission fluxes due to convective turbulent dust emissions (CTDE) and saltation-bombardment and/or aggregation-disintegration dust emissions (SADE) events were comparatively studied using the data obtained from the Naiman station over the Horqin Sandy Land area in Inner Mongolia, China from 2011 to 2015. The annual cumulative dust fluxes released by CTDE events was about one third of that by SADE events, with the order of 103∼104 μg m-2 s-1. The particle size distributions (PSDs) with diameter between 0.1 and 20 μm during CTDE and SADE events over the Horqin Sandy Land area were simulated based on the fragmentation theory, respectively. The results indicated that an improved equation based on fragmentation theory could be applied to describe the PSDs over the Horqin site which may be because the scale-invariant fragmentation theory mainly explains the PSDs of free dust particles on the surface, which differ from the PSDs of suspend airborne dust and the improved equation was more applicable to the PSDs of SADE events because the dust emission mechanism of SADE are saltation bombardment and aggregation disintegration. The number-related mean aerosol diameters (DN) barely varied under different friction velocity (u*) for SADE events, while the volume-related mean aerosol diameters (DV) changed distinctly with the change of u*. For CTDE events, the DN and DV had no obvious relationship with the change of u* because the dominating influence factor during CTDE event was thermal convection rather than u*. The mass-related PSDs usually exhibited a peak between 0.45 and 0.70 μm during SADE events, while for CTDE events there was a wide peak in the range of 0.10 0.70 μm. The results suggest that DN should be not be recommended as an individual parameter to describe the PSDs. The mass-related PSDs can effectively distinguish the SADE and CTDE events.

  11. Study on the water retention effect of compound soil of arsenic sandstone and sand under the condition of typical crop planting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, S. Y.; Wang, N.; Xie, J. C.; Jiang, R. G.; Zhao, M. L.

    2017-08-01

    Arsenic sandstone is the main reason of soil erosion in the Mu Us Sandy Land, simultaneously was proved to be a kind of good water retaining agent. In order to provide references for the utilization of water and soil resources and the prevention and control of desertification and soil erosion of the southern margin of Mu Us Sandy Land, on the basis of earlier studies the farmland experiments of compound soil with three ratios of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:5 between arsenic sandstone and sand under maize planting patterns were designed, whose experimental process was divided into six stages according to the crop growth status. The results showed that the soil moisture content was highest in the layer of 0˜40cm where the compound soil mainly concentrated in, which was related to the potent water retention of arsenic sandstone and strong water permeability of undisturbed sandy soil. The variation coefficients in the soil of 1:1 and 1:2 were more stable and evenly distributed. The compound soil can effectively improve the soil water retention capacity, and prolong the storage time of soil water. Among them, water loss rate in soil of 1:1 and 1:2 were lower. The coefficient of variation also confirms that the water distributions of the two types of soil were more uniform and stable. Besides illustrating the effects of the soil amelioration measures on spatial and temporal variation of soil moisture content and the improvement of soil water regime, the study provides some references for the development and utilization of agriculture in Mu Us Sandy Land.

  12. Analysis of soil samples from Gebeng area using NAA technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elias, Md Suhaimi; Wo, Yii Mei; Hamzah, Mohd Suhaimi; Shukor, Shakirah Abd; Rahman, Shamsiah Ab; Salim, Nazaratul Ashifa Abdullah; Azman, Muhamad Azfar; Hashim, Azian

    2017-01-01

    Rapid development and urbanization will increase number of residence and industrial area. Without proper management and control of pollution, these will give an adverse effect to environment and human life. The objective of this study to identify and quantify key contaminants into the environment of the Gebeng area as a result of industrial and human activities. Gebeng area was gazetted as one of the industrial estate in Pahang state. Assessment of elemental pollution in soil of Gebeng area base on level of concentration, enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index. The enrichment factors (EFs) were determined by the elemental rationing method, whilst the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) by comparing of current to continental crustal average concentration of element. Twenty-seven of soil samples were collected from Gebeng area. Soil samples were analysed by using Neutron Activation Analyses (NAA) technique. The obtained data showed higher concentration of iron (Fe) due to abundance in soil compared to other elements. The results of enrichment factor showed that Gebeng area have enrich with elements of As, Br, Hf, Sb, Th and U. Base on the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) classification, the soil quality of Gebeng area can be classified as class 0, (uncontaminated) to Class 3, (moderately to heavily contaminated).

  13. THE EFFECT OF SALINITY-SODICITY AND GLYPHOSATE FORMULATIONS – AVANS PREMIUM 360 SL ON PHOSPHOMONOESTERASE ACTIVITIES IN SANDY LOAM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maciej Płatkowski

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of study was to determine the influence of NaCl and glyphosate-based herbicide Avans Premium 360 SL on acid and alkaline phosphomonoesterase activities in sandy loam. The experiment was carried out in laboratory conditions on sandy loam with Corg content 10.90 g/kg. Soil was divided into half kilogram samples and adjusted to 60% of maximum water holding capacity. In the experiment dependent variables were: I – dosages of Avans Premium 360 SL (0, a recommended field dosage – FD, a tenfold higher dosage – 10 FD and hundredfold higher dosage – 100 FD, II – amount of NaCl (0, 3% and 6%, III – day of experiment (1, 7, 14, 28 and 56. On days of experiment the activity of alkaline and acid phosphomonoesterase activity was assayed spectrophotometrically. The obtained result showed that the application of Avans Premium 360 SL decreased in acid and alkaline phosphomonoesterase activity in clay soil. Significant interaction effect between the dosage of Avans Premium 360 SL, NaCl amount and day of experiment was reported in the experiment. The inhibitory effect of Avans Premium 360 SL was the highest in soil with NaCl at the amount of 6%.

  14. Base-line data on everglades soil-plant systems: elemental composition, biomass, and soil depth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Volk, B.G.; Schemnitz, S.D.; Gamble, J.F.; Sartain, J.B.

    1975-01-01

    Plants and soils from plots in the Everglades Wildlife Management Area, Conservation Area 3, were examined. Chemical composition (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Co, Sr, Pb, Ni, Cr, Al, and Si) of most plant and soil digests was determined. Cladium jamaicense was the predominant plant species contributing to biomass in all plots except the wet prairie, where Rhynchospora sp. and Panicum hemitomon were most common. The biomass of dead C. jamaicense was greater than that of the living plants in unburned saw-grass plots. The burned saw grass, muck burn, and wet prairie were characterized by a large number of plant species per square meter but smaller average biomass production than the unburned saw-grass locations. Levels of Cu, Mn, Ca, Mg, K, and N in C. jamaicense differed significantly across locations. Highly significant differences in elemental composition existed between plant species. Concentrations of several elements (particularly Zn, Ca, Mg, P, and N) were low in live C. jamaicense compared with other plant species. Cesium-137 levels ranged from 670 to 3100 pCi/kg in sandy and in organic soils, respectively. Polygonum had a 137 Cs level of 11,600 pCi/kg. Dead C. jamaicense indicated a rapid leaching loss of 137 Cs from dead tissue

  15. Adsorption and diffusion of plutonium in soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Relyea, J.F.; Brown, D.A.

    1978-01-01

    The behavior of plutonium in soil--water systems was studied by measuring its apparent diffusion coefficient in the aqueous and solid phases and by finding the adsorption--desorption relationships between soil and solution. Apparent diffusion coefficients of plutonium in soil were measured using a quick-freeze method. Aqueous diffusion was studied in a capillary-tube diffusion cell. Adsorption studies were done by equilibrating a tagged soil--water mixture on a rotary shaker before centrifuging and sampling. As expected from high adsorption coefficients (Kd) (300--10,000), the apparent diffusion coefficients were low compared with normal soil cations (1.4 x 10 -8 cm 2 /sec in a sandy soil to less than 2.4 x 10 -11 cm 2 /sec in a silt loam). The Kd of plutonium in aqueous solution containing the chelate ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was reduced compared with the Kd in dilute HNO 3 . As the EDTA concentration was increased, the Kd was decreased. The chelate diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) reduced the Kd more than EDTA at comparable concentrations. The aqueous diffusion coefficients varied from 3.1 x 10 -7 cm 2 /sec in a solution extracted from the silt loam up to 2.7 x 10 -5 cm 2 /sec in a solution extracted from the sandy soil

  16. Landscape Visual Quality and Meiofauna Biodiversity on Sandy Beaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Felix, Gabriela; Marenzi, Rosemeri C.; Polette, Marcos; Netto, Sérgio A.

    2016-10-01

    Sandy beaches are central economic assets, attracting more recreational users than other coastal ecosystems. However, urbanization and landscape modification can compromise both the functional integrity and the attractiveness of beach ecosystems. Our study aimed at investigating the relationship between sandy beach artificialization and the landscape perception by the users, and between sandy beach visual attractiveness and biodiversity. We conducted visual and biodiversity assessments of urbanized and semiurbanized sandy beaches in Brazil and Uruguay. We specifically examined meiofauna as an indicator of biodiversity. We hypothesized that urbanization of sandy beaches results in a higher number of landscape detractors that negatively affect user evaluation, and that lower-rated beach units support lower levels of biodiversity. We found that urbanized beach units were rated lower than semiurbanized units, indicating that visual quality was sensitive to human interventions. Our expectations regarding the relationship between landscape perception and biodiversity were only partially met; only few structural and functional descriptors of meiofauna assemblages differed among classes of visual quality. However, lower-rated beach units exhibited signs of lower environmental quality, indicated by higher oligochaete densities and significant differences in meiofauna structure. We conclude that managing sandy beaches needs to advance beyond assessment of aesthetic parameters to also include the structure and function of beach ecosystems. Use of such supporting tools for managing sandy beaches is particularly important in view of sea level rise and increasing coastal development.

  17. Experimental warming does not enhance soil respiration in a semiarid temperate forest-steppe ecosystem

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lellei-Kovacs, E.; Kovacs-Lang, E.; Kalapos, T.

    2008-01-01

    are still limited. Soil respiration rate-measured monthly between April and November from 2003 to 2006-remained very low (0.09 - 1.53 mu mol CO2 m(-2) s(-1))in accordance with the moderate biological activity and low humus content of the nutrient poor, coarse sandy soil. Specific soil respiration rate...... ( calculated for unit soil organic matter content), however, was relatively high (0.36 - 7.92 mu mol CO g(-1) C(org)h(-1)) suggesting substrate limitation for soil biological activity. During the day, soil respiration rate was significantly lower at dawn than at midday, while seasonally clear temperature......The influence of simulated climate change on soil respiration was studied in a field experiment on 4 m x 5 m plots in the semiarid temperate Pannonian sand forest-steppe. This ecosystem type has low productivity and soil organic matter content, and covers large areas, yet data on soil carbon fluxes...

  18. Migration of 137Cs and 90Sr in undisturbed soil profiles under controlled and close-to-real conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forsberg, S.; Rosen, K.; Fernandez, V.; Juhan, H.

    2000-01-01

    Migration of 137 Cs and 90 Sr in undisturbed soil was studied in large lysimeters three and four years after contamination, as part of a larger European project studying radionuclide soil-plant interactions. The lysimeters were installed in greenhouses with climate control and contaminated with radionuclides in an aerosol mixture, simulating fallout from a nuclear accident. The soil types studied were loam, silt loam, sandy loam and loamy sand. The soils were sampled to 30-40 cm depth in 1997 and 1998. The total deposition of 137 Cs ranged from 24 to 45 MBq/m 2 , and of 90 Sr from 23 to 52 MBq/m 2 . It was shown that migration of 137 Cs was fastest in sandy loam, and of 90 Sr fastest in sandy loam and loam. The slowest migration of both nuclides was found in loamy sand. Retention within the upper 5 cm was 60% for both 137 Cs and 90 Sr in sandy loam, while in loamy sand it was 97 and 96%, respectively. In 1998, migration rates, calculated as radionuclide weighted median depth (migration centre) divided by time since deposition were 1.1 cm/year for both 137 Cs and 90 Sr in sandy loam, 0.8 and 1.0 cm/year, respectively, in loam, 0.6 and 0.8 cm/year in silt loam, and 0.4 and 0.6 cm/year for 137 Cs and 90 Sr, respectively, in loamy sand. A distinction is made between short-term migration, caused by events soon after deposition and less affected by soil type, and long-term migration, more affected by e.g. soil texture. Three to four years after deposition, effects of short-term migration is still dominant in the studied soils

  19. Study on the change law of soil in subsidence area of horizontal coal seam

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Pengfeng; Wang, Shugang; Liu, Wei

    2017-11-01

    In order to provide theoretical basis for land reclamation in subsidence area, the mining subsidence area is divided into three areas: zone I (stretching zone), zone II (compression zone) and zone III (neutral zone). On this basis, the change characteristics of the soil in the three areas of the horizontal coal seam mining subsidence area are studied. The results show that: due to stretching, soil of zone I cracks was developed, the soil continuity damage, poor integrity, serious leakage of soil Water Leakage fertilizer, the area shows the soil water holding capacity decreased, the decline of soil fertility, soil coarsening and barren trend. The soil mass in zone II is compressed and the soil structure is relatively complete, but the soil bulk density increases correspondingly, while the soil porosity decreases gradually and the permeability decreases. The main soil layer in the zone III is vertical deformation, and the soil integrity is better. But the influence of mined out area leads to the movement of water and nutrients to the lower part of the soil. This paper suggests that in the land reclamation process should adopt corresponding reclamation method based on the variation law of the three soil area of reclamation area of mining subsidence, for improving soil physicochemical properties, so as to achieve the purpose of effective reclamation.

  20. Transfer of 137Cs to plants from two types of soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skowronska-Smolak, M.; Pietrzak-Flis, S.

    1994-01-01

    Transfer of 137 Cs from soil to plants was studied in two types of soil: sandy soil (I) and sandy loam soil (II). The study was performed on an experimental field for of 1991 (soil I) and for 1992-93 (soil II). Transfer of 137 Cs from soil I was examined for spring barley, spring wheat, red beet, lettuce and kale; transfer from soil II was examined for winter barley, grass, alfalfa, potato tubers, red beet, radish, bean, spinach and lettuce. 137 Cs and potassium in plants and soil were determined using gamma spectrometry. The soils were characterized by particle size distribution and such chemical properties as pH H 2 O , pH KCl , content of organic matter, Ca, Mg and exchangeable K. The concentration of 137 Cs in the soil I was over five times lower than in soil II, being equal to 8.84±0.32 Bq kg -1 and 50.38±2.21 Bq kg -1 , respectively. The soils differ in their chemical characteristics and texture. Soil I contains 6.47±0.21 g kg -1 potassium, 0.147±0.015 g kg -1 exchangeable potassium, 2.21±0.32 g kg -1 Ca, 0.055±0.013 g kg -1 Mg and 1.733% organic matter. Soil II contains 10.87±0.22 g kg -1 potassium, 0.082±0.007 g kg -1 exchangeable potassium, 1.62±0.16 g kg -1 Ca, 0.097±0.009 g kg -1 Mg and 2.307% organic matter; pH H2O of soil I was equal to 7.40 and of soil II - 6.56. The lowest concentrations of 137 Cs for both soils were observed in cereals (spring wheat - 0.67±0.06 Bq kg -1 dw and spring barley - 0.33± Bq kg -1 dw for soil I and winter barley - 0.79±0.20 Bq kg -1 dw for soil II). The highest concentrations of this isotope were found in red beet leaves (9.11±1.38 Bq kg -1 dw for soil I and 16.44±1.14 Bq kg -1 dw for soil II). Transfer of 137 Cs to plants from the sandy loam soil was from about 2 up to about 7 times lower than from the sandy soil. The lower transfer of 137 Cs from soil II to plants in comparison to soil I might be associated with the presence of clay which binds Cs strongly. The strong binding of Cs in soil II can also be

  1. Side Effects of Nitrification Inhibitors on Non Target Microbial Processes in Soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johannes Carl Gottlieb Ottow

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Agricultural chemicals have been used extensively in modern agriculture and toxicological studies suggest a great potential for inducing undesirable effects on non target organisms. A model experiment was conducted in order to determine side effects of three nitrification inhibitors (NIs, 3,4dimethylpyrazolephosphate = DMPP, 4-Chlor-methylpyrazole phosphate = ClMPP and dicyandiamide = DCD on non target microbial processes in soils. Side effects and dose response curve of three NIs were quantified under laboratory conditions using silty clay, loam and a sandy soils. Dehydrogenase, dimethylsulfoxide reductase as well as nitrogenase activity (NA and potential denitrification capacity were measured as common and specific non target microbial processes. The influence of 5-1000 times the base concentration, dose response curves were examined, and no observable effect level = NOEL, as well as effective dose ED10 and ED50 (10% and 50% inhibition were calculated. The NOEL for microbial non target processes were about 30–70 times higher than base concentration in all investigated soils. The potential denitrification capacity revealed to be the most sensitive parameter. ClMPP exhibited the strongest influence on the non target microbial processes in the three soils. The NOEL, ED10 and ED50 values were higher in clay than in loamy or sandy soil. The NIs was the most effective in sandy soils.

  2. An investigation of radionuclide uptake into food crops grown in soils treated with bauxite mining residues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cooper, M.B.; Clarke, P.C.; Robertson, W.; McPharlin, I.R.; Jeffrey, R.C.

    1994-01-01

    Sandy soils of the coastal plain area of Western Australia have poor phosphorous retention capacity which leads to pollution of surface water bodies in the region. Application of bauxite mining residues (termed 'red mud') to vegetable and crops has been proposed as a solution to increase the phosphorous and water retention and thereby reduce the leaching of nutrients. The thorium and radium-226 concentrations in the 'red mud' residues are in excess of 1 kBq/kg, and 300 Bq/kg respectively. Potentially, the use of these residues on agricultural land could result in increased levels of radionuclides in food grown in amended soils. The transfer of long-lived radionuclides of both the natural thorium and uranium series to a variety of vegetable crops grown under controlled conditions is investigated. The effects of varying the rates of application of 'red mud' and phosphate fertilizers on radionuclide uptake are studied. It has been shown previously that fallout caesium-137 is sandy soils of the region transfers readily to food and grazing crops. Some of the parameters which influence that transfer are also examined. (author). 14 refs., 1 fig., 8 tabs

  3. REGULATION OF deflationary stability OF Polissya agrolandscapes soil cover

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barvinskyi A.V.

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available In the Ukrainian Polissya soil cover is dominated by sod-podzolic soils, that due tolight particle size distribution and relatively small amount of humus, have weak aggregationand low resistance to deflation processes. Soil deflation here is often in the spring, when arable land have the lowest level of vegetation protection.Drywall southeast winds dry up much upper layers of soil, destroy its structure and cause local deflation, particularly in the areas of drained peat and mineral soils of sandyand sandy-loamygranulometric composition.Display of local deflation on the same land for several years, leading to significant loss of soil. The intensity of these hazards depends largely deflationary stability of the soil, of which the main criterion in the literature defined mechanical strength (cohesion of soil aggregates and main indicator - content in soil aggregates with a diameter greater than 1 mm. Based on experimental data obtained in the Kyiv Polissya proven ability to adjust the deflationarydurability of sod-podzolic sandy-loamy soils by rational combining fertilizer plants and chemical reclamation.Increasing the strength of the structure at the joint application of lime and fertilizers due, based on a close correlation, positive changes in soil absorbing complex caused by calcium of lime and humus content increase and improve its quality composition: accumulationof calcium humates that play a leading role in grouting units. In addition, liming of unsaturated bases soils prevents the destruction and removal of these most valuable in agriculturally parts thereof: silt fraction.When applying lime on organo-mineral background of relative content increased by 8,2-18,4%, and the application of some fertilizers - on the contrary, decreased by 10,2%. Liming of acid soils increases the "grain rate structuring" at 0,3-0,6% compared to organo-mineral background, while the separate application of fertilizers reduces it to 2,1-2,7%. Comparison of

  4. Effect of Stabilized Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles on Nitrate Removal from Sandy Soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Nooralivand

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: During the recent decades, the use of N fertilizers has undeniable development regardless of their effects on the soil and environment. Increasing nitrate ion concentration in soil solution and then, leaching it into groundwater causes increase nitrate concentration in the water and raise the risk suffering from the people to some diseases. World health organization recommended maximum concentration level for nitrate and nitrite in the drinking water 50 and 3 mg/l, respectively. There are different technologies for the removal of nitrate ions from aqueous solution. The conventional methods are ion exchange, biological denitrification, reverse osmosis and chemical reduction. Using nanoscale Fe0 particles compared to other methods of nitrate omission was preferred because of; its high surface area, more reactive, lower cost and higher efficiency. More studies on the reduction of nitrate by zero-valent iron nanoparticles have been in aqueous solutions or in the soil in batch scale. Nanoparticles surface modified with poly-electrolytes, surfactants and polymers cause colloidal stability of the particles against the forces of attraction between particles and increases nanoparticle transport in porous media. The objectives of this study were to synthesize carboxymethyl cellulose stabilized zero-valent iron nanoparticles and consideration of their application for nitrate removal from sandy soil. Materials and Methods: The nanoparticles were synthesized in a lab using borohydride reduction method and their morphological characteristics were examined via scanning electron microscopy (SEM, X-ray diffraction (XRD and Fourier Transmission Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR. Experiments were conducted on packed sand column (40 cm length and 2.5 cm inner diameter under conditions of different nanoparticle concentration (1, 2, and 3 g1-1and high initial NO3- concentration (150, 250, and 350 mgl-1. Homogeneous soil column was filled with the wet packed

  5. Biochar amendment to coarse sandy subsoil improves root growth and increases water retention

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bruun, Esben; Petersen, C. T.; Hansen, E.

    2014-01-01

    Crop yields and yield potentials on Danish coarse sandy soils are strongly limited due to restricted root growth and poor water and nutrient retention. We investigated if biochar amendment to subsoil can improve root development in barley and significantly increase soil water retention. Spring...... barley (Hordeum vulgare cv. Anakin) was grown in soil columns (diameter: 30 cm) prepared with 25 cm topsoil, 75 cm biochar-amended subsoil, and 30 cm un-amended subsoil lowermost placed on an impervious surface. Low-temperature gasification straw-biochar (at 0, 0.50, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 wt%) and slow...... pyrolysis hardwood-biochar (at 2 wt%) were investigated. One wt% can be scaled up to 102 Mg/ha of char. After full irrigation and drainage, the in-situ moisture content at 30-80 cm depth increased linearly (R2 = 0.99) with straw-biochar content at a rate corresponding to 0.029 m3/m3/%. The lab determined...

  6. Critical evaluation of the use of the hydroxyapatite as a stabilizing agent to reduce the mobility of Zn and Ni in sewage sludge amended soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zupancic, Marija; Bukovec, Peter; Milacic, Radmila; Scancar, Janez

    2006-01-01

    The leachability of zinc (Zn) and nickel (Ni) was investigated in various soil types amended with sewage sludge and sewage sludge treated with hydroxyapatite. Sandy, clay and peat soils were investigated. For leachability tests, plastic columns (diameter 9 cm, height 50 cm) were filled with moist samples up to a height of 25 cm. Sewage sludge (1 kg) was mixed with 4.6 kg of clay and sandy soils and with 6.7 kg of peat soil. For sewage sludge mixtures treated with hydroxyapatite, 0.5 kg of the hydroxyapatite was added to 1 kg of the sewage sludge. Neutral (pH 7) and acid precipitation (pH 3.5) were applied. Acid precipitation was prepared from concentrated HNO(3), H(2)SO(4) and fresh doubly distilled water. The amount of precipitation corresponded to the average annual precipitation for the city of Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was divided into eight equal portions and applied sequentially on the top of the columns. The results indicated that the leachabilities of Zn in sewage sludge amended peat and clay soils were low (below 0.3% of total Zn content) and of Ni in sewage sludge amended sandy, clay and peat soil below 1.9% of total Ni content. In sewage sludge amended sandy soil, the leachability of Zn was higher (11% of Zn content). The pH of precipitation had no influence on the leachability of either metal. Treatment of sewage sludge with hydroxyapatite efficiently reduced the leachability of Zn in sewage sludge amended sandy soil (from 11% to 0.2% of total Zn content). In clay and peat sewage sludge amended soils, soil characteristics rather than hydroxyapatite treatment dominate Zn mobility.

  7. Hurricane Sandy science plan: coastal impact assessments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stronko, Jakob M.

    2013-01-01

    Hurricane Sandy devastated some of the most heavily populated eastern coastal areas of the Nation. With a storm surge peaking at more than 19 feet, the powerful landscape-altering destruction of Hurricane Sandy is a stark reminder of why the Nation must become more resilient to coastal hazards. In response to this natural disaster, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) received a total of $41.2 million in supplemental appropriations from the Department of the Interior (DOI) to support response, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. These funds support a science plan that will provide critical scientific information necessary to inform management decisions for recovery of coastal communities, and aid in preparation for future natural hazards. This science plan is designed to coordinate continuing USGS activities with stakeholders and other agencies to improve data collection and analysis that will guide recovery and restoration efforts. The science plan is split into five distinct themes: coastal topography and bathymetry, impacts to coastal beaches and barriers, impacts of storm surge, including disturbed estuarine and bay hydrology, impacts on environmental quality and persisting contaminant exposures, impacts to coastal ecosystems, habitats, and fish and wildlife. This fact sheet focuses assessing impacts to coastal beaches and barriers.

  8. Soil and Cultivar Type Shape the Bacterial Community in the Potato Rhizosphere

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Inceoglu, Ozgul; Salles, Joana Falcao; van Elsas, Jan Dirk

    The rhizospheres of five different potato cultivars (including a genetically modified cultivar) obtained from a loamy sand soil and two from a sandy peat soil, next to corresponding bulk soils, were studied with respect to their community structures and potential function. For the former analyses,

  9. Termite Infestation Associated with Type of Soil in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

    OpenAIRE

    Majid, Abdul Hafiz Ab; Ahmad, Abu Hassan

    2013-01-01

    Nine soil samples from nine buildings infested with Coptotermes gestroi in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, were tested for the type of soil texture. The soil texture analysis procedures used the hydrometer method. Four of nine buildings (44%) yielded loamy sand-type soil, whereas five of nine buildings (56%) contained sandy loam-type soil.

  10. Termite infestation associated with type of soil in pulau pinang, malaysia (isoptera: rhinotermitidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majid, Abdul Hafiz Ab; Ahmad, Abu Hassan

    2013-12-01

    Nine soil samples from nine buildings infested with Coptotermes gestroi in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, were tested for the type of soil texture. The soil texture analysis procedures used the hydrometer method. Four of nine buildings (44%) yielded loamy sand-type soil, whereas five of nine buildings (56%) contained sandy loam-type soil.

  11. Three Gorges Reservoir Area: soil erosion under natural condition vs. soil erosion under current land use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schönbrodt, Sarah; Behrens, Thorsten; Scholten, Thomas

    2010-05-01

    Apparently, the current most prominent human-induced example for large scale environmental impact is the Three Gorges Dam in China. The flooding alongside the Yangtze River, and its tributaries results in a vast loss of settlement and farmland area with productive, fertile valley soils. Due to the associated high land use dynamic on uphill-sites, the soil resources are underlying high land use pressure. Within our study, the soil erosion under natural conditions is compared to the soil erosion under current land use after the impoundment. Both were modeled using the empirical Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) which is able to predict long-term annual soil loss with limited data. The database consists of digital terrain data (45 m resolution DEM, erosive slope length based on Monte-Carlo-Aggregation according to Behrens et al. (2008)), field investigations of recent erosion forms, and literature studies. The natural disposition to soil erosion was calculated considering the USLE factors R, S, and K. The soil erosion under current land use was calculated taking into account all USLE factors. The study area is the catchment of the Xiangxi River in the Three Gorges Reservoir area. Within the Xiangxi Catchment (3,200 km²) the highly dynamic backwater area (580 km²), and two micro-scale study sites (Xiangjiaba with 2.8 km², and Quyuan with 88 km²) are considered more detailed as they are directly affected by the river impoundment. Central features of the Xiangxi Catchment are the subtropical monsoon climate, an extremely steep sloping relief (mean slope angle 39°, SD 22.8°) artificially fractured by farmland terraces, and a high soil erodibility (mean K factor 0.37, SD 0.13). On the catchment scale the natural disposition to soil erosion makes up to mean 518.0 t ha-1 a-1. The maximum potential soil loss of 1,730.1 t ha-1 a-1 under natural conditions is reached in the Quyuan site (mean 635.8 t ha-1 a-1) within the backwater area (mean 582.9 t ha-1 a-1). In the

  12. The soil-water characteristic curve at low soil-water contents: Relationships with soil specific surface area and texture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Resurreccion, A C; Møldrup, Per; Tuller, M

    2011-01-01

    dominate over capillary forces, have also been used to estimate soil specific surface area (SA). In the present study, the dry end of the SWRC was measured with a chilled-mirror dew point psychrometer for 41 Danish soils covering a wide range of clay (CL) and organic carbon (OC) contents. The 41 soils were...

  13. Solubility of lead and copper in biochar-amended small arms range soils: influence of soil organic carbon and pH.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uchimiya, Minori; Bannon, Desmond I

    2013-08-14

    Biochar is often considered a strong heavy metal stabilizing agent. However, biochar in some cases had no effects on, or increased the soluble concentrations of, heavy metals in soil. The objective of this study was to determine the factors causing some biochars to stabilize and others to dissolve heavy metals in soil. Seven small arms range soils with known total organic carbon (TOC), cation exchange capacity, pH, and total Pb and Cu contents were first screened for soluble Pb and Cu concentrations. Over 2 weeks successive equilibrations using weak acid (pH 4.5 sulfuric acid) and acetate buffer (0.1 M at pH 4.9), Alaska soil containing disproportionately high (31.6%) TOC had nearly 100% residual (insoluble) Pb and Cu. This soil was then compared with sandy soils from Maryland containing significantly lower (0.5-2.0%) TOC in the presence of 10 wt % (i) plant biochar activated to increase the surface-bound carboxyl and phosphate ligands (PS450A), (ii) manure biochar enriched with soluble P (BL700), and (iii) unactivated plant biochars produced at 350 °C (CH350) and 700 °C (CH500) and by flash carbonization (corn). In weak acid, the pH was set by soil and biochar, and the biochars increasingly stabilized Pb with repeated extractions. In pH 4.9 acetate buffer, PS450A and BL700 stabilized Pb, and only PS450A stabilized Cu. Surface ligands of PS450A likely complexed and stabilized Pb and Cu even under acidic pH in the presence of competing acetate ligand. Oppositely, unactivated plant biochars (CH350, CH500, and corn) mobilized Pb and Cu in sandy soils; the putative mechanism is the formation of soluble complexes with biochar-borne dissolved organic carbon. In summary, unactivated plant biochars can inadvertently increase dissolved Pb and Cu concentrations of sandy, low TOC soils when used to stabilize other contaminants.

  14. Radiation synthesis of super absorbent PAAm/PAAc-Na hydrogels to enhance sandy soil water retention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abd El-Mohdy, H.L.; Hegazy, E.A.; Farag, S.A.; Abd El-Rasoul, Sh.M.; Ragab, A.M.; Tantawy, E.A.

    2009-01-01

    Preparation of super absorbent hydrogels obtained by radiation induced cross linking of polyacrylamide (PAAm) and poly sodium acrylate (PAAc-Na) was investigated for possible uses in agricultural fields . The swelling of the investigated hydrogels was mainly related to the type of their hydrophilic functional groups and/or the presence of polarized charges. The preparation conditions, such as irradiation dose and hydrogel blend compositions that influence the swelling of PAAm/PAAc-Na copolymers and alter their gel content and cross linking density were investigated. The higher the irradiation dose, the higher the gel content, and the lower the swelling ratio. The effect of some external parameters such as nutrient concentration, ph, and temperature on the swelling behaviour of prepared hydrogels was studied. studies were also made on the applications of such hydrogels to improve the physical and water retention properties of sandy soil for agricultural purposes. The experiments' design was complete randomized block with different doses of hydrogel as 5,10,15,20 and 25 kg/feddan (fed). Hydrogel granules added with peanut seeds during sowing , these plots received irrigation by sprinkle system two times daily during 6 days per week even near harvesting . Whereas control plants were irrigate two times daily during 7 days of the week. The parameters of productivity as morphological characters, NPK uptake and microbiological data were obtained during growth and harvesting . The effect of hydrogel doses on total bacterial counts (TBC) and nitrogen fixing bacteria (NFB) in the rhizosphere plant was studied after 45 days and at harvest

  15. A Coordinated USGS Science Response to Hurricane Sandy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, S.; Buxton, H. T.; Andersen, M.; Dean, T.; Focazio, M. J.; Haines, J.; Hainly, R. A.

    2013-12-01

    In late October 2012, Hurricane Sandy came ashore during a spring high tide on the New Jersey coastline, delivering hurricane-force winds, storm tides exceeding 19 feet, driving rain, and plummeting temperatures. Hurricane Sandy resulted in 72 direct fatalities in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States, and widespread and substantial physical, environmental, ecological, social, and economic impacts estimated at near $50 billion. Before the landfall of Hurricane Sandy, the USGS provided forecasts of potential coastal change; collected oblique aerial photography of pre-storm coastal morphology; deployed storm-surge sensors, rapid-deployment streamgages, wave sensors, and barometric pressure sensors; conducted Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) aerial topographic surveys of coastal areas; and issued a landslide alert for landslide prone areas. During the storm, Tidal Telemetry Networks provided real-time water-level information along the coast. Long-term networks and rapid-deployment real-time streamgages and water-quality monitors tracked river levels and changes in water quality. Immediately after the storm, the USGS serviced real-time instrumentation, retrieved data from over 140 storm-surge sensors, and collected other essential environmental data, including more than 830 high-water marks mapping the extent and elevation of the storm surge. Post-storm lidar surveys documented storm impacts to coastal barriers informing response and recovery and providing a new baseline to assess vulnerability of the reconfigured coast. The USGS Hazard Data Distribution System served storm-related information from many agencies on the Internet on a daily basis. Immediately following Hurricane Sandy the USGS developed a science plan, 'Meeting the Science Needs of the Nation in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy-A U.S. Geological Survey Science Plan for Support of Restoration and Recovery'. The plan will ensure continuing coordination of internal USGS activities as well as

  16. Determining photon energy absorption parameters for different soil samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kucuk, Nil; Cakir, Merve; Tumsavas, Zeynal

    2013-01-01

    The mass attenuation coefficients (μ s ) for five different soil samples were measured at 661.6, 1173.2 and 1332.5 keV photon energies. The soil samples were separately irradiated with 137 Cs and 60 Co (370 kBq) radioactive point gamma sources. The measurements were made by performing transmission experiments with a 2″ x 2″ NaI(Tl) scintillation detector, which had an energy resolution of 7% at 0.662 MeV for the gamma-rays from the decay of 137 Cs. The effective atomic numbers (Z eff ) and the effective electron densities (N eff ) were determined experimentally and theoretically using the obtained μ s values for the soil samples. Furthermore, the Z eff and N eff values of the soil samples were computed for the total photon interaction cross-sections using theoretical data over a wide energy region ranging from 1 keV to 15 MeV. The experimental values of the soils were found to be in good agreement with the theoretical values. Sandy loam and sandy clay loam soils demonstrated poor photon energy absorption characteristics. However, clay loam and clay soils had good photon energy absorption characteristics. (author)

  17. The ecology of sandy beaches in Natal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The ecology of sandy beaches in Natal. A.H. Dye, A. Mclachlan and T. Wooldridge. Department of Zoology, University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth. Data from an ecological survey of four sandy beaches on the. Natal coast of South Africa are presented. Physical para· meters such as beach profile, particle size, moisture, ...

  18. Bibliography of sandy beaches and sandy beach organisms on the African continent

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Bally, R

    1986-01-01

    Full Text Available This bibliography covers the literature relating to sandy beaches on the African continent and outlying islands. The bibliography lists biological, chemical, geographical and geological references and covers shallow marine sediments, surf zones off...

  19. Spectral induced polarization (SIP) measurement of NAPL contaminated soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, N.; Huisman, J. A.; Furman, A.

    2010-12-01

    The potential applicability of spectral induce polarization (SIP) as a tool to map NAPLs (non aqueous phase liquids) contaminants at the subsurface lead researchers to investigate the electric signature of those contaminant on the spectral response. However, and despite the cumulative efforts, the effect of NAPL on the electrical properties of soil, and the mechanisms that control this effect are largely unknown. In this work a novel experiment is designed to further examine the effect of NAPL on the electrical properties of partially saturated soil. The measurement system that used is the ZEL-SIP04 impedance meter developed at the Forschungszentrum Julich, Germany. The system accurately (nominal phase precision of 0.1 mrad below 1 kHz) measures the phase and the amplitude of a material possessing a very low polarization (such as soil). The sample holder has a dimension of 60 cm long and 4.6 cm in diameter. Current and potential electrodes were made of brass, and while the current electrodes were inserted in full into the soil, the contact between the potential electrode and the soil was made through an Agarose bridge. Two types of soils were used: clean quartz sand, and a mixture of sand with clean Bentonite. Each soil (sandy or clayey) was mixed with water to get saturation degree of 30%. Following the mixture with water, NAPL was added and the composite were mixed again. Packing was done by adding and compressing small portions of the soil to the column. A triplicate of each mixture was made with a good reproducible bulk density. Both for the sandy and clayey soils, the results indicate that additions of NAPL decrease the real part of the complex resistivity. Additionally, for the sandy soil this process is time depended, and that a further decrease in resistivity develops over time. The results are analyzed considering geometrical factors: while the NAPL is electrically insulator, addition of NAPL to the soil is expected to increase the connectivity of the

  20. Pollution of soils in urban areas in Serbia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grujic, Gordana; Crnkovic, Dragan; Cerdà, Artemi

    2017-04-01

    Soil pollution is a world-wide problems that affect rural and urban areas of all the continents (Hu et al., 2015; Mao et al., 2016; Trujillo-González et al., 2016; Elkhatib et al., 2016; Roy and McDonad, 2015; Mahmoud and Abd El-Kader, 2015; Adamcová et al., 2016). There is a need to develop a program to achieve the sustainability of the soil system as the soils offers goods, services and resources to the humankind (Keesstra et al., 2012; Brevik et al., 2015; Keesstra et al., 2016). The program of systematic monitoring of soil pollution in Belgrade is aimed at testing the concentration of hazardous and harmful substances in soil at urban areas, interpretation of the results in accordance with current legislation, soil characteristics and geology and terrain, proposal of preventive and remedial measures in the wider territory of Belgrade. The paper gives an overview of the results of systematic monitoring of soil pollution in Belgrade in the period from 2009 to 2013. In accordance with the objectives of the investigation during the period from 2009-2013, while having in mind the purpose and manner of land use, the program of monitoring of soil pollution in the territory of Belgrade is oriented to the following areas: 1 - Land in the zone of the sanitary protection of the Belgrade water supply system, 2- Land in zone nearby the main roads, 3 - Land within the communal areas (public areas and agricultural land in the wider vicinity of Belgrade). On the basis of the conducted soil monitoring in the wider area of Belgrade, a large number of sites is contaminated with higher concentrations of hazardous and harmful substances that are exceeding the maximum allowed prescribed legal norms. The causes of soil contamination are both, anthropogenic and natural. Taking into account the all results, the most common deviation is referred to the increased nickel content in soil. A number of soil samples showed increase in concentrations of pollutants including Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, As

  1. The Role of Teak Leaves (Tectona grandis), Rhizobium, and Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizae on Improving Soil Structure and Soil Nutrition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuliani; Rahayu, Y. S.

    2018-01-01

    Calcium is the largest mineral in calcareous soils. High levels of calcium carbonate lead to phosphate deposition. Nutrient deficiencies in calcareous soil (mainly Phosphate and Nitrogen) resulted only certain crops with a wide range of tolerances that can grow. Meanwhile, dynamics nutrient in calcareous soils also depend on the topography and decomposition of the litter in the growing vegetation. The purpose of this study was to describe the pattern of nutrient enhancement and soil-texture structures on calcareous soils after littering the teak leaves, Rhizobium and Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza. The research parameters were the concentration of N, P, K; C/N ratio, humid acid content, and soil structure, which measured at days 30, 60, and 85 of soil decomposition process. The results showed that at days 30, the texture and structure of the soil tend to be stable (porosity 31.2, DMR 1.93, moisture content 0.36, sandy clay) while at days 85 has been very stable (porosity 49.8; Water content 0.28, sandy clay). While C and N organic, N and K concentration at days 30 showed low value (C organic 1.03, N 0.12, K 0.49, C / N ratio 9). This condition is almost unchanged at days 85. While the P value shows very high value (60.53) at days 30 although after 60 days the P content showed a decrease.

  2. Influence of humic acid on migration of 60Co, 85Sr and 137Cs in coastal sandy soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Tadao; Ni Shiwei.

    1993-10-01

    Sorption and migration experiments were performed by both batch and column methods, to study influence of humic acid complexing on the mobility of 60 Co, 85 Sr and 137 Cs in a coastal sandy soil. The study focuses on a correlation between molecular-weight of dissolved humic acid and ability of the complexing with the radionuclides in liquid phase. Dissolved humic acid was complexed with 60 Co and 85 Sr. The interaction ability of 60 Co was independent of molecular-weight of humic acid, while that of 85 Sr depended on. The mobility of 60 Co increased under the condition with coexistence of humic acid as well as its sorption ratio decreased. The distribution profile of molecular-weight of 60 Co was kept at a constant in the solution before and after the sorption experiment, due to completing the sorption and complexation equilibrium. The mobility of 85 Sr increased under the condition with coexistence of humic acid, in spite of the sorption ratio of 85 Sr was not affected by the coexistence. Such contradiction was caused by different kinetics between the batch and column methods. The sorption ability and mobility of 137 Cs were not affected by the coexistence of the humic acid. (author)

  3. Lysimeter experiments to determine the ability of soil to reduce concentrations of BOD, available P and inorganic N in dirty water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brookman, S K E; Chadwick; Retter, A R

    2005-11-01

    Lysimeter experiments were conducted to determine the ability of different soils to reduce levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and concentrations of molybdate reactive phosphorus (MRP) and ammonium-N (NH4(+)-N) in dirty water and the impact of applications on nitrate leaching. An additional experiment investigated the effect of dirty water components on leaching quality. This information is required to assess the potential risk of dirty water applications on polluting groundwater and to assess the use of such soils in the development of treatment systems for dirty water. Intact and disturbed soil lysimeters, 0.5 and 1m deep were constructed from four soils; a coarse free-draining sandy loam, a sandy loam over soft sandstone, a calcareous silty clay over chalk and a sandy loam over granite. For the coarse free-draining sandy loam, lysimeters were also constructed from disturbed soil with and without the addition of lime, to assess if this could increase phosphorus immobilisation. Levels of BOD and concentrations of MRP, NH4(+)-N and nitrate (NO3(-)-N) of leachates were measured following dirty water applications at 2 and 8 mm day(-1) under laboratory conditions. Under the daily 2mm application, all soils were effective at treating dirty water, reducing concentrations of BOD, MRP and NH4(+)- N by > or = 98% but NO3(-)-N concentrations increased up to 80 mg l(-1) from the 0.5 m deep lysimeters of the sandy loam over granite. Soils were less effective at reducing levels of BOD, MRP and NH4(+)- N at the 8 mm daily rate of application, with maximum NO3(-)-N concentrations of leachates of 200 mg l(-1) from disturbed soils.

  4. The Method of Calculating the Settlement of Weak Ground Strengthened with the Reinforced Sandy Piles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maltseva Tatyana

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents an engineering method for calculating the weak clay base, strengthened with sandy piles reinforced along the contour. The method is based on the principle of layer-by-layer summation, which is used when designing the bases and foundations. The novelty of the suggested method lies in the taking account of the soil reaction along the pile lateral surface and the impact of external vertical loads on the vertical displacement of the base.

  5. Metals in European roadside soils and soil solution--a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werkenthin, Moritz; Kluge, Björn; Wessolek, Gerd

    2014-06-01

    This review provides a summary of studies analysing metal concentrations in soils and soil solution at European roadsides. The data collected during 27 studies covering a total of 64 sites across a number of European countries were summarised. Highest median values of Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn were determined in the top soil layer at the first 5 m beside the road. Generally, the influence of traffic on soil contamination decreased with increasing soil depth and distance to the road. The concentration patterns of metals in soil solution were independent from concentrations in the soil matrix. At 10-m distance, elevated soil metal concentrations, low pH, and low percolation rates led to high solute concentrations. Directly beside the road, high percolation rates lead to high annual loadings although solute concentrations are comparatively low. These loadings might be problematic, especially in regions with acidic sandy soils and a high groundwater table. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. 100 Area soil washing bench-scale test procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freeman, H.D.; Gerber, M.A.; Mattigod, S.V.; Serne, R.J.

    1993-03-01

    This document describes methodologies and procedures for conducting soil washing treatability tests in accordance with the 100 Area Soil Washing Treatability Test Plan (DOE-RL 1992, Draft A). The objective of this treatability study is to evaluate the use of physical separation systems and chemical extraction methods as a means of separating chemically and radioactively contaminated soil fractions from uncontaminated soil fractions. These data will be primarily used for determining feasibility of the individual unit operations and defining the requirements for a system, or systems, for pilot-scale testing

  7. Patterns of Phylogenetic Diversity of Subtropical Rainforest of the Great Sandy Region, Australia Indicate Long Term Climatic Refugia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Marion G; McDonald, William J F; Forster, Paul I; Kress, W John; Erickson, David; Faith, Daniel P; Shapcott, Alison

    2016-01-01

    Australia's Great Sandy Region is of international significance containing two World Heritage areas and patches of rainforest growing on white sand. Previous broad-scale analysis found the Great Sandy biogeographic subregion contained a significantly more phylogenetically even subset of species than expected by chance contrasting with rainforest on white sand in Peru. This study aimed to test the patterns of rainforest diversity and relatedness at a finer scale and to investigate why we may find different patterns of phylogenetic evenness compared with rainforests on white sands in other parts of the world. This study focussed on rainforest sites within the Great Sandy and surrounding areas in South East Queensland (SEQ), Australia. We undertook field collections, expanded our three-marker DNA barcode library of SEQ rainforest plants and updated the phylogeny to 95% of the SEQ rainforest flora. We sampled species composition of rainforest in fixed area plots from 100 sites. We calculated phylogenetic diversity (PD) measures as well as species richness (SR) for each rainforest community. These combined with site variables such as geology, were used to evaluate patterns and relatedness. We found that many rainforest communities in the Great Sandy area were significantly phylogenetically even at the individual site level consistent with a broader subregion analysis. Sites from adjacent areas were either not significant or were significantly phylogenetically clustered. Some results in the neighbouring areas were consistent with historic range expansions. In contrast with expectations, sites located on the oldest substrates had significantly lower phylogenetic diversity (PD). Fraser Island was once connected to mainland Australia, our results are consistent with a region geologically old enough to have continuously supported rainforest in refugia. The interface of tropical and temperate floras in part also explains the significant phylogenetic evenness and higher than

  8. Patterns of Phylogenetic Diversity of Subtropical Rainforest of the Great Sandy Region, Australia Indicate Long Term Climatic Refugia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marion G Howard

    Full Text Available Australia's Great Sandy Region is of international significance containing two World Heritage areas and patches of rainforest growing on white sand. Previous broad-scale analysis found the Great Sandy biogeographic subregion contained a significantly more phylogenetically even subset of species than expected by chance contrasting with rainforest on white sand in Peru. This study aimed to test the patterns of rainforest diversity and relatedness at a finer scale and to investigate why we may find different patterns of phylogenetic evenness compared with rainforests on white sands in other parts of the world. This study focussed on rainforest sites within the Great Sandy and surrounding areas in South East Queensland (SEQ, Australia. We undertook field collections, expanded our three-marker DNA barcode library of SEQ rainforest plants and updated the phylogeny to 95% of the SEQ rainforest flora. We sampled species composition of rainforest in fixed area plots from 100 sites. We calculated phylogenetic diversity (PD measures as well as species richness (SR for each rainforest community. These combined with site variables such as geology, were used to evaluate patterns and relatedness. We found that many rainforest communities in the Great Sandy area were significantly phylogenetically even at the individual site level consistent with a broader subregion analysis. Sites from adjacent areas were either not significant or were significantly phylogenetically clustered. Some results in the neighbouring areas were consistent with historic range expansions. In contrast with expectations, sites located on the oldest substrates had significantly lower phylogenetic diversity (PD. Fraser Island was once connected to mainland Australia, our results are consistent with a region geologically old enough to have continuously supported rainforest in refugia. The interface of tropical and temperate floras in part also explains the significant phylogenetic evenness

  9. Long-term impact of reduced tillage and residue management on soil carbon stabilization: Implications for conservation agriculture on contrasting soils

    OpenAIRE

    Chivenge, P.P.; Murwira, H.K.; Giller, K.E.; Mapfumo, P.; Six, J.

    2007-01-01

    Metadata only record The long-term effects of tillage system and residue management on soil organic carbon stabilization are studied in two tropical soils in Zimbabwe, a red clay and a sandy soil. The four tillage systems evaluated were conventional tillage (CT), mulch ripping (MR), clean ripping (CR) and tied ridging (TR). Soil organic carbon (SOC) content was measured for each size fraction as well as total SOC. Based on the findings, the authors conclude that residue management - mainta...

  10. Model projections of atmospheric steering of Sandy-like superstorms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, Elizabeth A; Polvani, Lorenzo M; Sobel, Adam H

    2013-09-17

    Superstorm Sandy ravaged the eastern seaboard of the United States, costing a great number of lives and billions of dollars in damage. Whether events like Sandy will become more frequent as anthropogenic greenhouse gases continue to increase remains an open and complex question. Here we consider whether the persistent large-scale atmospheric patterns that steered Sandy onto the coast will become more frequent in the coming decades. Using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, phase 5 multimodel ensemble, we demonstrate that climate models consistently project a decrease in the frequency and persistence of the westward flow that led to Sandy's unprecedented track, implying that future atmospheric conditions are less likely than at present to propel storms westward into the coast.

  11. A Constitutive Relationship for Gravelly Soil Considering Fine Particle Suffusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yuning; Chen, Yulong

    2017-10-23

    Suffusion erosion may occur in sandy gravel dam foundations that use suspended cutoff walls. This erosion causes a loss of fine particles, degrades the soil strength and deformation moduli, and adversely impacts the cutoff walls of the dam foundation, as well as the overlying dam body. A comprehensive evaluation of these effects requires models that quantitatively describe the effects of fine particle losses on the stress-strain relationships of sandy gravels. In this work, we propose an experimental scheme for studying these types of models, and then perform triaxial and confined compression tests to determine the effects of particle losses on the stress-strain relationships. Considering the Duncan-Chang E-B model, quantitative expressions describing the relationship between the parameters of the model and the particle losses were derived. The results show that particle losses did not alter the qualitative stress-strain characteristics of the soils; however, the soil strength and deformation moduli were degraded. By establishing the relationship between the parameters of the model and the losses, the same model can then be used to describe the relationship between sandy gravels and erosion levels that vary in both time and space.

  12. A Constitutive Relationship for Gravelly Soil Considering Fine Particle Suffusion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuning Zhang

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Suffusion erosion may occur in sandy gravel dam foundations that use suspended cutoff walls. This erosion causes a loss of fine particles, degrades the soil strength and deformation moduli, and adversely impacts the cutoff walls of the dam foundation, as well as the overlying dam body. A comprehensive evaluation of these effects requires models that quantitatively describe the effects of fine particle losses on the stress-strain relationships of sandy gravels. In this work, we propose an experimental scheme for studying these types of models, and then perform triaxial and confined compression tests to determine the effects of particle losses on the stress-strain relationships. Considering the Duncan-Chang E-B model, quantitative expressions describing the relationship between the parameters of the model and the particle losses were derived. The results show that particle losses did not alter the qualitative stress-strain characteristics of the soils; however, the soil strength and deformation moduli were degraded. By establishing the relationship between the parameters of the model and the losses, the same model can then be used to describe the relationship between sandy gravels and erosion levels that vary in both time and space.

  13. Differences in impacts of Hurricane Sandy on freshwater swamps on the Delmarva Peninsula, Mid−Atlantic Coast, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Middleton, Beth A.

    2016-01-01

    Hurricane wind and surge may have different influences on the subsequent composition of forests. During Hurricane Sandy, while damaging winds were highest near landfall in New Jersey, inundation occurred along the entire eastern seaboard from Georgia to Maine. In this study, a comparison of damage from salinity intrusion vs. wind/surge was recorded in swamps of the Delmarva Peninsula along the Pocomoke (MD) and Nanticoke (DE) Rivers, south of the most intense wind damage. Hickory Point Cypress Swamp (Hickory) was closest to the Chesapeake Bay and may have been subjected to a salinity surge as evidenced by elevated salinity levels at a gage upstream of this swamp (storm salinity = 13.1 ppt at Nassawango Creek, Snow Hill, Maryland). After Hurricane Sandy, 8% of the standing trees died at Hickory including Acer rubrum, Amelanchier laevis, Ilex spp., and Taxodium distichum. In Plot 2 of Hickory, 25% of the standing trees were dead, and soil salinity levels were the highest recorded in the study. The most important variables related to structural tree damage were soil salinity and proximity to the Atlantic coast as based on Stepwise Regression and NMDS procedures. Wind damage was mostly restricted to broken branches although tipped−up trees were found at Hickory, Whiton and Porter (species: Liquidamabar styraciflua, Pinus taeda, Populus deltoides, Quercus pagoda and Ilex spp.). These trees fell mostly in an east or east−southeast direction (88o−107o) in keeping with the wind direction of Hurricane Sandy on the Delmarva Peninsula. Coastal restoration and management can be informed by the specific differences in hurricane damage to vegetation by salt versus wind.

  14. Hospital emergency preparedness and response during Superstorm Sandy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    This article presents the findings of a report by the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) on the performance of 172 Medicare-certified hospitals in the New York Metropolitan Area before, during, and after Sandy. It makes recommendations on how to close gaps that were found in emergency planning and execution for a disaster of this magnitude. To download the complete 40-page report and a Podcast based on it, go to http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/ reports/oei-06-13-00260. asp.

  15. An exploration of spatial risk assessment for soil protection: estimating risk and establishing priority areas for soil protection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kibblewhite, M G; Bellamy, P H; Brewer, T R; Graves, A R; Dawson, C A; Rickson, R J; Truckell, I; Stuart, J

    2014-03-01

    Methods for the spatial estimation of risk of harm to soil by erosion by water and wind and by soil organic matter decline are explored. Rates of harm are estimated for combinations of soil type and land cover (as a proxy for hazard frequency) and used to estimate risk of soil erosion and loss of soil organic carbon (SOC) for 1 km(2)pixels. Scenarios are proposed for defining the acceptability of risk of harm to soil: the most precautionary one corresponds to no net harm after natural regeneration of soil (i.e. a 1 in 20 chance of exceeding an erosion rate of soils and a carbon stock decline of 0 tha(-1)y(-1) for organic soils). Areas at higher and lower than possible acceptable risk are mapped. The veracity of boundaries is compromised if areas of unacceptable risk are mapped to administrative boundaries. Errors in monitoring change in risk of harm to soil and inadequate information on risk reduction measures' efficacy, at landscape scales, make it impossible to use or monitor quantitative targets for risk reduction adequately. The consequences for priority area definition of expressing varying acceptable risk of harm to soil as a varying probability of exceeding a fixed level of harm, or, a varying level of harm being exceeded with a fixed probability, are discussed. Soil data and predictive models for rates of harm to soil would need considerable development and validation to implement a priority area approach robustly. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Reservoir architecture patterns of sandy gravel braided distributary channel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Senlin Yin

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to discuss shape, scale and superimposed types of sandy gravel bodies in sandy-gravel braided distributary channel. Lithofacies analysis, hierarchy bounding surface analysis and subsurface dense well pattern combining with outcrops method were used to examine reservoir architecture patterns of sandy gravel braided distributary channel based on cores, well logging, and outcrops data, and the reservoir architecture patterns of sandy gravel braided distributary channels in different grades have been established. The study shows: (1 The main reservoir architecture elements for sandy gravel braided channel delta are distributary channel and overbank sand, while reservoir flow barrier elements are interchannel and lacustrine mudstone. (2 The compound sand bodies in the sandy gravel braided delta distributary channel take on three shapes: sheet-like distributary channel sand body, interweave strip distributary channel sand body, single strip distributary channel sand body. (3 Identification marks of single distributary channel include: elevation of sand body top, lateral overlaying, “thick-thin-thick” feature of sand bodies, interchannel mudstone and overbank sand between distributary channels and the differences in well log curve shape of sand bodies. (4 Nine lithofacies types were distinguished in distributary channel unit interior, different channel units have different lithofacies association sequence.

  17. Investigation of plutonium behaviour in artificially contaminated soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lukshiene, B.; Druteikiene, R.

    2006-01-01

    The vertical migration and transformation of plutonium chemical forms artificially supplied to sandy loam columns after its exposure to natural conditions for about one year was investigated. An analysis of artificially contaminated samples after one year had shown that 81% of 239 Pu 4+ and 44% of 239 Pu 3+ were accumulated in the 0-5 cm layer of sandy loam. The data of sequential analysis of the same type of soil at the adequate artificial contamination level after one month exposure under laboratory conditions are presented as well. Pu 239 binding to soil geochemical fractions was rather uneven. The largest amount of Pu 239 (60 %) was determined in the residual fraction. Consequently, it can be assumed that organic substances and some inorganic compounds, which usually are the main components of a residual fraction, affects the retention and migration of plutonium in the soil. (authors)

  18. Investigation of plutonium behaviour in artificially contaminated soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luksiene, B.; Druteikiene, R.

    2006-01-01

    The vertical migration and transformation of plutonium chemical forms artificially supplied to sandy loam columns after its exposure to natural conditions for about one year was investigated. An analysis of artificially contaminated samples after one year had shown that 81% of 239 Pu 4+ and 44% of 239 Pu 3+ were accumulated in the 0-5 cm layer of sandy loam. The data of sequential analysis of the same type of soil at the adequate artificial contamination level after one month exposure under laboratory conditions are presented as well. Pu 239 binding to soil geochemical fractions was rather uneven. The largest amount of Pu 239 (60%) was determined in the residual fraction. Consequently, it can be assumed that organic substances and some inorganic compounds, which usually are the main components of a residual fraction, affects the retention and migration of plutonium in the soil. (authors)

  19. [Effects of biochar addition into soils in semiarid land on water infiltration under the condition of the same bulk density].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Rui-Peng; Zhang, Lei; Yan, Yong-Hao; Wen, Man; Zheng, Ji-Yong

    2014-08-01

    Making clear the effects of biochar addition on soil water infiltration process can provide the scientific basis for the evaluation of the influence of biochar application on soil hydrology in semi-arid region. In this paper, through the soil column simulation method in laboratory, the effects of biochar of three sizes (1-2 mm, 0.25-1 mm and ≤ 0.25 mm) at 4 doses (10, 50, 100 and 150 g x kg(-1)) on the cumulative infiltration, the permeability and the stable infiltration rate of two different soils (anthrosol and aeolian sandy soil) were studied. The results showed that the infiltration capacity of the anthrosol was obviously increased compared to the control, however, the one in the aeolian sandy soil was decreased due to the biochar addition. At 100 minutes after infiltration starting, the averaged cumulative infiltration was increased by 25.1% in the anthrosol with comparison to the control. Contrarily, the averaged cumulative infiltration was decreased by 11.1% in the aeolian sandy soil at 15 minutes after infiltration starting. When the dose was the same, biochar with different particle sizes improved the infiltration for the anthrosol, but for the different dose treatments, the particle size of biochar which showed the greatest improvement was different. As for the aeolian sandy soil, the infiltration increased at the dose of 10 g x kg(-1) after the addition of biochar with different particle sizes, while decreased at the higher dose of 50, 100 and 150 g x kg(-1). The cumulative infiltration of the aeolian sandy soil was decreased with the increase in addition amount of biochar with the same particle size, while it was not so for the anthrosol. The determination coefficient fitted by the Philip infiltration model ranged from 0.965 to 0.999, suggesting this model was suitable for the simulation of soil water infiltration process after biochar application. Statistical analysis of main effects showed that the biochar particle size, the biochar addition amount

  20. Geochemical and Radiological Characteristics of Harvested Rainwater and Surficial Soil in El-Alamein-Alam El-Rum area, Western Mediterranean Coastal Zone, Egypt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Sayed, S.A.; Ramadan, A.A.; Salama, M.H.; Diab, M.

    2015-01-01

    This study deals with investigating the geochemical and radiological properties of surficial soil and harvested rainwater in Al-Alamein-Alam El-Rum area located in the western Mediterranean coastal zone of Egypt. Forty five water and soil samples were investigated. The surficial soil has heterogeneous physical, chemical and radiological properties and the texture was dominated by sand clayey loam and sandy loam. The salinities were varied from non-saline (EC=1.25 dS/m) to strongly saline (EC=38 dS/m) and the pH ranged from slightly alkaline (7.6) to strongly alkaline (8.95). The major part of soil samples has chemical composition dominated by Na + and Cl - ions and occasionally Mg2 + and SO 4 2 - ions indicating the existence of different chemical facies. The radioactivity level indicated the dominance of 40 K followed by 226 Ra and 232 Th radionuclides and the average radioactivities in the surficial soil samples were 16.59, 11.75, 290.80 and 1.79 Bq/kg for 226 Ra, 232 Th, 40 K and 137 Cs, respectively. The heterogeneity in major ion and radioactivity concentrations were attributed to the variation in chemical and radionuclide compositions of the exposed rocks in the area where the soils are originated. The harvested rainwater is fresh (EC ranged from 0.24 to 0.83 dS/m) and has alkalinity nature varied between slightly alkaline (pH=7.27) and alkaline (pH=8.69). Its chemical composition was prevailed by Na + and HCO 3 - ions and sometimes Ca 2+ and/or Mg 2+ and SO 4 2 - ions reflecting the presence of various hydrochemical facies. It shows the same trend of radionuclide dominance of soils ( 40 K > 226 Ra > 232 Th). The radioactivity concentrations in harvested water samples were 19, 1.01 and 14.0 Bq/l for 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K, respectively, while the water samples have 137 Cs concentrations under the detection limit and the water rocks interaction is the main reason causing the variation in major ions and radionuclide concentrations. The obtained chemical and

  1. Arsenic in soil and vegetation of a contaminated area

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Karimi, N.; Ghaderian, S.M.; Schat, H.

    2013-01-01

    Plant and soil samples were collected from one uncontaminated and four contaminated sites (in the Dashkasan mining area western Iran). Total and water-soluble arsenic in the soil ranged from 7 to 795 and from 0.007 to 2.32 mg/kg, respectively. The highest arsenic concentration in soil was found at

  2. Content Analysis of Select YouTube Postings: Comparisons of Reactions to the Sandy Hook and Aurora Shootings and Hurricane Sandy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Eric D

    2015-11-01

    This study details an innovative and methodical content analysis of 2,207 YouTube comments from four different YouTube videos (e.g., breaking news or memorials) related to the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School and Aurora theater mass shootings and the catastrophic Hurricane Sandy. As expected, YouTube comments associated with the Sandy Hook shootings (particularly those from a memorial video) were especially likely to feature compassion and grief with lessened hostility. This study highlights differing online contexts by which individuals show grief and related emotions following man-made and natural calamities and how-even in an online environment-powerful situational contexts greatly guide behavior.

  3. Analysis of Water Resources in Horqin Sandy Land Using Multisource Data from 2003 to 2010

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhenzhen Zhao

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Over the past four decades, land use/land cover (LU/LC change, coupled with persistent drought, has resulted in the decline of groundwater levels in Horqin Sandy Land. Accordingly, this study quantifies changes in LU/LC and groundwater storage (GWS. Furthermore, it investigates the effects of LU/LC changes on GWS. GWS changes are estimated using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE data and ground-based measurements obtained from July 2003 to December 2010. Soil moisture and snow water equivalent data derived from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS are used to isolate GWS changes from GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage changes. The result shows that the groundwater depletion rate in Horqin Sandy Land is 13.5 ± 1.9 mm·year−1 in 2003–2010, which is consistent with the results of monitoring well stations. LU/LC changes are detected using bitemporal imageries (2003 and 2010 from Landsat Thematic Mapper through the post-classification comparison method. The result shows that LU/LC significantly changed during the aforementioned period. Bare soil and built-up land have increased by 76.6% and 82.2%, respectively, while cropland, vegetation, and water bodies have decreased by 14.1%, 74.5%, and 82.6%, respectively. The analysis of GWS and LU/LC changes shows that LU/LC changes and persistent drought are the main factors that affect groundwater resources.

  4. Identification of TCE and PCE sorption and biodegradation parameters in a sandy aquifer for fate and transport modelling: batch and column studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kret, E; Kiecak, A; Malina, G; Nijenhuis, I; Postawa, A

    2015-07-01

    The main aim of this study was to determine the sorption and biodegradation parameters of trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE) as input data required for their fate and transport modelling in a Quaternary sandy aquifer. Sorption was determined based on batch and column experiments, while biodegradation was investigated using the compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA). The aquifer materials medium (soil 1) to fine (soil 2) sands and groundwater samples came from the representative profile of the contaminated site (south-east Poland). The sorption isotherms were approximately linear (TCE, soil 1, K d = 0.0016; PCE, soil 1, K d = 0.0051; PCE, soil 2, K d = 0.0069) except for one case in which the best fitting was for the Langmuir isotherm (TCE, soil 2, K f = 0.6493 and S max = 0.0145). The results indicate low retardation coefficients (R) of TCE and PCE; however, somewhat lower values were obtained in batch compared to column experiments. In the column experiments with the presence of both contaminants, TCE influenced sorption of PCE, so that the R values for both compounds were almost two times higher. Non-significant differences in isotope compositions of TCE and PCE measured in the observation points (δ(13)C values within the range of -23.6 ÷ -24.3‰ and -26.3 ÷-27.7‰, respectively) indicate that biodegradation apparently is not an important process contributing to the natural attenuation of these contaminants in the studied sandy aquifer.

  5. Modelling effects of tyre inflation pressure on the stress distribution near the soil-tyre interface

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schjønning, Per; Lamandé, Mathieu; Tøgersen, Frede A

    2008-01-01

    stress in the contact area for two radial-ply agricultural trailer tyres (650/65R30.5 and 800/50R34) loaded with 60 kN. The study took place on a sandy soil at a water content slightly less than field capacity. We tested the effect of three different inflation pressures (50, 100 and 240 k......Pa) in a randomised block design with three replicates. The vertical stress was measured with load cells located in 0.1 m soil depth. The vertical stress data were used also for identifying the soil area in contact with the tyre, i.e. the tyre footprint. A model (named FRIDA) is proposed that describes the tyre...... footprint by a super ellipse and the stress distribution by a combined exponential (perpendicular to the driving direction) and power-law (along the driving direction) function. The contact area doubled when the inflation pressure was reduced from 240 to 50 kPa. For both tyres, the measured peak stress...

  6. On the effect of the ionizing radiation of soil and 15N-labelled slurry of respiration and N-dynamic of soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peschke, H.; Markgraf, G.; Feist, A.; Kiok, K.

    1991-01-01

    Ionizing radiation on a sandy soil with a dose of 25 kGy shows no effect opposite untreated soil in view to the soil respiration. Besides, the nitrifying bacteria has been inpaired for a long time and the nitrificid efficiency has kept for 44 days. There was no influences of slurry of cow treated with γ-rays (25 and 10 kGy) on the CO 2 exhalation, ammonification and nitrification in 3 tested soils. (orig.) [de

  7. application of used engine oil on of used engine oil in soil on of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    eobe

    Keywords: soil stabilization, used engine oil, s. 1. INTRODUCTION ... cement, lime, fly ash and a combination of ot additives is meant to ... California bearing ratio (CBR) of the soil. This p of the soil. ... range of silty-clay and sandy. CBR of ...

  8. RESRAD soil concentration guidelines for the Old F-Area Retention Basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamby, D.M.

    1994-01-01

    Concentration guidelines for residual radionuclides in soil at the site of the Old F-Area Retention Basin have been calculated using a dose-based approach. Estimation of these soil guidelines was completed using RESRAD 5.0 in accordance with the DOE RESRAD methodology specified in DOE/CH/8901. Guidelines are provided for the two predominant nuclides, Sr-90 and Cs-137, known to be present in the soil beneath the old basin. A guideline is also given for Pu-238 since it is known to exist at the H-Area Retention Basin. Site-specific soil characteristics are defined for the areas above, within, and beneath the contaminated zone

  9. DIVERSITY OF SOIL ARTHROPOD IN GREEN BARRIER AREA PT. PUSRI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arif Hidayat

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The research was conducted to inventory and identify as well as acknowledge the correlation between vegetation type with soil arthropods in the Green Barrier area of PT Pusri. PT. Pusri green Barrier area is 28 hectares and dominated by 10 types of vegetation, such as, the Angsana (Pterocarpus indicus Wild, Bambu (Bambusa Sp, Beringin (Ficus benyamina, Buah Roda (Hura crepitans L, Jati (Tectona grandis L, Kelampayan (Neolamarckia cadamba , Ketapang (Terminalia catappa L, Mahony (Swietenia macrophylla King, Pulai (Alstonia scholaris, and Sengon (Paraserianthes falcataria L. Soil arthropods were collected by using pit fall traps and funnel barlese-tullgren in every type of vegetation, between July-August 2015. Identification of arthropod genera Identification has been done in Entomology Laboratory of the Agriculture Plant Disease Faculty Sriwijaya University, and analysis of soil organic in the Laboratory of Soil Faculty of Agriculture Sriwijaya University. The results were obtained into 3 classes of soil arthropods belonging to the 10 orders, 28 families and 35 genera. The diversity index value of soil arthropods in various types of vegetation is classified moderately (H= 1-3, and no type of soil arthropods were dominant, mean that soil arthropods with different types spread over in the various types of vegetation in the area of Green Barrier PT. Pusri. Light intensity abiotic factors play an important role in the life of the soil arthropod communities in vegetation Sengon (Paraserianthes falcataria L with a correlation coefficient 1.00 Keywords: soil arthropods, community structure, a biotic factors, Green Barrier PT. Pusri

  10. Micromorphological characteristics of sandy forest soils recently impacted by wildfires in Russia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maksimova, Ekaterina; Abakumov, Evgeny

    2017-04-01

    Two fire-affected soils were studied using micromorphological methods. The objective of the paper is to assess and compare fire effects on the micropedological organisation of soils in a forest-steppe zone of central Russia (Volga Basin, Togliatti city). Samples were collected in the green zone of Togliatti city. The results showed that both soils were rich in quartz and feldspar. Mica was highly present in soils affected by surface fires, while calcium carbonates were identified in the soils affected by crown fires. The type of plasma is humus-clay, but the soil assemblage is plasma-silt with a prevalence of silt. Angular and subangular grains are the most dominant soil particulates. No evidence of intensive weathering was detected. There was a decrease in the porosity of soils affected by fires as a consequence of soil pores filled with ash and charcoal.

  11. Prediction of cesium-134 and strontium-85 crop uptake based on soil properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roca, M.C.; Vallejo, V.R.; Roig, M.; Tent, J.; Vidal, M.; Rauret, G.

    1997-01-01

    Nowadays, there is still the need to improve the quantification of parameters that affect radionuclide mobility. With this aim, radiocesium and radiostrontium soil-to-plant transfer was measured in lysimeters in a Calcic Luvisol, loamy soil and in a Fluvisol, loam-sandy soil, using lettuce [Lactuca sativa L. cv. Kinemontepas] and pea plants [Pisum sativum L. cv. Kelvedon Wonder]. Weighted Concentration Ratios (WCR), expressed as kg soil/kg plant, were calculated for different growth stages. Weighted Concentration Ratios were in general higher for 85Sr than for 134Cs, and also higher in the loam-sandy than in the loamy soil. To predict plant uptake, we evaluated a set of soil properties to define a prediction factor for the relative transfer in the two soils using cation exchange capacity (CEC) and radionuclide available fraction (fav) for radiostrontium, and soil solution composition, solid-liquid distribution coefficient, and radionuclide available fraction for radiocesium. The ratios of WCR in the loam-sandy and loamy soil were compared with the prediction factor. There was good agreement in lettuce for 85Sr (ratio of WCR was 5.4 for seedling and 3.9 for commercial samples, whereas prediction factor was 3.1) and for 134Cs (ratio of WCR was 5.1 for seedling and 5.5 for commercial samples, the prediction factor being 5.1), although for pea only the relative root uptake of radiocesium in seedling pea was well predicted (the ratio of WCR was 8.8, the prediction factor being 9.1). These soil parameters improved former predictions based solely on the fav, although factors depending on plant physiology should be better evaluated

  12. Ethnopedology and soil quality of bamboo (Bambusa sp.) based agroforestry system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arun Jyoti, Nath; Lal, Rattan; Das, Ashesh Kumar

    2015-07-15

    It is widely recognized that farmers' hold important knowledge of folk soil classification for agricultural land for its uses, yet little has been studied for traditional agroforestry systems. This article explores the ethnopedology of bamboo (Bambusa sp.) based agroforestry system in North East India, and establishes the relationship of soil quality index (SQI) with bamboo productivity. The study revealed four basic folk soil (mati) types: kalo (black soil), lal (red soil), pathal (stony soil) and balu (sandy soil). Of these, lal mati soil was the most predominant soil type (~ 40%) in bamboo-based agroforestry system. Soil physio-chemical parameters were studied to validate the farmers' soil hierarchal classification and also to correlate with productivity of the bamboo stand. Farmers' hierarchal folk soil classification was consistent with the laboratory scientific analysis. Culm production (i.e. measure of productivity of bamboo) was the highest (27culmsclump(-1)) in kalo mati (black soil) and the lowest (19culmsclump(-1)) in balu mati (sandy soil). Linear correlation of individual soil quality parameter with bamboo productivity explained 16 to 49% of the variability. A multiple correlation of the best fitted linear soil quality parameter (soil organic carbon or SOC, water holding capacity or WHC, total nitrogen) with productivity improved explanatory power to 53%. Development of SQI from ten relevant soil quality parameters and its correlation with bamboo productivity explained the 64% of the variation and therefore, suggest SQI as the best determinant of bamboo yield. Data presented indicate that the kalo mati (black soil) is sustainable or sustainable with high input. However, the other three folk soil types (red, stony and sandy soil) are also sustainable but for other land uses. Therefore, ethnopedological studies may move beyond routine laboratory analysis and incorporate SQI for assessing the sustainability of land uses managed by the farmers'. Additional

  13. Differences in nitrogen cycling and soil mineralisation between a ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Differences in nitrogen cycling and soil mineralisation between a eucalypt plantation and a mixed eucalypt and Acacia mangium plantation on a sandy tropical soil. ... An ecological intensification of eucalypt plantations was tested with the replacement of half of the Eucalyptus urophylla × E. grandis by Acacia mangium in the ...

  14. Study of radioactive sr and Cs in soil and soil /plant system at Inshas region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eissa, H.S.M.

    2008-01-01

    The radioactive fallout is considered one of the most major environmental problems that threats public health. The work presented in this thesis is carried out to investigate the level of radioactivity in different environmental samples of soils and vegetations collected from different locations around the NRC at Inshas area and the area nearby (about 30 km radius). Six different locations: Inshas, Shebeen, Abu-Zaabal, Al-Oboor in addition to two sites in the nuclear research center (old reactor and protection department sites) were chosen for the collection of the soil and plant samples. Most typical egyptian soils (sandy, sandyloam, clayey)from three different places (Al-Oboor, Abu-Zaabal, and Shebeen El-Kanatter) were selected for the experiments carried out under laboratory conditions. The plants investigated were grass, old trees and wheat. Cs 137 and Sr 90 were chosen to represent the most important long-lived radionuclides considering the human health, since these nuclides can enter human body via food chain and increase the radiation burden for many years. The following points are considered in this work: 1- Natural radionuclides concentration in different environmental samples of soil and plant especially (grasses and leaves of old trees) were determined using high resolution gamma-spectroscopic system (hyper-pure germanium detector). 2-Two groups of elements have been determined directly in two plant samples from each location (one grass, and the other old trees) together with their corresponding soils.3- Transfer factors (often used to describe the uptake of the radioisotope from soil to plant)of the log-lived radionuclides 137 Cs and 90 from soil to the wheat plant have been studied by radiotracer experiments .4- The sorption behavior of Cs and Sr radionuclides by the different soil types was investigated kinetically using batch techniques.

  15. Biodegradation of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in three tropical soils using radio labelled PEG

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abdalla, A.L. [Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Centre for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of Sao Paulo (CENA/USP), Piracicaba SP (Brazil)]. E-mail: abdalla@cena.usp.br; Regitano, J.B.; Tornisielo, V.L.; Marchese, L. [Laboratory of Ecotoxicology, Piracicaba SP (Brazil); Pecanha, M.R.S.R.; Vitti, D.M.S.S. [Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Centre for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of Sao Paulo (CENA/USP), Piracicaba SP (Brazil); Smith, T. [School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading (United Kingdom)

    2005-08-19

    Polyethylene glycol (PEG) may be added to forage based diets rich in tannins for ruminant feeding because it binds to tannins and thus prevent the formation of potentially indigestible tannin-protein complexes. The objective of this work was to determine the in vitro biodegradation (mineralization, i.e., complete breakdown of PEG to CO{sub 2}) rate of PEG. {sup 14}C-Polyethylene glycol ({sup 14}C-PEG) was added to three different tropical soils (a sandy clay loam soil, SaCL; a sandy clay soil, SaC; and a sandy loam soil, SaL) and was incubated in Bartha flasks. Free PEG and PEG bound to tannins from a tannin rich local shrub were incubated under aerobic conditions for up to 70 days. The biodegradation assay monitored the {sup 14}CO{sub 2} evolved after degradation of the labelled PEG in the soils. After incubation, the amount of {sup 14}CO{sub 2} evolved from the {sup 14}C-PEG application was low. Higher PEG mineralization values were found for the soils with higher organic matter contents (20.1 and 18.6 g organic matter/kg for SaCL and SaC, respectively) than for the SaL soil (11.9 g organic matter/kg) (P < 0.05). The extent of mineralization of PEG after 70 days of incubation in the soil was significantly lower (P < 0.05) when it was added as bound to the browse tannin than in the free form (0.040 and 0.079, respectively). (author)

  16. Soil characteristics and heavy metal accumulation by native plants in a Mn mining area of Guangxi, South China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jie; Zhang, Xue-hong; Li, Tian-yu; Wu, Qing-xin; Jin, Zhen-jiang

    2014-04-01

    Revegetation and ecological restoration of a Mn mineland are important concerns in southern China. To determine the major constraints for revegetation and select suitable plants for phytorestoration, pedological and botanical characteristics of a Mn mine in Guangxi, southern China were investigated. All the soils were characterized by low pH and low nitrogen and phosphorus levels except for the control soil, suggesting that soil acidity and poor nutrition were disadvantageous to plant growth. In general, the studied mine soils had normal organic matter (OM) and cation exchange capacity (CEC). However, OM (8.9 g/kg) and CEC (7.15 cmol/kg) were very low in the soils from tailing dumps. The sandy texture and nutrient deficiency made it difficult to establish vegetation on tailing dumps. Mn and Cd concentrations in all soils and Cr and Zn concentrations in three soils exceeded the pollution threshold. Soil Mn and Cd were above phytotoxic levels, indicating that they were considered to be the major constraints for phytorestoration. A botanical survey of the mineland showed that 13 plant species grew on the mineland without obvious toxicity symptoms. High Mn and Cd concentrations have been found in the aerial parts of Polygonum pubescens, Celosia argentea, Camellia oleifera, and Solanum nigrum, which would be interesting for soil phytoremediation. Miscanthus floridulus, Erigeron acer, Eleusina indica, and Kummerowia striata showed high resistance to the heavy metal and harsh condition of the soils. These species could be well suited to restore local degraded land in a phytostabilization strategy.

  17. Design of dry sand soil stratified sampler

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Erkang; Chen, Wei; Feng, Xiao; Liao, Hongbo; Liang, Xiaodong

    2018-04-01

    This paper presents a design of a stratified sampler for dry sand soil, which can be used for stratified sampling of loose sand under certain conditions. Our group designed the mechanical structure of a portable, single - person, dry sandy soil stratified sampler. We have set up a mathematical model for the sampler. It lays the foundation for further development of design research.

  18. Development and Application of Syndromic Surveillance for Severe Weather Events Following Hurricane Sandy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Stella; Hamby, Teresa; Chu, Alvin; Gleason, Jessie A; Goodrow, Gabrielle M; Gu, Hui; Lifshitz, Edward; Fagliano, Jerald A

    2016-06-01

    Following Hurricane Superstorm Sandy, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) developed indicators to enhance syndromic surveillance for extreme weather events in EpiCenter, an online system that collects and analyzes real-time chief complaint emergency department (ED) data and classifies each visit by indicator or syndrome. These severe weather indicators were finalized by using 2 steps: (1) key word inclusion by review of chief complaints from cases where diagnostic codes met selection criteria and (2) key word exclusion by evaluating cases with key words of interest that lacked selected diagnostic codes. Graphs compared 1-month, 3-month, and 1-year periods of 8 Hurricane Sandy-related severe weather event indicators against the same period in the following year. Spikes in overall ED visits were observed immediately after the hurricane for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, the 3 disrupted outpatient medical care indicators, asthma, and methadone-related substance use. Zip code level scan statistics indicated clusters of CO poisoning and increased medicine refill needs during the 2 weeks after Hurricane Sandy. CO poisoning clusters were identified in areas with power outages of 4 days or longer. This endeavor gave the NJDOH a clearer picture of the effects of Hurricane Sandy and yielded valuable state preparation information to monitor the effects of future severe weather events. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:463-471).

  19. Degradation of aldrin im samples of 'cerrado' Brazilian soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Musumeci, M.R.; Ruegg, E.F.

    1981-01-01

    14 C-aldrin degradation was studied in the laboratory, in samples of 'cerrado' Brazilian soils, during a period of 240 days. Recovery of radiocarbon decreased with time, although radiocarbon was not incorporated to the soil organic matter as show by soil combustion. In both soils 14 C-aldrin degraded to dieldrin and another compound that showed caracteristics of a hydrosoluble derivative of aldrin 14 C-aldrin was more persistent in sandy soil but amendment of this soil with nutrients or fertilizers did not enhanced aldrin degradation in this soil. (Author) [pt

  20. Determination of soil degradation in argentine semi-arid environments from remote sensors: case department of patagones, province of buenos aires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pezzola, Alejandro; Cacella, Alejandra; Enrique, Mario; Winschel, Cristina

    2017-04-01

    The continental territory of the Argentine Republic owns 75% of its surface under arid and semiarid conditions to the west of the meridian of 64°. Wind erosion is the main physical cause of desertification. In the Pampena area, studies showed that the sandy loam soils were more pronounced than the sandy loam with significant losses of organic matter, decreases in the cation exchange capacity and modification of the mineral composition of the very fine sand fraction (From 73 to 100 μm), with increases in the proportion of heavy minerals (magnetite) relative to light (quartz). In the Patagones department, Buenos Aires province, the soils with a sandy-loamy texture, which are transported by wind and deposited on calcium carbonate (tosca), with little moisture retention and susceptible to wind erosion. In the 1980s and 1990s, increases in rainfall above the historical average led to a shift of the isohytes towards the southwest, leading to agricultural intensification that caused greater pressure on the soil and native vegetation. This advance on the native vegetation within the Patagones produced a reduction between 1975 and 2009 of 432,280 ha, leaving only 31% of the area covered by native forest - shrub xerophyte today. Between 2005-2009, the call "agricultural drought" caused losses in crops, wheat - oats and natural pastures associated with the native forest, causing a significant deterioration of the soil, exposing them to wind erosion. Remote sensors represent a very valuable technology for the mapping and evaluation of soil erosion. The availability of multispectral images allows the mapping and monitoring of changes in the dynamics of the erosion process. The objective of this work was to make an expeditious diagnosis of the surface affected by wind erosion and to evaluate the degree to which the soils destined for agriculture and livestock were affected. For this purpose, Terra's MODIS (Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor information was

  1. The effect of different tillage and cover crops on soil quality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abdollahi, Lotfollah; Munkholm, Lars Juhl

    This paper examines the effect of different tillage treatments and cover crop on soil physical, chemical and biological properties of a sandy loam soil in a long-term field trial set up in 2007 at Foulum, Denmark. The experimental design is a split plot design with different tillage practices (di...... that P improved soil quality compared to H and D, especially when combined with cover crop. We also conclude that D may benefit from cover crop to yield better soil friability and hence soil quality.......This paper examines the effect of different tillage treatments and cover crop on soil physical, chemical and biological properties of a sandy loam soil in a long-term field trial set up in 2007 at Foulum, Denmark. The experimental design is a split plot design with different tillage practices...... (direct drilling (D), harrowing (H) to a depth of 8 cm and ploughing to a depth of 20 cm (P)) as main plot. The soil was cropped with cover crop (+CC) or left without cover crop (-CC) as split plot treatments in the main plots with different tillage treatments. We assessed topsoil structural quality...

  2. A New approach for evaluate a sandy soil infiltration to calculate the permeability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mechergui, M. Mohamed; Latifa Dhaouadi, Ms

    2016-04-01

    10 sites were chosen in the four ha field of Research Regional Center of Oasis Agriculture in Deguache (Tozeur). The soil is homogeneous to the depth of 120 cm; with a sandy texture (60% big sand, 20% small sand 13% silt and 7% clay); with a mean bulk density equal to 1.43g/cm3 and with field capacity and welting point equal respectively to 11.9 and 6 %. The time duration for each infiltration essay lasted between 352 and 554 minutes. The number of observation points for each infiltration curve varies between 31 and 40. The shape of the infiltration curves observed in all sites is in part similar to what observed in literature (high increase with time of cumulative infiltration for a short time and then a linear increase of this parameter to a time varying between 122 to 197 minutes depending on the site) and then something special a slowdown in the cumulative infiltration to the end of the essay. The (F(t) / t 1/2 versus t 1/2) plotted curves showed two distinguished parts: A linear relation to the time varying between 122 and 197 minutes confirming the validity of Philips model and a second part showed a slowdown in the slope to a time varying between 231 and 347 minutes depending on the site and then drop down to the end of the essay. This is may be due to the rearrangement of particles after a long time of infiltration which led to a decrease in hydraulic conductivity. To improve the calculation of the saturated hydraulic conductivity, we choose only the part that is validated by Philips model, the linear part. The number of omitted points in the cumulative infiltration varies between 11 and 22 points. By this method, the saturated hydraulic conductivity varies between 1 and 3.72 m/day with a mean equal to 2.35. However the previous technique used gave a mean value equal to 2.07. The new method is accurate and gives better results of K and sorbtivity.

  3. The accumulation of 137Cs in the biological compartment of forest soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nikolova, Ivanka; Johanson, Karl J.; Clegg, Stephen

    2000-01-01

    Soil samples were collected in various forest stands, located about 40 km north-west from Uppsala. The various stands were: (1) Clear cut area made in 1987, (2) Normal forest with 50-100 old Norway spruce and Scots pine and with a thick humic layer of about 10 cm; (3) Raised bog with 50-year-old Scots pine and Sphagnum moss layer over peat soil. (4) Rocky area with old Scots pine, growing on a shallow soil, mainly of organic origin. (5) Normal forest with nearly 100-year-old spruce and pine, growing a shallow humic layer over sandy soil. Soil blocks of about 20x20 cm and down to a depth of 10-15 cm were collected on each site. The soil samples were mechanically separated into various fractions: bulk, rhizosphere and soil-root interface. The results showed that 137 Cs was unevenly distributed between the three soil fractions. The highest activity concentrations -- 3-4 times higher than in the other two fractions -- as well as the highest organic content -- usually more than 95% -- were found in the soil-root interface fraction. Of the total 137 Cs activity in the soil, 18% as a mean value was found in the soil-root interface fraction. The results thus show that a substantial fraction of the 137 Cs in the soils in some way associated with the biological part of the soil, probably with the fungal component

  4. Spatial variation in the degradation rate of the pesticides isoproturon, azoxystrobin and diflufenican in soil and its relationship with chemical and microbial properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bending, Gary D.; Lincoln, Suzanne D.; Edmondson, Rodney N.

    2006-01-01

    The extent of within field variability in the degradation rate of the pesticides isoproturon, azoxystrobin and diflufenican, and the role of intrinsic soil factors and technical errors in contributing to the variability, was investigated in sites on sandy-loam and clay-loam. At each site, 40 topsoil samples were taken from a 160x60 m area, and pesticides applied in the laboratory. Time to 25% dissipation (DT25) ranged between 13 and 61 weeks for diflufenican, 5.6 and 17.2 weeks for azoxystrobin, and 0.3 and 12.5 weeks for isoproturon. Variability in DT25 was higher in the sandy-loam in which there was also greatest variability in soil chemical and microbial properties. Technical error associated with pesticide extraction, analysis and lack of model fit during derivation of DT25 accounted for between 5.3 and 25.8% of the variability for isoproturon and azoxystrobin, but could account for almost all the variability for diflufenican. Azoxystrobin DT25, sorption and pH were significantly correlated. - Spatial variation determines risk assessment for pesticides in soil

  5. Spatial variation in the degradation rate of the pesticides isoproturon, azoxystrobin and diflufenican in soil and its relationship with chemical and microbial properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bending, Gary D. [Warwick HRI, University of Warwick, Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: gary.bending@warwick.ac.uk; Lincoln, Suzanne D. [Warwick HRI, University of Warwick, Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF (United Kingdom); Edmondson, Rodney N. [Warwick HRI, University of Warwick, Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF (United Kingdom)

    2006-01-15

    The extent of within field variability in the degradation rate of the pesticides isoproturon, azoxystrobin and diflufenican, and the role of intrinsic soil factors and technical errors in contributing to the variability, was investigated in sites on sandy-loam and clay-loam. At each site, 40 topsoil samples were taken from a 160x60 m area, and pesticides applied in the laboratory. Time to 25% dissipation (DT25) ranged between 13 and 61 weeks for diflufenican, 5.6 and 17.2 weeks for azoxystrobin, and 0.3 and 12.5 weeks for isoproturon. Variability in DT25 was higher in the sandy-loam in which there was also greatest variability in soil chemical and microbial properties. Technical error associated with pesticide extraction, analysis and lack of model fit during derivation of DT25 accounted for between 5.3 and 25.8% of the variability for isoproturon and azoxystrobin, but could account for almost all the variability for diflufenican. Azoxystrobin DT25, sorption and pH were significantly correlated. - Spatial variation determines risk assessment for pesticides in soil.

  6. Effects of biochar, compost and biochar-compost on growth and nutrient status of maize in two Mediterranean soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manolikaki, Ioanna; Diamadopoulos, Evan

    2017-04-01

    During the past years, studies have shown that biochar alone or combined with compost, has the potential to improve soil fertility and maize yield mostly on tropical soils whereas experiments on Mediterranean soils are rare. Therefore, the influence of biochar, compost and mixtures of the two, on maize (Zea mays L.) growth and nutrient status were investigated, in this study. Biochars were produced from 2 feedstocks: grape pomace (GP) and rice husks (RH) pyrolyzed at 300°C. Maize was grown for 30 days in a greenhouse pot trial on two Mediterranean soils amended with biochar or/with compost at application rates of 0% and 2% (w/w) (equivalent to 0 and 16 t ha-1) and N fertilization. Total aboveground dry matter yield of maize was significantly improved relative to the control for all organic amendments, with increases in yield 43-60.8%, in sandy loam soil, while, in loam soil a statistically significant increase of 70.6-81.3% was recorded for all the amendments apart from compost. Some morphological traits, such as aboveground height of plants, shoot diameter and belowground dry matter yield were significantly increased by the organic treatments. Aboveground concentration of P was significantly increased from 1.46 mg g-1 at control to 1.69 mg g-1 at 2% GP biochar in sandy loam soil, whereas GP biochar combined with compost gave an increase of 2.03 mg g-1 compared to control 1.23 mg g-1. K and Mn concentrations of above ground tissues were significantly increased only in sandy loam soil, while Fe in both soils. N concentration of aboveground tissues declined for all the amendments in loam soil and in sandy loam soil apart from compost amendment. Significant positive impacts of amended soils on nutrients uptake were observed in both soils as compared to the control related to the improved dry matter yield of plant. The current study demonstrated that maize production could be greatly improved by biochar and compost because of the nutrients they supply and their

  7. Is Snow Gliding a Major Soil Erosion Agent in Steep Alpine Areas?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meusburger, K.; Walter, A.; Alewell, C.; Leitinger, G.; Mabit, L.; Mueller, M.H.

    2015-01-01

    Snow cover is a key hydrological characteristic of mountain areas. Nevertheless, a majority of studies focused on quantifying rates of soil erosion and sediment transport in steep mountain areas has largely neglected the role of snow cover on soil erosion rates (Stanchi et al., 2014). Soil erosion studies have focused almost exclusively on the snow-free periods even though it is well known that wet avalanches can yield enormous erosive forces (Freppaz et al., 2010; Korup and Rixen, 2014). This raises the question whether annual snow cover and particularly the slow movement of snow packages over the soil surface, termed ‘‘snow gliding’’, contribute significantly to the total soil loss in these areas. Three different approaches to estimate soil erosion rates were used to address this question. These include (1) the anthropogenic soil tracer 137 Cs, (2) the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), and (3) direct sediment yield measurements of snow glide deposits. The fallout radionuclide 137 Cs integrates total soil loss due to all erosion agents involved, the RUSLE model is suitable to estimate soil loss by water erosion and the sediment yield measurements yield represents a direct estimate of soil removal by snow gliding. Moreover, cumulative snow glide distance was measured for 14 sites and modelled for the surrounding area with the Spatial Snow Glide Model (Leitinger et al., 2008)

  8. Respuesta del trigo a la fertilización nitrogenada y nitroazufrada en suelos arenosos Wheat response to nitrogen and nitrogen with sulfur fertilization in sandy soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirian Barraco

    2009-12-01

    (S additions. However, the available information is not consistent for the diagnosis and analysis of the marginal contribution of S on wheat grain responses in combination with N fertilization. Thus, the objective of this study was to quantify the yield response of dryland wheat crops to N and NS fertilization and to determine the relationship between yield response and several soil properties in sandy soils. The study consisted in 34 field experiments within the semiarid and subhumid sandy pampas region (Argentina managed under no-tillage practices. Three treatments were evaluated: i control (without fertilization, ii 140 kg of N ha-¹ [N-NO3 soil (0-40 cm + N fertilizer], iii 140 kg of N ha-¹ [N-NO3 soil (0- 40 cm + N fertilizer] + 12 kg of S ha-¹. A positive response to N fertilization was observed in every experimental site. Mean grain yield response to the application of N was 949 kg ha-¹. Although the mean grain yield response to S fertilization was 232 kg ha-¹, only 38% of the sites (13 sites showed a significant response to this treatment. Crop response to S fertilization was not related to soil organic matter (p = 0.61, sand content (p = 0.90, soil extractable S-S0(4 ²-(p = 0.29, nor soil N-N0(3 -(p = 0.47 levels. Furthermore, it decreased with increasing maximum grain yields and it was positively related to crop responses to N fertilization. We conclude that in coarse textured soils with significant N limitations, wheat responses to S fertilization are greater and more common in low productivity sites.

  9. Sorção do imazapyr em solos com diferentes texturas Imazapyr sorption in soils with different textures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L.E. Firmino

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available O conhecimento do comportamento de herbicidas no ambiente, sobretudo no solo, permite a predição de possíveis impactos do seu uso em sistemas agrícolas. Com o intuito de avaliar a sorção do herbicida imazapyr no solo, foi realizado um experimento, utilizando sorgo (Sorghum bicolor como planta bioindicadora. A sorção do imazapyr foi avaliada em areia lavada e em três solos, com as seguintes texturas: muito argilosa, franco-argilo-arenosa e areia-franca, provenientes, respectivamente, das cidades de Sete Lagoas, João Pinheiro e Rio Casca, em Minas Gerais. Foram determinados: o valor de I50 (dose que inibiu 50% no acúmulo de massa seca da planta-teste e a relação de sorção [RS = (I50 solo -I 50 areia/I50 areia]. Os valores de I50 observados foram: 29,41; 10,20 e 7,33 mg kg-1, e a relação de sorção (RS: 9,77; 2,73 e 1,68, respectivamente para os solos muito argiloso, franco-argilo-arenoso e areia franca. O herbicida imazapyr apresentou a seguinte ordem de sorção nos substratos: muito argiloso > franco-argilo-arenoso > areia-franca > areia lavada. Em solos arenosos e com baixos teores de matéria orgânica, a baixa sorção do imazapyr predispõe o produto à lixiviação no perfil do solo, podendo contaminar mananciais de águas subterrâneas.Knowledge about herbicide behavior in the environment, especially in soil, allows predicting possible impacts caused by its use in agricultural systems. An experiment using Sorghum bicolor as a bio-indicator was carried out to evaluate imazapyr sorption in soil. Sorption was evaluated in washed sand and in soils of 3 different textures: very clayed, sandy clayed loam and sandy loam, respectively from Sete Lagoas, João Pinheiro and Rio Casca - Minas Gerais. The value of I50, which inhibits 50% of dry biomass accumulation of the test-plant, and sorption relation (SR = I50 soil - I50 sand/I50 sand were determined. I50 values observed were 29.41, 10.20 and 7.33 mg kg-1 and SR values were 9

  10. Study of downward movement of soil water in unsaturated zones using isotopic techniques. Part of a coordinated programme on studying physical and isotopic behaviour of soil moisture in the zones of aeration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sajjad, M.I.

    1984-08-01

    Experiments carried out to study the relative contribution from canal system, precipitation and irrigated fields to water table are described. The normal delta of irrigation water does not seem to have any appreciable effect on the water table through heavy textured soil. The contribution from irrigated fields and rains through sandy soils is significant. However, the groundwater rise (water logging) is mainly due to the infiltration from the canal system. Flow velocities at 1 m depth and 20 vol. % moisture are of the order of 16 m/a and 1.6 m/a for sandy and loamy soils respectively. The contribution from irrigated fields and rains to groundwater recharge is considered to be less than 30%

  11. On the ecogeomorphological feedbacks that control tidal channel network evolution in a sandy mangrove setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Maanen, B.; Coco, G.; Bryan, K. R.

    2015-01-01

    An ecomorphodynamic model was developed to study how Avicennia marina mangroves influence channel network evolution in sandy tidal embayments. The model accounts for the effects of mangrove trees on tidal flow patterns and sediment dynamics. Mangrove growth is in turn controlled by hydrodynamic conditions. The presence of mangroves was found to enhance the initiation and branching of tidal channels, partly because the extra flow resistance in mangrove forests favours flow concentration, and thus sediment erosion in between vegetated areas. The enhanced branching of channels is also the result of a vegetation-induced increase in erosion threshold. On the other hand, this reduction in bed erodibility, together with the soil expansion driven by organic matter production, reduces the landward expansion of channels. The ongoing accretion in mangrove forests ultimately drives a reduction in tidal prism and an overall retreat of the channel network. During sea-level rise, mangroves can potentially enhance the ability of the soil surface to maintain an elevation within the upper portion of the intertidal zone, while hindering both the branching and headward erosion of the landward expanding channels. The modelling results presented here indicate the critical control exerted by ecogeomorphological interactions in driving landscape evolution. PMID:26339195

  12. Regional modeling of cadmium leaching to groundwater in the Kempen region, The Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Grift, B.; Rozemeijer, J. C.; Griffioen, J.

    2003-01-01

    Sandy soils in the border area of Belgium and the Netherlands (the Kempen region), are heavily contaminated with cadmium and zinc by atmospheric deposition from nearby smelters. Leaching of heavy metals from the topsoil is a major risk for groundwater contamination. The sandy soils in the Kempen

  13. Soil aggregate stability within the morphologically diverse area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaksik, Ondrej; Kodesova, Radka; Kubis, Adam; Klement, Ales; Fer, Miroslav

    2013-04-01

    This study evaluates the effect of soil erosion on properties of topsoil especially on soil aggregate stability. Study was performed on morphologically diverse study site (6 ha area) in loess region of Southern Moravia, Czech Republic. The region has been under uninterrupted agricultural use since the middle of the Holocene. Haplic Chernozem is an original dominant soil unit in the area, nowadays progressively transformed into different soil units along with intensive soil erosion. There are eroded phases of Chernozem, Regosol (the steepest and heavily eroded parts of the study area), colluvial Chernozem and Colluvial soil (base slope). Sampling spots were selected in order to represent diverse soil units and morphological units. Soil samples were taken from the topsoil, carefully transported to the laboratory and consequently air dried. Following soil properties were measured: pH_KCl, pH_CaCl2, soil organic matter content (SOM), carbonate content (CO3), content of iron and manganese (in ammonium oxalate extract, Feo and Mn_o, and dithionite-citrate extract, Fed and Mn_d), and stability of soil aggregates using two different methods. The indexes of water stable aggregates (WSA) were determined using the procedure presented by Nimmo and Perkins (2002). The three methods proposed by Le Bissonnais (1996) were also used to study various destruction mechanisms. The fast wetting test (KV1) was applied to study aggregate slaking due to the compression of the entrapped air (mechanism similar to the WSA test). The slow wetting test (KV2) was used to evaluate aggregate disintegration caused by the micro cracking due to the different swelling, and physico-chemical dispersion due to the osmotic stress. The shaking after prewetting test (KV3) was utilized to study the mechanical aggregate breakdown. Terrain attributes were evaluated from digital terrain model. In general the lowest soil aggregate stability was observed on steep slopes, which were highly impacted by soil erosion

  14. Number and Effectiveness of Pea Rhizobia in Danish Soils

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Engvild, K.C.

    1989-01-01

    Most of 44 Danish soils tested contain between 1000 and 10 000 pea rhizobia (Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viceae) per gram. Pea rhizobia were not detected in acid moor and forest soils. Only one case of failed nodulation in peas in the field has been noted, in spots in a reclaimed sandy heath m...

  15. Transformation of the herbicide [14C]glufosinate in soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, A.E.

    1989-01-01

    The degradation of 2 μg/g [ 14 C]glufosinate (DL-homoalan-4-ylmethylphosphinic acid) was studied in clay, clay loam, and sandy loam soils at 85% field capacity and at 20 degree C. Over a 4-week period the soils were extracted and analyzed for transformation products by radiochemical and gas chromatographic techniques. In all soils there was release of [ 14 C]carbon dioxide and formation of [ 14 C]-3-(hydroxymethylphosphinyl)propionic acid (MPPA) as major degradation products. Within 21 days, about 55% of the applied 14 C herbicide had been transformed to MPPA in the sandy loam and 19% to [ 14 C]carbon dioxide. After 28 days, approximately 45% of the 14 C herbicide had been transformed to MPPA in the clay and clay loam and 10% released as [ 14 C]carbon dioxide. At all samplings, other 14 C transformation products appeared to be insignificant

  16. Calcium Stabilized And Geogrid Reinforced Soil Structures In Seismic Areas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rimoldi, Pietro; Intra, Edoardo

    2008-01-01

    In many areas of Italy, and particularly in high seismic areas, there is no or very little availability of granular soils: hence embankments and retaining structures are often built using the locally available fine soil. For improving the geotechnical characteristics of such soils and/or for building steep faced structures, there are three possible techniques: calcium stabilization, geogrid reinforcement, and the combination of both ones, that is calcium stabilized and reinforced soil. The present paper aims to evaluate these three techniques in terms of performance, design and construction, by carrying out FEM modeling and stability analyses of the same reference embankments, made up of soil improved with each one of the three techniques, both in static and dynamic conditions. Finally two case histories are illustrated, showing the practical application of the above outlined techniques

  17. Study on small-strain behaviours of methane hydrate sandy sediments using discrete element method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu Yanxin; Cheng Yipik [Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London (UCL), Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Xu Xiaomin; Soga, Kenichi [Geotechnical and Environmental Research Group, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)

    2013-06-18

    Methane hydrate bearing soil has attracted increasing interest as a potential energy resource where methane gas can be extracted from dissociating hydrate-bearing sediments. Seismic testing techniques have been applied extensively and in various ways, to detect the presence of hydrates, due to the fact that hydrates increase the stiffness of hydrate-bearing sediments. With the recognition of the limitations of laboratory and field tests, wave propagation modelling using Discrete Element Method (DEM) was conducted in this study in order to provide some particle-scale insights on the hydrate-bearing sandy sediment models with pore-filling and cementation hydrate distributions. The relationship between shear wave velocity and hydrate saturation was established by both DEM simulations and analytical solutions. Obvious differences were observed in the dependence of wave velocity on hydrate saturation for these two cases. From the shear wave velocity measurement and particle-scale analysis, it was found that the small-strain mechanical properties of hydrate-bearing sandy sediments are governed by both the hydrate distribution patterns and hydrate saturation.

  18. Soil organic matter and soil acidity in Mangrove areas in the river Paraiba Estuary, Cabedelo, Paraiba, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renata Wilma Vasconcelos

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Mangrove ecosystems are of great environmental significance, because of their fragility and role in feeding and breeding various animal species. In northeastern Brazil, the disorderly occupation of estuarine areas and the urban sprawl have led to a considerable loss of the original area occupied by mangroves. In the municipality of Cabedelo, State of Paraíba, there are about 4,900 ha of remnant mangrove areas in the estuarine complex of the Paraíba River. However, information about the attributes of mangrove soils at this location is quite scarce. The aim of this study was to quantify the soil organic matter and soil acidity in mangroves located in the estuary of the Paraíba River, State of Paraíba, Brazil, in order to increase the database of soil attributes in this region. The study area is in local influence of the Restinga de Cabedelo National Forest (Flona, an environmental conservation unit of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation. For the choice of sampling points, we considered an area that receives direct influence of the eviction of domestic and industrial effluents. The soil of the study area is an “Organossolo Háplico” in Brazilian Soil Classification (Histosol, and was sampled at four point sites: one upstream of the effluent discharge (P1, one in the watercourse receiving effluent water (P2, one downstream of the effluent discharge (P3 and another near Flona (P4, at 0-20 and 20-40 cm, in four replications in time (28/08/2012 in the morning and afternoon, and 21/01/2013 in the morning and afternoon. Potential acidity, pH and soil organic matter (SOM were determined. No significant differences were detected in the potential acidity of the four collection sites, which ranged from 0.38 to 0.45 cmolc dm-3. Soil pH was greatest at point P4 (7.0 and lowest at point P1 (5.8. The SOM was highest at point P1 (86.4 % and lowest at P2 (77.9 %. The attributes related to soil acidity were not sensitive to indicate

  19. Runoff and soil loss on a sandveld in Rhodesia | DL | African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    year period on a sandy soil with a 4 percent slope in south-western Rhodesia. The runoff as a percentage of the mean annual rainfall varied from 3.8, where the veld was left undisturbed, to 30.3, where the soil was kept bare artificially.

  20. Toxicity of Fipronil in Mississippi Soil Types Against Reticulitermes flavipes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    J. E. Mulrooney; P. D. Gerard

    2007-01-01

    Three soils (a silt loam, loamy sand, sandy loam) found in Mississippi and pure silica sand were treated with fipronil and bioassayed using eastern subterranean termites, Reticulitermes flavipes. Soils were treated with aqueous solutions of Termidor (fipronil) at concentrations of 0, 0.12, 0.25,2.5, 5.0 and 20.0 ppm (wt AI: wt soil) that brought the soils to 15%...