Use of the Universal Soil-Loss Equation to determine water erosion with the semi-circular bund water-harvesting technique in the Syrian Steppe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamdan Al Mahmoud

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This research was conducted through the rain season 2009 -2010, in Mehasseh Research Center at (Al Qaryatein, The area is characterized by a hot and dry climate in summer and cold in winter with an annual average rainfall of 114 mm. Three slopes (8%, 6%, 4% were used in semicircular bunds water -harvesting techniques with bunds parallel to the contours lines at flow distance of 18, 12 and 6 m. The bunds were planted with Atriplex Halimus seedlings. Graded metal rulers were planted inside the bunds to determine soil loss and sedimentation associated with the surface runoff, and metallic tanks were placed at the end of the flow paths to determine agricultural soil loss from water runoff. A rain intensity gauge was placed near the experiment site to determine the rainfall intensity that produced runoff. The treatments were done in three replications. The amount of soil erosion (in tons per hectare per year increased with increasing of the slope, the highest recorded value was 38.66 at slope of 8% and the lowest 0.05 at 4% slope. The amount of soil erosion also increased with increasing of water run distance, which was 38.66 T.ha-1.yr-1 at 18 m and 0.05 T.ha-1.yr-1 at 6 m . Bunds with different diameter of water harvesting reduced soil erosion by about 65% at slope of 8%, 55% at 6%, and 46% at 4%. The input parameters of Universal soil-loss equation were found to be suitable for determining soil erosion in this arid and semi-arid region. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ije.v3i2.10499 International Journal of the Environment Vol.3(2 2014: 1-11

Soil Water and Temperature System (SWATS) Instrument Handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cook, David R. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2016-04-01

The soil water and temperature system (SWATS) provides vertical profiles of soil temperature, soil-water potential, and soil moisture as a function of depth below the ground surface at hourly intervals. The temperature profiles are measured directly by in situ sensors at the Central Facility and many of the extended facilities of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) site. The soil-water potential and soil moisture profiles are derived from measurements of soil temperature rise in response to small inputs of heat. Atmospheric scientists use the data in climate models to determine boundary conditions and to estimate the surface energy flux. The data are also useful to hydrologists, soil scientists, and agricultural scientists for determining the state of the soil.

Characteristics of water infiltration in layered water repellent soils

Science.gov (United States)

Hydrophobic soil can influence soil water infiltration, but information regarding the impacts of different levels of hydrophobicity within a layered soil profile is limited. An infiltration study was conducted to determine the effects of different levels of hydrophobicity and the position of the hyd...

A methodological framework to determine optimum durations for the construction of soil water characteristic curves using centrifugation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vero Sara E.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available During laboratory assessment of the soil water characteristic curve (SWCC, determining equilibrium at various pressures is challenging. This study establishes a methodological framework to identify appropriate experimental duration at each pressure step for the construction of SWCCs via centrifugation. Three common temporal approaches to equilibrium – 24-, 48- and 72-h – are examined, for a grassland and arable soil. The framework highlights the differences in equilibrium duration between the two soils. For both soils, the 24-h treatment significantly overestimated saturation. For the arable site, no significant difference was observed between the 48- and 72-h treatments. Hence, a 48-h treatment was sufficient to determine ‘effective equilibrium’. For the grassland site, the 48- and 72-h treatments differed significantly. This highlights that a more prolonged duration is necessary for some soils to conclusively determine that effective equilibrium has been reached. This framework can be applied to other soils to determine the optimum centrifuge durations for SWCC construction.

Soil water repellency at old crude oil spill sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, J.L.

1999-08-01

This thesis presents the current state of knowledge regarding the cause of soil water repellency and characterizes disaggregated nonwettable surface soils found at old crude oil spill sites. Pollution-induced water repellency generally develops following prolonged exposures of soil to liquid- or vapour-phase petroleum hydrocarbons. The condition varies significantly in terms of severity and persistence. Soil water repellency retards plant growth and disturbs the hydrological balance of ecosystems. Disaggregated water-repellent soils are also very susceptible to dispersal by erosion, posing a threat to the productivity of surrounding soils. The author described the probable causes of soil water repellency under the following three main themes: (1) accumulation of hydrophobic organic material in soil, (2) redistribution and re-organisation of this material in soil, and (3) stabilisation of the hydrophobic organic material. This final process is necessary to ensure persistence of induced water repellency symptoms. Petroleum residues as water-repellent substances in weathered nonwettable oil-contaminated soils were also discussed and a hypothesis about soil water repellency was presented which deals with flexible conformation in organic matter coatings. Processes leading to the development of soil water repellency following crude oil contamination were also described. It was determined that soil water repellency is a function of the packing density and the chain conformation of amphiphilic organic molecules in the outermost layer of soil organic matter coatings. This research suggests that the fractional coverage of alkyl chains on soil particle surfaces determines the degree of water repellency that is displayed by soil. It was shown that prompt remediation of some oil-contaminated plots can effectively prevent the development of soil water repellency. 4 refs., 32 tabs., 22 figs., 5 appendices

A comparison of methods for determining soil water availability in two sites in Panama with similar rainfall but distinct tree communities

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas A. Kursar; Bettina M. J. Engelbrecht; Melvin T. Tyree

2005-01-01

Plant productivity, distribution and diversity in tropical rain forests correlate with water availability. Water availability is determined by rainfall and also by the available water capacity of the soil. However, while rainfall is recognized as important, linkages between plant distribution and differences among soils in available water capacity have not been...

Mechanical impedance of soil crusts and water content in loamy soils

Science.gov (United States)

Josa March, Ramon; Verdú, Antoni M. C.; Mas, Maria Teresa

2013-04-01

Soil crust development affects soil water dynamics and soil aeration. Soil crusts act as mechanical barriers to fluid flow and, as their mechanical impedance increases with drying, they also become obstacles to seedling emergence. As a consequence, the emergence of seedling cohorts (sensitive seeds) might be reduced. However, this may be of interest to be used as an effective system of weed control. Soil crusting is determined by several factors: soil texture, rain intensity, sedimentation processes, etc. There are different ways to characterize the crusts. One of them is to measure their mechanical impedance (MI), which is linked to their moisture level. In this study, we measured the evolution of the mechanical impedance of crusts formed by three loamy soil types (clay loam, loam and sandy clay loam, USDA) with different soil water contents. The aim of this communication was to establish a mathematical relationship between the crust water content and its MI. A saturated soil paste was prepared and placed in PVC cylinders (50 mm diameter and 10 mm height) arranged on a plastic tray. Previously the plastic tray was sprayed with a hydrophobic liquid to prevent the adherence of samples. The samples on the plastic tray were left to air-dry under laboratory conditions until their IM was measured. To measure IM, a food texture analyzer was used. The equipment incorporates a mobile arm, a load cell to apply force and a probe. The arm moves down vertically at a constant rate and the cylindrical steel probe (4 mm diameter) penetrates the soil sample vertically at a constant rate. The equipment is provided with software to store data (time, vertical distance and force values) at a rate of up to 500 points per second. Water content in crust soil samples was determined as the loss of weight after oven-drying (105°C). From the results, an exponential regression between MI and the water content was obtained (determination coefficient very close to 1). This methodology allows

Soil water diffusivity as a function of water content and time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guerrini, I.A.

1976-04-01

The soil-water diffusivity has been studied as a function of water content and time. From the idea of studying the horizontal movement of water in swelling soils, a simple formulation has been achieved which allows for the diffusivity, water content dependency and time dependency, to be estimated, not only of this kind of soil, but for any other soil as well. It was observed that the internal rearrangement of soil particles is a more important phenomenon than swelling, being responsible for time dependency. The method 2γ is utilized, which makes it possible to simultaneously determine the water content and density, point by point, in a soil column. The diffusivity data thus obtained are compared to those obtained when time dependency is not considered. Finally, a new soil parameter, α, is introduced and the values obtained agrees with the internal rearrangment assumption and time dependency for diffusivity (Author) [pt

Atrazine determination and some of their degradation products in soils and water by means of liquid chromatography of high resolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olarte, Israel; Guerrero, Jairo Arturo; Fuentes, Cilia

1999-01-01

This study describes the validation of the analytical method for the simultaneous determination of atrazine (AT) and its metabolites deisopropylatrazine (DIA) and deetylatrazine (DEA) in irrigation water and agricultural soil. Field samples were collected in a cornfield located in Saldana, (Tolima, Colombia) and treated with 2.9 kg. a.i/ha of atrazine. Samples were collected for three months starting after herbicide treatment. The quantitative determination of the compounds of interest was carried out by HPLC with UV detection in a lichrospher RP-18 column of 125 x 4 mm, 5 , using a gradient of acetonitrile-water as mobile phase. The compounds were extracted from the water matrix and concentrated using solid phase extraction (SPE). From the soil matrix the compounds were extracted with methanol followed by a clean up with dichloromethane and buffer phosphate 0.01 M, pH 10.0. Calibration curves were linear over a concentration range of 6 /L- 30 /L in water and 30 /kg - 200 /kg in soil. The method is specific and sensitive with a detection limit of 0.6 /L for DIA, 0.7 /L for DIA and AT in water, 2.0 /kg for DIA, 2.3 /kg for DIA and AT in soil. Recovery experiments were performed with irrigation water samples yielding average recoveries between 80-100% and performed on soil samples yielding average recoveries between 45-65%. DIA and DEA were not detected in neither water nor soil field samples, but atrazine was found in water after the first month following herbicide application at a concentration level of 5,8 /L, and in soil AT a concentration level of 97 /kg - at the second month, no atrazine was found in water but 42 /kg were detected in soil

Soil water management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nielsen, D.R.; Cassel, D.K.

1984-01-01

The use of radiation and tracer techniques in investigations into soil water management in agriculture, hydrology etc. is described. These techniques include 1) neutron moisture gauges to monitor soil water content and soil water properties, 2) gamma radiation attenuation for measuring the total density of soil and soil water content, 3) beta radiation attenuation for measuring changes in the water status of crop plants and 4) radioactive and stable tracers for identifying pathways, reactions and retention times of the constituents in soils and groundwater aquifers. The number and spacing of soil observations that should be taken to represent the management unit are also considered. (U.K.)

Errors in determination of soil water content using time-domain reflectometry caused by soil compaction around wave guides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghezzehei, T.A.

2008-05-29

Application of time domain reflectometry (TDR) in soil hydrology often involves the conversion of TDR-measured dielectric permittivity to water content using universal calibration equations (empirical or physically based). Deviations of soil-specific calibrations from the universal calibrations have been noted and are usually attributed to peculiar composition of soil constituents, such as high content of clay and/or organic matter. Although it is recognized that soil disturbance by TDR waveguides may have impact on measurement errors, to our knowledge, there has not been any quantification of this effect. In this paper, we introduce a method that estimates this error by combining two models: one that describes soil compaction around cylindrical objects and another that translates change in bulk density to evolution of soil water retention characteristics. Our analysis indicates that the compaction pattern depends on the mechanical properties of the soil at the time of installation. The relative error in water content measurement depends on the compaction pattern as well as the water content and water retention properties of the soil. Illustrative calculations based on measured soil mechanical and hydrologic properties from the literature indicate that the measurement errors of using a standard three-prong TDR waveguide could be up to 10%. We also show that the error scales linearly with the ratio of rod radius to the interradius spacing.

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

Certified reference materials for the determination of mineral oil hydrocarbons in water, soil and waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koch, M.; Liebich, A.; Win, T.; Nehls, I.

2005-07-01

The international research project HYCREF, funded by the European Commission in the 5{sup th} Framework programme, aimed to develop methods to prepare homogeneous and stable water-, soil- and waste reference materials contaminated with mineral oil hydrocarbons and to test certify the mineral oil content by gas chromatographic methods. As mineral oil products are important sources for environmental contaminations a high need exists for certified reference materials for their determination using the new gas chromatographic methods (soil: ISO/FDIS 16703, waste: ENpr 14039, water: ISO 9377-2). The experimental conditions and results for preparation and characterisation of a total of nine reference materials (3 water, 3 soil- and 3 waste materials) are described and discussed. Target values for the reference materials were defined at the beginning of the project in order to have clear quality criteria, which could be compared with the achieved results at the end of the project. These target specifications were related to the maximum uncertainty from test certification exercises (<5% for soil/waste and <10% for water), the maximum inhomogeneity between bottles (<3%) and minimum requirements for stability (>5 years for soil/waste and >2 years for water). The feasibility studies showed that solid materials (soil, waste) could be prepared sufficiently homogeneous and stable. The test certified values of the 6 solid materials comprise a wide range of mineral oil content from about 200-9000 mg/kg with expanded uncertainties between 5.7-13.1% using a coverage factor k (k=2). The development of new water reference materials - the so-called ''spiking pills'' for an offshore- and a land-based discharge water represents one of the most innovative aspects of the project. The spiking pill technology facilitates the application and storage and improves the material stability compared with aqueous materials. Additional to the preparation and test certification of

SOIL WATER BALANCE APPROACH IN ROOT ZONE OF MAIZE (95 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DR. AMINU

It is usual practice to use available soil water content as a criterion for deciding when irrigation is needed. Soil water content is determined by using soil measuring techniques (capacitance probe) that describe the depletion of available soil water see fig1 and 2. The irrigation scheduling is based on the water treatment (i.e. ...

Hysteresis of Soil Point Water Retention Functions Determined by Neutron Radiography

Science.gov (United States)

Perfect, E.; Kang, M.; Bilheux, H.; Willis, K. J.; Horita, J.; Warren, J.; Cheng, C.

2010-12-01

Soil point water retention functions are needed for modeling flow and transport in partially-saturated porous media. Such functions are usually determined by inverse modeling of average water retention data measured experimentally on columns of finite length. However, the resulting functions are subject to the appropriateness of the chosen model, as well as the initial and boundary condition assumptions employed. Soil point water retention functions are rarely measured directly and when they are the focus is invariably on the main drying branch. Previous direct measurement methods include time domain reflectometry and gamma beam attenuation. Here we report direct measurements of the main wetting and drying branches of the point water retention function using neutron radiography. The measurements were performed on a coarse sand (Flint #13) packed into 2.6 cm diameter x 4 cm long aluminum cylinders at the NIST BT-2 (50 μm resolution) and ORNL-HFIR CG1D (70 μm resolution) imaging beamlines. The sand columns were saturated with water and then drained and rewetted under quasi-equilibrium conditions using a hanging water column setup. 2048 x 2048 pixel images of the transmitted flux of neutrons through the column were acquired at each imposed suction (~10-15 suction values per experiment). Volumetric water contents were calculated on a pixel by pixel basis using Beer-Lambert’s law in conjunction with beam hardening and geometric corrections. The pixel rows were averaged and combined with information on the known distribution of suctions within the column to give 2048 point drying and wetting functions for each experiment. The point functions exhibited pronounced hysteresis and varied with column height, possibly due to differences in porosity caused by the packing procedure employed. Predicted point functions, extracted from the hanging water column volumetric data using the TrueCell inverse modeling procedure, showed very good agreement with the range of point

Multitracer studies for determining seepage water and anion movement in four types of soil using lysimeters with different functions and designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knappe, S.; Russow, R.

1999-01-01

Lysimeter experiments based on the stable isotope tracer technique are a suitable means of examining the complex relationships governing water and material transport processes in the soil. The present paper reports on experiments in which water and nitrate movement was traced directly by means of lysimeters placed at different depths and using deuterium water and [ 15 N]N-nitrate for pulse marking. Extensive investigations carried out during the dissection of soil monoliths that had been used for many years in lysimeters offered an opportunity for stable isotope tracer studies aimed at determining seepage water and anion movement in undisturbed soils and, after dismantling the lysimeters, conducting soil analyses to find out more about the fate of nonpercolated tracers at various soil depths. Following other authors, bromide anions were additionally used as conservative tracers [de

Use of Nitrogen-15 Isotope Method in Soils and Ground Water to Determine Potential Nitrogen Sources Affecting a Municipal Water Supply in Kansas, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Townsend, M. A.; Macko, S. A.

2004-12-01

Nitrate-N concentrations have increased to greater than 10 mg/L in a municipal water supply in western Kansas from 1995 to 2002. A study was done by the Kansas Geological Survey using the nitrogen-15 natural abundance isotope method to determine potential sources for the increasing nitrate concentrations. Preliminary results of the isotope analyses on water samples suggest that animal waste and/or denitrification enrichment has affected the water supply. Soil samples from areas near the wells that were not treated with manure show a general increase of nitrogen-15 signature (+9 to +15 \\permil) to a depth of 5 m. Soils are silt loams with measurable carbonate (0.8 to 2 % by weight) in the profile, which may permit volatilization enrichment to occur in the soil profile. Wells in the area range from 11 to 20 m in alluvial deposits with depth to water at approximately 9 m). Nitrate-N values range from 8 to 26 mg/L. Nitrogen-15 values range from (+17 to +28 \\permil) with no obvious source of animal waste near the well sites. There are potential nearby long-term sources of animal waste - an abandoned sewage treatment plant and an agricultural testing farm. One well has a reducing chemistry with a nitrate value of 0.9 mg/L and a nitrogen-15 value of +17 \\permil suggesting that alluvial sediment variation also has an impact on the water quality in the study area. The other wells show values of nitrate and nitrogen-15 that are much greater than the associated soils. The use of nitrogen-15 alone permited limited evaluation of sources of nitrate to ground water particularly in areas with carbonate in the soils. Use of oxygen-18 on nitrate will permit the delineation of the processes affecting the nitrogen in the soil profile and determination of the probable sources and the processes that have affected the nitrogen in the ground water. Final results of the nitrogen-15 and oxygen-18 analyses will be presented.

Soil tension mediates isotope fractionation during soil water evaporation

Science.gov (United States)

Gaj, Marcel; McDonnell, Jeffrey

2017-04-01

Isotope tracing of the water cycle is increasing in its use and usefulness. Many new studies are extracting soil waters and relating these to streamflow, groundwater recharge and plant transpiration. Nevertheless, unlike isotope fractionation factors from open water bodies, soil water fractionation factors are poorly understood and until now, only empirically derived. In contrast to open water evaporation where temperature, humidity and vapor pressure gradient define fractionation (as codified in the well-known Craig and Gordon model), soil water evaporation includes additionally, fractionation by matrix effects. There is yet no physical explanation of kinetic and equilibrium fraction from soil water within the soil profile. Here we present a simple laboratory experiment with four admixtures of soil grain size (from sand to silt to clay). Oven-dried samples were spiked with water of known isotopic composition at different soil water contents. Soils were then stored in sealed bags and the headspace filled with dry air and allowed to equilibrate for 24hours. Isotopic analysis of the headspace vapor was done with a Los Gatos Inc. water vapor isotope analyzer. Soil water potential of subsamples were measured with a water potential meter. We show for the first time that soil tension controls isotope fractionation in the resident soil water. Below a Pf 3.5 the δ-values of 18O and 2H of the headspace vapor is more positive and increases with increasing soil water potential. Surprisingly, we find that the relationship between soil tension and equilibrium fractionation is independent of soil type. However, δ-values of each soil type plot along a distinct evaporation line. These results indicate that equilibrium fractionation is affected by soil tension in addition to temperature. Therefore, at high soil water tension (under dry conditions) equilibrium fractionation is not consistent with current empirical formulations that ignore these effects. These findings may have

Methods of pH determination in Calcareous soils of Oman: The effect of Electrolyte and soil solution ratio

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Busaidi, A.; Cookson, P.

2002-01-01

Determination of pH assists in understanding many reactions that occur in soil. Soil pH values are highly sensitive to the procedure used for determination. In this study, pH was measured in different electrolytes [distilled water (pHw), 0.01MCaCl2 (pHCa), 1MKCl (pHk), and 0.01MBaCl2 (pHba)] with different soil: electrolyte ratios (i.e. 1:1, 1:2.5 and 1:5). The objective was to determine the effect of each electrolyte and dilution ratio on pH of saline and non-saline soils from Oman. It was found that ph values varied significantly between electrolytes and with different dilution ratios. Linear regression equations were generated between electrolytes, dilution ratios and were mostly significant. Soil pH values determined in different electrolytes were significantly interrelated. Water appeared as a highly suitable solvent for soil pH measurements because it is simple and values familiar to soil users. However, alkaline errors and electrode instabilities due to liquid junction and soluble salt effects, affected soil pH measurements, especially in water, and resulted in alkaline errors during pH measurements. Errors were minimized when pH was measured in electrolytes rather than in water. (author)

Soil water content and evaporation determined by thermal parameters obtained from ground-based and remote measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Reginato, R. J.; Idso, S. B.; Jackson, R. D.; Vedder, J. F.; Blanchard, M. B.; Goettelman, R.

1976-01-01

Soil water contents from both smooth and rough bare soil were estimated from remotely sensed surface soil and air temperatures. An inverse relationship between two thermal parameters and gravimetric soil water content was found for Avondale loam when its water content was between air-dry and field capacity. These parameters, daily maximum minus minimum surface soil temperature and daily maximum soil minus air temperature, appear to describe the relationship reasonably well. These two parameters also describe relative soil water evaporation (actual/potential). Surface soil temperatures showed good agreement among three measurement techniques: in situ thermocouples, a ground-based infrared radiation thermometer, and the thermal infrared band of an airborne multispectral scanner.

Determination of the concentration of radionuclides in soil and water next the uranium mine of Caetite, Bahia, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida, Geangela M.; Souza, Susana O.; Campos, Simara S.S.; Gennari, Roseli F.

2011-01-01

The economic growing in Brazil is responsible for an urgent demand for energy. Uranium is the fuel used to generate nuclear power. Brazil has the sixth largest reserve of the uranium ore in the world and, nowadays there is only one mine under exploration (Uraniferous District of Lagoa Real - Caetite-BA). Some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), such as Greenpeace, state that the explored uranium mine is dangerous and polluting, causing water contamination by uranium. So, the population would be receiving radiation doses above permissible limits. However, Industrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) the company in charge of the complex extraction and production of yellow cake rejected these accusations. The main purpose of this work is the determination of the composition of natural radionuclides in the Uraniferous District of Lagoa Real in order to determine if the nearest population is exposed to environmental radiation. It was checked if there is water contamination due to the natural transport in the uranium mining surroundings. Soil and water samples from Caetite mine and also from nearby town were collected. Only one water sample collected had concentrations higher than the limits recommended by World Health Organization. The presence of radionuclides in soil samples is considered independent of mineral exploration. The effective dose rates in almost all samples are above the world average which is 2.4 mSv/y. To sum up, the presence of uranium in water and soil of the tested areas is probably due to the nature of the soil and not to the exploration of mine. (author)

Determination of the concentration of radionuclides in soil and water next the uranium mine of Caetite, Bahia, Brazil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almeida, Geangela M.; Souza, Susana O. [Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Sao Cristovao, SE (Brazil). Dept. of Physics; Campos, Simara S.S. [State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB), Itapetinga, BA (Brazil). Dept. of Basic and Instrumental Studies; Gennari, Roseli F., E-mail: rgennari@dfn.if.usp.b [University of Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Inst. of Physics. Dept. of Nuclear Physics

2011-07-01

The economic growing in Brazil is responsible for an urgent demand for energy. Uranium is the fuel used to generate nuclear power. Brazil has the sixth largest reserve of the uranium ore in the world and, nowadays there is only one mine under exploration (Uraniferous District of Lagoa Real - Caetite-BA). Some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), such as Greenpeace, state that the explored uranium mine is dangerous and polluting, causing water contamination by uranium. So, the population would be receiving radiation doses above permissible limits. However, Industrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) the company in charge of the complex extraction and production of yellow cake rejected these accusations. The main purpose of this work is the determination of the composition of natural radionuclides in the Uraniferous District of Lagoa Real in order to determine if the nearest population is exposed to environmental radiation. It was checked if there is water contamination due to the natural transport in the uranium mining surroundings. Soil and water samples from Caetite mine and also from nearby town were collected. Only one water sample collected had concentrations higher than the limits recommended by World Health Organization. The presence of radionuclides in soil samples is considered independent of mineral exploration. The effective dose rates in almost all samples are above the world average which is 2.4 mSv/y. To sum up, the presence of uranium in water and soil of the tested areas is probably due to the nature of the soil and not to the exploration of mine. (author)

Development of effective methods for determination of boron in soils and soil solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Мaruan Tanasheva

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This paper is related to serious ecological problem in agriculture: soil degradation in rice fields in South Kazakhstan and in particular, to boron toxicity in rice, which resulted in reduced crop yields. The following abiotic factors were studied to determine the ability of boron to accumulate in rice fields: soil type, soil properties like salinity and acidity', season (level of precipitation, water logging /water shortage. The results shows that the severity of boron excess for fertility of rice crop which depends on boron ionic composition in soil. Adverse impact of both boron deficiency and boron excess are discussed. The necessity of boron fertilizers is shown for soils with high boron mobility.

Residue determination and levels of glyphosate in surface waters, sediments and soils associated with oil palm plantation in Tasik Chini, Pahang, Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Mardiana-Jansar, K.; Ismail, B. S.

2014-09-01

Levels of glyphosate and its main metabolite were determined in surface water, soil and sediment samples from an oil palm plantation area located at Tasik Chini, Pahang, Malaysia. The optimization analytical method has been developed for the determination of glyphosate herbicide and its metabolite amino-methyl-phosphonic acid (AMPA) in surface waters to a level of 0.1μg/L, while in sediments and soils to a level of 0.5μg/g with a good linearity in the calibration range of 1-100μg/L. The procedure involves a pre-columnderivatization step with 9-fluorenyl-methyl-chloroformate (FMOC-Cl) yielding highly fluorescent derivatives of the analytes which can be determined by HPLC with fluorescence detection. In the field, levels of glyphosate in surface waters ranges from not detected to 1.0mg/L, while in soils and sediments were from not detected to 6.0mg/kg. For AMPA, the residues in surface waters were between not detected to 2.0mg/L, while in soil and sediment samples were from not detected to 5mg/kg. This variation of glyphosate and AMPA levels depended directly on time of pesticide application and the season.

Interlaboratory comparison of the determination of 137Cs and 90Sr in water, food and soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuks, L.; Polkowska-Motrenko, H.; Merta, A.

2006-01-01

Reliable measurements of radioisotope concentrations are of primary importance for the laboratories dealing with radioactivity determinations. According to the Polish regulations, since 2002 it is obligatory to organize every two years national interlaboratory comparisons (ILC) on the determination of various radionuclides in food and environmental samples. First such ILC on the determination of 137 Cs and 90 Sr in water, food and soil was organized by the National Atomic Energy Agency of Poland in 2004 with the participation of fourteen laboratories from Polish research institutes and universities. The ILC was conducted by the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology. Two types of water (surface and potable; six samples), wheat flour and soil (four samples) were spiked with 137 Cs and 90 Sr. From the results obtained in all participating laboratories it can be concluded that the procedures of assigning value and preparation of homogeneous material have been done properly and the majority of the determinations remain in good agreement with the assigned values and with the results obtained by other laboratories. Such agreement means that the performance of the laboratories is good and also that the samples are equivalent

Hydraulic conductivity of indeformed soil columns determination by gamma ray transmission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreira, Anderson Camargo; Moraes Cavalcante, Fabio Henrique de; Rocha, Marcos Correa da; Filho, Otavio Portezan; Quinones, Fernando Rodolfo Espinosa; Appoloni, Carlos Roberto

2000-01-01

The spatial variation of the soil structure influences the water movement through its porous geometry, which could cause problems in the development of agricultural cultures and also accelerate processes of soil erosion. The gamma ray transmission method has established efficiency for the non-destructive measurement of moisture temporal and space evolution, and consequently in the determination of the hydraulic conductivity of the soil, K(θ). Columns of undisturbed soil (approximately 0.11 x 0.06 x 0.60 m) were removed from a trench in the Campus of Londrina State University. The used soil was classified like distrophic dark red soil (LRd). The indeformed soil columns were wrapped up with paraffin and gauze and were fixed on the table of measurement. The water vertical infiltration in the soil was accomplished by maintaining a water layer of approximately 0.01 m over an area of soil of 75 x 10 -4 m 2 . Layers of filter papers and foam controlled the flow of water in the soil surface. After the conclusion of the infiltration, began the process of redistribution of the water in the soil column, with the objective to determine the function K(θ) in relation to the depth in the column. The moisture profiles θ(z,t) are obtained using a radioactive source of 241 Am (3.7 x 10 9 Bq; 0.0596 MeV), spectrometric electronic chain, a 2x2'' NaI(Tl) detector and a measurements table , which allows the sample to move vertically. The hydraulic conductivity function was determined, applying the Sisson model , at 10 levels in the soil column and the results exhibit an increase of K(θ) with depth. (author)

Characteristics of soil under variations in clay, water saturation, and water flow rates, and the implications upon soil remediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aikman, M.; Mirotchnik, K.; Kantzas, A.

1997-01-01

A potential remediation method for hydrocarbon contaminated soils was discussed. The new method was based on the use of proven and economic petroleum reservoir engineering methods for soil remediation. The methods that were applied included water and gas displacement methods together with horizontal boreholes as the flow inlet and outlets. This system could be used in the case of spills that seep beneath a plant or other immovable infrastructure which requires in-situ treatment schemes to decontaminate the soil. A study was conducted to characterize native soils and water samples from industrial plants in central Alberta and Sarnia, Ontario and to determine the variables that impact upon the flow conditions of synthetic test materials. The methods used to characterize the soils included X-Ray computed tomographic analysis, grain size and density measurements, and X-Ray diffraction. Clay content, initial water saturation, and water and gas flow rate were the variables that impacted on the flow conditions

Soil volumetric water content measurements using TDR technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Vincenzi

1996-06-01

Full Text Available A physical model to measure some hydrological and thermal parameters in soils will to be set up. The vertical profiles of: volumetric water content, matric potential and temperature will be monitored in different soils. The volumetric soil water content is measured by means of the Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR technique. The result of a test to determine experimentally the reproducibility of the volumetric water content measurements is reported together with the methodology and the results of the analysis of the TDR wave forms. The analysis is based on the calculation of the travel time of the TDR signal in the wave guide embedded in the soil.

A methodological framework to determine optimum durations for the construction of soil water characteristic curves using centrifugation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vero, Sara E.; Healy, Mark G.; Henry, Tiernan; Creamer, Rachel E.; Ibrahim, Tristan G.; Forrestal, Patrick J.; Richards, Karl G.; Fenton, Owen

2016-01-01

During laboratory assessment of the soil water characteristic curve (SWCC), determining equilibrium at various pressures is challenging. This study establishes a methodological framework to identify appropriate experimental duration at each pressure step for the construction of SWCCs via

Sensible heat balance measurements of soil water evaporation beneath a maize canopy

Science.gov (United States)

Soil water evaporation is an important component of the water budget in a cropped field. Few methods are available for continuous and independent measurement of soil water evaporation. A sensible heat balance (SHB) approach has recently been demonstrated for continuously determining soil water evapo...

Water storage change estimation from in situ shrinkage measurements of clay soils

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brake, te B.; Ploeg, van der M.J.; Rooij, de G.H.

2012-01-01

Water storage in the unsaturated zone is a major determinant of the hydrological behaviour of the soil, but methods to quantify soil water storage are limited. The objective of this study is to assess the applicability of clay soil surface elevation change measurements to estimate soil water storage

Development of an analytical methodology for the determination of the antiparasitic drug toltrazuril and its two metabolites in surface water, soil and animal manure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Jesper; Björklund, Erland; Krogh, Kristine A

2012-01-01

This paper presents the development, optimization and validation of a LC-MS/MS methodology to determine the antiparasitic veterinary drug toltrazuril and its two main metabolites, toltrazuril sulfoxide and toltrazuril sulfone, in environmental surface water, soil and animal manure. Using solid...... phase extraction and selective pressurized liquid extraction with integrated clean-up, the analytical method allows for the determination of these compounds down to 0.06-0.13 ng L(-1) in water, 0.01-0.03 ng g(-1)dw in soil and 0.22-0.51 ng g(-1) dw in manure. The deuterated analog of toltrazuril...... was used as internal standard, and ensured method accuracy in the range 96-123% for water and 77-110% for soil samples. The developed method can also be applied to simultaneously determine steroid hormones in the solid samples. The antiparasitic drug and its metabolites were found in manure and soil up...

Soil physics and the water management of spatially variable soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youngs, E.G.

1983-01-01

The physics of macroscopic soil-water behaviour in inert porous materials has been developed by considering water flow to take place in a continuum. This requires the flow region to consist of an assembly of representative elementary volumes, repeated throughout space and small compared with the scale of observations. Soil-water behaviour in swelling soils may also be considered as a continuum phenomenon so long as the soil is saturated and swells and shrinks in the normal range. Macroscale heterogeneity superimposed on the inherent microscale heterogeneity can take many forms and may pose difficulties in the definition and measurement of soil physical properties and also in the development and use of predictive theories of soil-water behaviour. Thus, measurement techniques appropriate for uniform soils are often inappropriate, and criteria for soil-water management, obtained from theoretical considerations of behaviour in equivalent uniform soils, are not applicable without modification when there is soil heterogeneity. The spatial variability of soil-water properties is shown in results from field experiments concerned with water flow measurements; these illustrate both stochastic and deterministic heterogeneity in soil-water properties. Problems of water management of spatially variable soils when there is stochastic heterogeneity appear to present an insuperable problem in the application of theory. However, for soils showing deterministic heterogeneity, soil-water theory has been used in the solution of soil-water management problems. Thus, scaling using similar media theory has been applied to the infiltration of water into soils that vary over a catchment area. Also, the drain spacing to control the water-table height in soils in which the hydraulic conductivity varies with depth has been calculated using groundwater seepage theory. (author)

COSMOS soil water sensor compared with EM sensor network & weighing lysimeter

Science.gov (United States)

Soil water sensing methods are widely used to characterize the root zone and below, but only a few are capable of delivering water content data with accuracy for the entire soil profile such that evapotranspiration (ET) can be determined by soil water balance and irrigations can be scheduled with mi...

Changes of the water isotopic composition in unsaturated soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feurdean, Victor; Feurdean, Lucia

2001-01-01

Based on the spatial and temporal variations of the stable isotope content in precipitation - as input in subsurface - and the mixing processes, the deuterium content in the water that moves in unsaturated zones was used to determine the most conducive season to recharge, the mechanisms for infiltration of snow or rain precipitation in humid, semi-arid or arid conditions, the episodic cycles of infiltration water mixing with the already present soil water and water vapor and whether infiltration water is or is not from local precipitation. Oscillations in the isotopic profiles of soil moisture can be used to estimate the following aspects: where piston or diffusive flow is the dominant mechanisms of water infiltration; the average velocities of the water movement in vadose zone; the influence of vegetation cover, soil type and slope exposure on the dynamics of water movement in soil; the conditions required for infiltration such as: the matrix, gravity, pressure and osmotic potentials during drainage in unsaturated soil. (authors)

Radioecology of tritiated water in subarctic soils and vegetation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salonen, L.; Miettinen, J.K.

1982-01-01

The residence times of tritium in various types of soils and plants have been determined in southern and northern Finland. The experiments were conducted in forest and agricultural environments where tritiated water was applied to the soil surface in the form of a single fall of rain. After that the movement and loss of tritiated water from the unsaturated zone was followed over a 2-4-year period in some forest areas. Uptake and loss of tritium in the tissue-free water and organic compounds of some native plants was studied in each area. The results indicated that in the subarctic area the half-residence times of tritium in soils and plants were greatly dependent on the climatic conditions at the time of the labelling and during the short growing seasons and also on the rate of water movement in the soil. In the experiments started during the best growing season the half-residence times in soil and plants do not differ from those determined in more temperate latitudes. (author)

Estimation of Soil Water Retention Curve Using Fractal Dimension ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ADOWIE PERE

2017-12-01

Dec 1, 2017 ... ABSTRACT: The soil water retention curve (SWRC) is a fundamental hydraulic property majorly used to study flow transport in soils and calculate ... suitable to model the heterogeneous soil structure with tortuous pore space (Rieu ... so, soil texture determined according to the USDA texture classification.

Compost improves urban soil and water quality

Science.gov (United States)

Construction in urban zones compacts the soil, which hinders root growth and infiltration and may increase erosion, which may degrade water quality. The purpose of our study was to determine the whether planting prairie grasses and adding compost to urban soils can mitigate these concerns. We simula...

Degradation process modelization in of metallic drink containers, in soil, in water and in water-soil interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rieiro, I.; Trivino, V.; Gutierrez, T.; Munoz, J.; Larrea, M. T.

2013-01-01

This study asses the environmental pollution by metal release that takes place during prolonged exposures when metallic drink containers are accidentally settle in the soil in a uncontrolled way, For comparative purposes, the F111 steel and the aluminium alloy 3003, widely used for the fabrication of these containers, are also considered. A experimental design is proposed to simulate the environmental pollution during prolonged exposures. Analytical indicators have been obtained determining the metallic concentration from three types of mediums; water, water in presence of soil, and absorption-adsorption in soil. An analytical methodology has been developed by Atomic Emission Spectrometry with ICP as exciting source (ICP-OES) for metallic quantification. The method was validated using Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) of soil and water and the precision obtained varies from 5.39 to 5.86% and from 5.75 to 6.27%, respectively according to of the element studied. A statistical descriptive study followed by a factorial analysis (linear general model) has been carried out for the treatment of the experimental data packages. The metallic quantification for the three mediums shows that the soil inhibits metallic solubility in water. The process to make packages reduces in both cases their metallic cession. (Author)

Thermo physical properties of lateritic soil bricks: Influence of water content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meukam, P.; Noumowe, A.; Kofane, T.C.

2002-11-01

This paper presents an experimental study carried out in order to determine the properties of local materials used as construction materials. Cement stabilized compressed bricks were tested. The thermal properties of lateritic soil based materials were determined. The objectives of work reported in this paper are to determine the effect of addition of pozzolan or sawdust in lateritic soil brick on the thermal properties. It was shown that the effect of the incorporation of pozzolan or sawdust is the decreasing of the thermal conductivity and density. The moisture content of these materials can modify their thermal performance. Thus a study of the influence of the water content on the thermal conductivity k and the thermal diffusivity a is presented. The thermal conductivity, as a function of water content, increases rapidly between O% and 12% for lateritic soil. The thermal diffusivity curve presents a maximum for values of water content of 15% for lateritic soil and 8% for lateritic soil-pozzolan or lateritic soil- sawdust. (author)

Determination of pyridine in soil and water samples of a polluted area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, R.J.B.; Renesse van Duivenbode, J.A.D. van

1994-01-01

A method for the analyses of pyridine in environmental samples is described. For soil samples a distillation procedure followed by an extraction, an acidic extraction or a Soxhlet extraction can be used. For water samples a distillation procedure followed by extraction can be employed. Deuterated pyridine is used as an internal standard and the extracts are analyzed by GC-MS. The recoveries of the methods are higher than 80%; the detection limits for pyridine are 0.01 mg/kg for soil samples and 0.2 μg/l for water samples. (orig.)

Technique of tritium-tagging of soil moisture for determination of ground water recharge. Some results from north eastern region of Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandra, U.

1986-01-01

The technique of reactor produced tritium for tracing downward movement of soil moisture and its application for detemination of ground water recharge is described. Data of rainfall infiltration and the consequent recharge in purely sandy sites and one clayey site of semi-arid climate are described. Tritiated water was injected below 70-90 cm ground surface in five radially concentric points 10 cm appart. Sampling of soil was carried out after one year, at every 10 cm depth interval. Soil samples were vacuum distilled and tritium in distilled moisture was determined by liquid scintillation counting. (Author) [pt

Association of water spectral indices with plant and soil water relations in contrasting wheat genotypes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gutierrez, Mario; Reynolds, Matthew P; Klatt, Arthur R

2010-07-01

Spectral reflectance indices can be used to estimate the water status of plants in a rapid, non-destructive manner. Water spectral indices were measured on wheat under a range of water-deficit conditions in field-based yield trials to establish their relationship with water relations parameters as well as available volumetric soil water (AVSW) to indicate soil water extraction patterns. Three types of wheat germplasm were studied which showed a range of drought adaptation; near-isomorphic sister lines from an elite/elite cross, advanced breeding lines, and lines derived from interspecific hybridization with wild relatives (synthetic derivative lines). Five water spectral indices (one water index and four normalized water indices) based on near infrared wavelengths were determined under field conditions between the booting and grain-filling stages of crop development. Among all water spectral indices, one in particular, which was denominated as NWI-3, showed the most consistent associations with water relations parameters and demonstrated the strongest associations in all three germplasm sets. NWI-3 showed a strong linear relationship (r(2) >0.6-0.8) with leaf water potential (psi(leaf)) across a broad range of values (-2.0 to -4.0 MPa) that were determined by natural variation in the environment associated with intra- and inter-seasonal affects. Association observed between NWI-3 and canopy temperature (CT) was consistent with the idea that genotypes with a better hydration status have a larger water flux (increased stomatal conductance) during the day. NWI-3 was also related to soil water potential (psi(soil)) and AVSW, indicating that drought-adapted lines could extract more water from deeper soil profiles to maintain favourable water relations. NWI-3 was sufficiently sensitive to detect genotypic differences (indicated by phenotypic and genetic correlations) in water status at the canopy and soil levels indicating its potential application in precision

Wetting properties of fungi mycelium alter soil infiltration and soil water repellency in a γ-sterilized wettable and repellent soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Chau, Henry Wai; Goh, Yit Kheng; Vujanovic, Vladimir; Si, Bing Cheng

2012-12-01

Soil water repellency (SWR) has a drastic impact on soil quality resulting in reduced infiltration, increased runoff, increased leaching, reduced plant growth, and increased soil erosion. One of the causes of SWR is hydrophobic fungal structures and exudates that change the soil-water relationship. The objective of this study was to determine whether SWR and infiltration could be manipulated through inoculation with fungi. The effect of fungi on SWR was investigated through inoculation of three fungal strains (hydrophilic -Fusarium proliferatum, chrono-amphiphilic -Trichoderma harzianum, and hydrophobic -Alternaria sp.) on a water repellent soil (WR-soil) and a wettable soil (W-soil). The change in SWR and infiltration was assessed by the water repellency index and cumulative infiltration respectively. F. proliferatum decreased the SWR on WR-soil and slightly increased SWR in W-soil, while Alternaria sp. increased SWR in both the W-soil and the WR-soil. Conversely T. harzianum increased the SWR in the W-soil and decreased the SWR in the WR-soil. All strains showed a decrease in infiltration in W-soil, while only the F. proliferatum and T. harzianum strain showed improvement in infiltration in the WR-soil. The ability of fungi to alter the SWR and enmesh soil particles results in changes to the infiltration dynamics in soil. Copyright © 2012 The British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of the δ2H and δ18O of soil water and water in plant matter; RSIL lab code 1700

Science.gov (United States)

Revesz, Kinga M.; Buck, Bryan; Coplen, Tyler B.

2012-01-01

The purpose of the Reston Stable Isotope Laboratory lab code 1700 is to determine the δ2H/1H), abbreviated as δ2H, and the δ18O/16O), abbreviated as δ18O, of soil water and water in plant matter. This method is based on the observation that water and toluene form an azeotropic mixture at 84.1 °C. This temperature is substantially lower than the boiling points of water (100 °C) and toluene (110 °C), but water and toluene are immiscible at ambient temperature. The water content of a soil or plant is determined by weighing, drying, and reweighing a small amount of sample. Sufficient sample to collect 3 to 5 milliliters of water after distillation is loaded into a distillation flask. Sufficient toluene is added so that the sample is immersed throughout the entire distillation to minimize evaporation of water, which would affect the δ2H and δ18O values. The mixture of sample and toluene is heated in a flask to its boiling point (84.1 °C) so that water from the sample and toluene can distill together into a specially designed collection funnel. The temperature of 84.1 °C is maintained until the water has been quantitatively transferred to the collection funnel, at which time the temperature is raised to the boiling point of the remaining component (toluene, 110 °C). The collection funnel is maintained at ambient temperature so that the sample water and toluene can be separated physically. After separation, the sample water is purified by addition of paraffin wax to the container with the sample water, capping the container, and heating to approximately 60 °C to melt the wax. Trace amounts of toluene will dissolve in the wax, purifying the sample water for isotopic analysis. The isotopic composition of the purified water is then determined by equilibration with gaseous hydrogen or carbon dioxide, followed by dual-inlet isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. Because laser-absorption spectrometry is sensitive to organic compounds, such as trace toluene remaining in

The Influence of Soil Particle on Soil Condensation Water

OpenAIRE

Hou Xinwei; Chen Hao; Li Xiangquan; Cui Xiaomei; Liu Lingxia; Wang Zhenxing

2013-01-01

The experiment results showed that the indoor experiment formed from the volume of soil hygroscopic water increased gradually with decreasing size of soil particles. In the outdoor experiments, the results showed that the formed condensation water in medium sand was greater than it was in fine sand; the soil hot condensation water was mainly formed in the top layer of soil between 0-5 cm. We also found that covering the soil surface with stones can increase the volume of formed soil condensat...

Validation of water sorption-based clay prediction models for calcareous soils

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arthur, Emmanuel; Razzaghi, Fatemeh; Moosavi, Ali

2017-01-01

on prediction accuracy. The soils had clay content ranging from 9 to 61% and CaCO3 from 24 to 97%. The three water sorption models considered showed a reasonably fair prediction of the clay content from water sorption at 28% relative humidity (RMSE and ME values ranging from 10.6 to 12.1 and −8.1 to −4......Soil particle size distribution (PSD), particularly the active clay fraction, mediates soil engineering, agronomic and environmental functions. The tedious and costly nature of traditional methods of determining PSD prompted the development of water sorption-based models for determining the clay...... fraction. The applicability of such models to semi-arid soils with significant amounts of calcium carbonate and/or gypsum is unknown. The objective of this study was to validate three water sorption-based clay prediction models for 30 calcareous soils from Iran and identify the effect of CaCO3...

Performance evaluation of TDT soil water content and watermark soil water potential sensors

Science.gov (United States)

This study evaluated the performance of digitized Time Domain Transmissometry (TDT) soil water content sensors (Acclima, Inc., Meridian, ID) and resistance-based soil water potential sensors (Watermark 200, Irrometer Company, Inc., Riverside, CA) in two soils. The evaluation was performed by compar...

Determination of natural uranium, thorium and radium isotopes in water and soil samples by alpha spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hao, Le Cong; Tao, Chau Van; Thong, Luong Van; Linh, Duong Mong [University of Science Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam). Faculty of Physics and Engineering Physics; Dong, Nguyen Van [University of Science Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam). Faculty of Chemistry

2011-08-15

In this study, a simple procedure for the determination of natural uranium, thorium and radium isotopes in water and soil samples by alpha spectroscopy is described. This procedure allows a sequential extraction polonium, uranium, thorium and radium radionuclides from the same sample in two to three days. It was tested and validated with the analysis of certified reference materials from the IAEA. (orig.)

Performance of chromatographic systems to model soil-water sorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Hidalgo-Rodríguez, Marta; Fuguet, Elisabet; Ràfols, Clara; Rosés, Martí

2012-08-24

A systematic approach for evaluating the goodness of chromatographic systems to model the sorption of neutral organic compounds by soil from water is presented in this work. It is based on the examination of the three sources of error that determine the overall variance obtained when soil-water partition coefficients are correlated against chromatographic retention factors: the variance of the soil-water sorption data, the variance of the chromatographic data, and the variance attributed to the dissimilarity between the two systems. These contributions of variance are easily predicted through the characterization of the systems by the solvation parameter model. According to this method, several chromatographic systems besides the reference octanol-water partition system have been selected to test their performance in the emulation of soil-water sorption. The results from the experimental correlations agree with the predicted variances. The high-performance liquid chromatography system based on an immobilized artificial membrane and the micellar electrokinetic chromatography systems of sodium dodecylsulfate and sodium taurocholate provide the most precise correlation models. They have shown to predict well soil-water sorption coefficients of several tested herbicides. Octanol-water partitions and high-performance liquid chromatography measurements using C18 columns are less suited for the estimation of soil-water partition coefficients. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sustainable Soil Water Management Systems

OpenAIRE

Basch, G.; Kassam, A.; Friedrich, T.; Santos, F.L.; Gubiani, P.I.; Calegari, A.; Reichert, J.M.; dos Santos, D.R.

2012-01-01

Soil quality and its management must be considered as key elements for an effective management of water resources, given that the hydrological cycle and land management are intimately linked (Bossio et al. 2007). Soil degradation has been described by Bossio et al. (2010) as the starting point of a negative cycle of soil-water relationships, creating a positive, self-accelerating feedback loop with important negative impacts on water cycling and water productivity. Therefore, sustainable soil...

Water evaporation from bare soil at Paraiba, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, Jose Romualdo de Sousa; Antonino, Antonio Celso D.; Lira, Carlos A. Brayner de O.; Maciel Netto, Andre; Silva, Ivandro de Franca da; Souza, Jeffson Cavalcante de

2002-01-01

Measurements were accomplished in a 4,0 ha area in Centro de Ciencias Agrarias, UFPB, Areia City, Paraiba State, Brazil (6 deg C 58'S, 35 deg C 41'W and 645 m), aiming to determine water evaporation from bare soil, by energy and water balance approaches. Rain gauge, net radiometer, pyranometer and sensor for measuring the temperature and the relative humidity of the air and the speed of the wind, in two levels above the soil surface, were used to solve the energy balance equations. In the soil, two places were fitted with instruments, each one with two thermal probes, installed horizontally in the depths z1 = 2,0 cm and z2 = 8,0 cm, and a heat flux plate, for the measurement of the heat flux in the soil, the z1 = 5,0 cm. The measured data were stored every 30 minutes in a data logger. For the calculation of the water balance, three tensio-neutronics sites were installed, containing: an access tube for neutrons probe and eight tensiometers. The values of soil evaporation obtained by water balance were lower than obtained by energy balance because of the variability of the water balance terms. (author)

Modeling Bacteria-Water Interactions in Soil: EPS Dynamics Under Evaporative Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Furrer, J.; Hinestroza, H. F.; Guo, Y. S.; Gage, D. J.; Cho, Y. K.; Shor, L. M.

2017-12-01

The soil habitat represents a major linkage between the water and carbon cycles: the ability of soils to sequester or release carbon is determined primarily by soil moisture. Water retention and distribution in soils controls the abundance and activity of soil microbes. Microbes in turn impact water retention by creating biofilms, composed of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). We model the effects of bacterial EPS on water retention at the pore scale. We use the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), a well-established fluid dynamics modeling platform, and modify it to include the effects of water uptake and release by the swelling/shrinking EPS phase. The LB model is implemented in 2-D, with a non-ideal gas equation of state that allows condensation and evaporation of fluid in pore spaces. Soil particles are modeled according to experimentally determined particle size distributions and include realistic pore geometries, in contrast to many soil models which use spherical soil particles for simplicity. Model results are compared with evaporation experiments in soil micromodels and other simpler experimental systems, and model parameters are tuned to match experimental results. Drying behavior and solid-gel contact angle of EPS produced by the soil bacteria Sinorhizobium meliloti has been characterized and compared to the behavior of deionized water under the same conditions. The difference in behavior between the fluids is used to parameterize the model. The model shows excellent qualitative agreement for soil micromodels with both aggregated and non-aggregated particle arrangements under no-EPS conditions, and reproduces realistic drying behavior for EPS. This work represents a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding microbe-soil interactions at the pore scale.

Monitoring changes in soil water content on adjustable soil slopes of a soil column using time domain reflectometry (TDR) techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan Zakaria Wan Muhd Tahir; Lakam Anak Mejus; Johari Abdul Latif

2004-01-01

Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) is one of non-destructive methods and widely used in hydrology and soil science for accurate and flexible measurement of soil water content The TDR technique is based on measuring the dielectric constant of soil from the propagation of an electromagnetic pulse traveling along installed probe rods (parallel wire transmission line). An adjustable soil column i.e., 80 cm (L) x 35 cm (H) x 44 cm (W) instrumented with six pairs of vertically installed CS615 reflectometer probes (TDR rods) was developed and wetted under a laboratory simulated rainfall and their sub-surface moisture variations as the slope changes were monitored using TDR method Soil samples for gravimetric determination of water content, converted to a volume basis were taken at selected times and locations after the final TDR reading for every slope change made of the soil column Comparisons of water contents by TDR with those from grawmetric samples at different slopes of soil column were examined. The accuracy was found to be comparable and to some extent dependent upon the variability of the soil. This study also suggests that the response of slope (above 20 degrees) to the gradual increase in water content profile may cause soil saturation faster and increased overland flow (runoff especially on weak soil conditions

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.

Theoretical study of soil water balance and process of soil moisture evaporation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu. A. Savel'ev

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Nearly a half of all grain production in the Russian Federation is grown in dry regions. But crop production efficiency there depends on amount of moisture, available to plants. However deficit of soil moisture is caused not only by a lack of an atmospheric precipitation, but also inefficient water saving: losses reach 70 percent. With respect thereto it is important to reveal the factors influencing intensity of soil moisture evaporation and to develop methods of decrease in unproductive moisture losses due to evaporation. The authors researched soil water balance theoretically and determined the functional dependences of moisture loss on evaporation. Intensity of moisture evaporation depends on physicomechanical characteristics of the soil, a consistence of its surface and weather conditions. To decrease losses of moisture for evaporation it is necessary, first, to improve quality of crumbling of the soil and therefore to reduce the evaporating surface of the soil. Secondly - to create the protective mulching layer which will allow to enhance albedo of the soil and to reduce its temperature that together will reduce unproductive evaporative water losses and will increase its inflow in case of condensation from air vapors. The most widespread types of soil cultivation are considered: disk plowing and stubble mulch plowing. Agricultural background «no tillage» was chosen as a control. Subsoil mulching tillage has an essential advantage in a storage of soil moisture. So, storage of soil moisture after a disking and in control (without tillage decreased respectively by 24.9 and 19.8 mm while at the mulching tillage this indicator revised down by only 15.6 mm. The mulching layer has lower heat conductivity that provides decrease in unproductive evaporative water losses.

The evaluation and determination of heavy metals pollution in edible vegetables, water and soil in the south of Tehran province by GIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shirkhanloo Hamid

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In this study, heavy metals pollutions in waters, soils and vegetables were investigated from farms, near oil refinery in south of Tehran city, Iran (Shahre Ray. The most important heavy metals in Iranian oil are vanadium, cobalt, nickel, arsenic and mercury (V, Co, Ni, As, Hg. In this region, the concentration of heavy metals in soils, well waters and leafy edible vegetables were evaluated in ten different points of farms. Geographic information systems (GIS were used to estimate the levels of heavy metals concentration at unmeasured locations. After sample preparation, concentrations of heavy metals in vegetables, soils and waters were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS. Five different leafy edible vegetables from farms, i.e., Persian leek, dill, parsley, spinach and radish were sampled in spring, summer and autumn 2012. In vegetables and well water samples, the concentrations of V, Ni and Co were above the permissible limit of heavy metals as compared to WHO guidelines and the concentrations of these metals in agricultural soils were found to be lower in accordance to soil references. The industrial waste waters had high concentration of heavy metals in this area. In consequence, the results of this study indicate that industrial waste water can cause pollution in well waters and edible vegetables. So, this region is not suitable for cultivation and growing vegetables.

Measurement of water flow rate in unsaturated soil by thermistor type sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takebe, Shinichi; Yamamoto, Tadatoshi; Wadachi, Yoshiki

1981-09-01

As a part of radiological safety studies for ground disposal of radioactive wastes, a measuring apparatus of water flow rate with thermistor type sensor was made as preliminary one and the measurement of water flow rate in the soil was carried out, in order to evalute by comparison of the migration rate of water with that of radionuclide in an unsaturated soil. The water flow rate can be determined by measuring the change of the thermal conductivity (temperature) of soil around the several thermistor type sensors set in a soil. Particularly at the region of low water content in the soil, the water flow rate was able to measure successfully by this apparatus. (author)

Fluorescent probes for understanding soil water repellency: the novel application of a chemist's tool to soil science

Science.gov (United States)

Balshaw, Helen M.; Davies, Matthew L.; Doerr, Stefan H.; Douglas, Peter

2015-04-01

Food security and production is one of the key global issues faced by society. It has become essential to work the land efficiently, through better soil management and agronomy whilst protecting the environment from air and water pollution. The failure of soil to absorb water - soil water repellency can lead to major environmental problems such as increased overland flow and soil erosion, poor uptake of agricultural chemicals, and increased risk of groundwater pollution due to the rapid transfer of contaminants and nutrient leaching through uneven wetting and preferential flow pathways. Understanding the causes of soil hydrophobicity is essential for the development of effective methods for its amelioration, supporting environmental stability and food security. Organic compounds deposited on soil mineral or aggregate surfaces have long been recognised as a major factor in causing soil water repellency. It is widely accepted that the main groups of compounds responsible are long-chain acids, alkanes and other organic compounds with hydrophobic properties. However, when reapplied to sands and soils, the degree of water repellency induced by these compounds and mixtures varied widely with compound type, amount, and mixture, in a seemingly unpredictable way. Fluorescent and phosphorescent probes are widely used in chemistry and biochemistry due to their sensitive response to their physical and chemical environment, such as polarity, and viscosity. However, they have to-date not been used to study soil water repellency. Here we present preliminary work on the evaluation of fluorescent probes as tools to study two poorly understood features that determine the degree of wettability for water repellent soils: (i) the distribution of organics on soils; (ii) the changes in polarity at soil surfaces required for water drops to infiltrate. In our initial work we have examined probes adsorbed onto model soils, prepared by adsorption of specific organics onto acid washed sand

Water retention and availability in soils of the State of Santa Catarina-Brazil: effect of textural classes, soil classes and lithology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André da Costa

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The retention and availability of water in the soil vary according to the soil characteristics and determine plant growth. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate water retention and availability in the soils of the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, according to the textural class, soil class and lithology. The surface and subsurface horizons of 44 profiles were sampled in different regions of the State and different cover crops to determine field capacity, permanent wilting point, available water content, particle size, and organic matter content. Water retention and availability between the horizons were compared in a mixed model, considering the textural classes, the soil classes and lithology as fixed factors and profiles as random factors. It may be concluded that water retention is greater in silty or clayey soils and that the organic matter content is higher, especially in Humic Cambisols, Nitisols and Ferralsol developed from igneous or sedimentary rocks. Water availability is greater in loam-textured soils, with high organic matter content, especially in soils of humic character. It is lower in the sandy texture class, especially in Arenosols formed from recent alluvial deposits or in gravelly soils derived from granite. The greater water availability in the surface horizons, with more organic matter than in the subsurface layers, illustrates the importance of organic matter for water retention and availability.

Simultaneous Determination of Methoxylated Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Water, Soil and Sediment from China by GC-MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiaozhong; Hu, Decong; Chen, Wei; Wu, Bin; Lin, Changjun

2015-09-01

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used brominated flame retardants, which are increasingly reported in the environment. Methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-PBDEs) are structural analogs to PBDEs and reported as natural products and novel pollutants present in the environment. First, a new isotopic dilution GC-MS method was developed in this study to simultaneously determine 13 PBDEs and 8 MeO-PBDEs in water, soil and sediment. Liquid/liquid extraction, pressurized liquid extraction and multi-layer silica gel column chromatography cleanup were used, and some important steps and crucial parameters were modified and intensified compared with the other literatures. Besides, the conditions of GC and MS were also optimized. The limits of quantitation values of 0.005-0.1 and 0.02-0.1 µg L(-1) in water were calculated for PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs, respectively; so did 0.25-5 and 1-5 µg kg(-1) dry weight in soil and sediment. In addition, good repeatability and accuracy of the whole method were achieved. Moreover, 60 water and 30 sediment samples for aquaculture crayfish and freshwater fish collected from aquatic products production base, 40 soil samples collected from agricultural products production base and also 20 Yangtze River water samples and 20 Hanjiang River water samples collected from different sampling situations near Wuhan, Hubei province along the Yangtze River and the Hanjiang River were analyzed to determine whether they are contaminated by PBDEs and MeO-PBDEs. Using the established methods, it was found that PBDEs or MeO-PBDEs emerged in 4 of 60 water samples for aquatic products, 3 of 40 soils, and 2 of 30 sediments and in low µg kg(-1) dry weight for soil and sediments and low µg L(-1) for water. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Determination of radon in soil and water in parts of Accra, and generation of preliminary radon map for Ghana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osei, Peter

2016-07-01

The research was focused on determining the radon levels in soil and water in parts of Accra, generate a preliminary radon map for Ghana and estimate a pilot reference level for the country, using the data obtained from this research and collated data from other researchers. The radon gas measurement was done with the passive method, using the SSNTDs which are sensitive to alpha particles emitted by radon. Cellulose nitrate LR – 115 type II alpha particle detectors were used. The detectors were chemically etched in a 2.5 M NaOH solution at a temperature of 60 °C for 90 minutes, after two weeks and two months of exposure to soil and water respectively. The images of the etched detectors were acquired by means of a scanner and then tracks counted with ImageJ software. Inverse Distance Weighing (IDW) method of ArcGIS 10.2 was used to spatially distribute the radon concentration on a map. The average soil radon concentration in the study area ranges from 0.191 kBqm"-"3 to 3.416 kBqm"-"3 with a mean of 1.193 kBqm"-"3. The radon concentration in water from the study area ranges from 0.00346 BqL"-"1 to 0.00538 BqL"-"1 with an average of 0.00456 BqL"-"1. A strong negative correlation has been established between radon in soil and water in the study area. The preliminary national average indoor, water and soil radon concentrations are 137 Bqm"-"3, 361.93 Bqm"-"3 and 3716.74 Bqm"-"3 respectively. The average levels of water and indoor radon exceeded WHO’s reference level of 100 Bqm"-"3. Accordingly, the pilot national indoor radon reference level for Ghana is set as 200 Bqm"-"3. (au)

Effects of soil management techniques on soil water erosion in apricot orchards.

Science.gov (United States)

Keesstra, Saskia; Pereira, Paulo; Novara, Agata; Brevik, Eric C; Azorin-Molina, Cesar; Parras-Alcántara, Luis; Jordán, Antonio; Cerdà, Artemi

2016-05-01

Soil erosion is extreme in Mediterranean orchards due to management impact, high rainfall intensities, steep slopes and erodible parent material. Vall d'Albaida is a traditional fruit production area which, due to the Mediterranean climate and marly soils, produces sweet fruits. However, these highly productive soils are left bare under the prevailing land management and marly soils are vulnerable to soil water erosion when left bare. In this paper we study the impact of different agricultural land management strategies on soil properties (bulk density, soil organic matter, soil moisture), soil water erosion and runoff, by means of simulated rainfall experiments and soil analyses. Three representative land managements (tillage/herbicide/covered with vegetation) were selected, where 20 paired plots (60 plots) were established to determine soil losses and runoff. The simulated rainfall was carried out at 55mmh(-1) in the summer of 2013 (soil moisture) for one hour on 0.25m(2) circular plots. The results showed that vegetation cover, soil moisture and organic matter were significantly higher in covered plots than in tilled and herbicide treated plots. However, runoff coefficient, total runoff, sediment yield and soil erosion were significantly higher in herbicide treated plots compared to the others. Runoff sediment concentration was significantly higher in tilled plots. The lowest values were identified in covered plots. Overall, tillage, but especially herbicide treatment, decreased vegetation cover, soil moisture, soil organic matter, and increased bulk density, runoff coefficient, total runoff, sediment yield and soil erosion. Soil erosion was extremely high in herbicide plots with 0.91Mgha(-1)h(-1) of soil lost; in the tilled fields erosion rates were lower with 0.51Mgha(-1)h(-1). Covered soil showed an erosion rate of 0.02Mgha(-1)h(-1). These results showed that agricultural management influenced water and sediment dynamics and that tillage and herbicide

Root water extraction and limiting soil hydraulic conditions estimated by numerical simulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jong van Lier, de Q.; Metselaar, K.; Dam, van J.C.

2006-01-01

Root density, soil hydraulic functions, and hydraulic head gradients play an important role in the determination of transpiration-rate-limiting soil water contents. We developed an implicit numerical root water extraction model to solve the Richards equation for the modeling of radial root water

Development of a soil water dispersion index (SOWADIN) for testing the effectiveness of a soil-wetting agent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sawada, Y.; Aylmore, L.A.G.; Hainsworth, J.M.

1989-01-01

Computer-assisted tomography (CAT) applied to gamma-ray attenuation measurement has been used to develop an index termed the soil water dispersion index (SOWADIN), which describes quantitatively the amount and distribution of water in soil columns. The index, which is determined by classifying pixels in a scanned slice into three categories according to their attenuation coefficients, contains two numerical values. The first value corresponds to the water content of the scanned slice and the second value is a measure of the dispersion of the water throughout the slice. Artificially wetted zones were created in soil columns to give one-third of the scanned layer wetted with various patterns of wetted-area distribution. The SOWADIN values obtained accurately reflected the differences in water distribution associated with the different patterns. Application of SOWADIN to columns of a water-repellent sand before and after treatment with a soil-wetting agent clearly illustrates both the increase in water content and improvement in water distribution in the soil column following treatment. 33 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

Easy and fast extraction methods to determine organochlorine pesticides in sewage sludge, soil, and water samples based at low temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Mesquita, Tayane C R; Santos, Rizia R; Cacique, Ane P; De Sá, Ludimara J; Silvério, Flaviano O; Pinho, Gevany P

2018-03-04

Organochlorine pesticides present in sewage sludge can contaminate soil and water when they are used as either fertilizer or agricultural soil conditioner. In this study, the technique solid-liquid extraction with low temperature purification was optimized and validated for determination of ten organochlorine pesticides in sewage sludge and soil samples. Liquid-liquid extraction with low temperature purification was also validated for the same compounds in water. Analyses were performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry operating in the selective ion monitoring mode. After optimization, the methods showed recoveries between 70% and 115% with relative standard deviation lower than 13% for all target analytes in the three matrices. The linearity was demonstrated in the range of 20 to 70 µg L -1 , 0.5 to 60 µg L -1 , and 3 to 13 µg L -1 , for sludge, soil, and acetonitrile, respectively. The limit of quantification ranged between 2 and 40 µg kg -1 , 1 and 6 µg kg -1 , and 0.5 µg L -1 for sludge, soil, and water, respectively. The methods were used in the study of pesticide lixiviation carried out in a poly vinyl chlorine column filled with soil, which had its surface layer mixed with sludge. The results showed that pesticides are not leached into soil, part of them is adsorbed by the sewage sludge (4-40%), and most pesticides are lost by volatilization.

Mercury Exchange at the Air-Water-Soil Interface: An Overview of Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fengman Fang

2002-01-01

Full Text Available An attempt is made to assess the present knowledge about the methods of determining mercury (Hg exchange at the air-water-soil interface during the past 20 years. Methods determining processes of wet and dry removal/deposition of atmospheric Hg to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as well as methods determining Hg emission fluxes to the atmosphere from natural surfaces (soil and water are discussed. On the basis of the impressive advances that have been made in the areas relating to Hg exchange among air-soil-water interfaces, we analyzed existing problems and shortcomings in our current knowledge. In addition, some important fields worth further research are discussed and proposed.

Viability study of photodiodes utilization in determination of soil water content by gamma transmission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, L.A.P.; Khoury, H.; Carneiro, C.J.G.

1991-01-01

An experiment to verify the viability of using silicon photodetectors in a sup(241)Am γ-ray spectroscopy system for measuring soil water content was carried out in disturbed soil cores. The good correlation between the logarithm of the attenuation factor and the water content, r sup(2)=0.99, proves that the low efficiency of these detectors is not a limiting factor in measuring the water content. Furthermore, the small dimensions of the silicon photodetectors and associate electronic equipment are important characteristics that could permit the construction of a portable gammametry system to be used under field conditions. (author)

Modeling Spatial Soil Water Dynamics in a Tropical Floodplain, East Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geofrey Gabiri

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Analyzing the spatial and temporal distribution of soil moisture is critical for ecohydrological processes and for sustainable water management studies in wetlands. The characterization of soil moisture dynamics and its influencing factors in agriculturally used wetlands pose a challenge in data-scarce regions such as East Africa. High resolution and good-quality time series soil moisture data are rarely available and gaps are frequent due to measurement constraints and device malfunctioning. Soil water models that integrate meteorological conditions and soil water storage may significantly overcome limitations due to data gaps at a point scale. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the Hydrus-1D model would adequately simulate soil water dynamics at different hydrological zones of a tropical floodplain in Tanzania, to determine controlling factors for wet and dry periods and to assess soil water availability. The zones of the Kilombero floodplain were segmented as riparian, middle, and fringe along a defined transect. The model was satisfactorily calibrated (coefficient of determination; R2 = 0.54–0.92, root mean square error; RMSE = 0.02–0.11 on a plot scale using measured soil moisture content at soil depths of 10, 20, 30, and 40 cm. Satisfying statistical measures (R2 = 0.36–0.89, RMSE = 0.03–0.13 were obtained when calibrations for one plot were validated with measured soil moisture for another plot within the same hydrological zone. Results show the transferability of the calibrated Hydrus-1D model to predict soil moisture for other plots with similar hydrological conditions. Soil water storage increased towards the riparian zone, at 262.8 mm/a while actual evapotranspiration was highest (1043.9 mm/a at the fringe. Overbank flow, precipitation, and groundwater control soil moisture dynamics at the riparian and middle zone, while at the fringe zone, rainfall and lateral flow from mountains control soil moisture during the

Measured and simulated soil water evaporation from four Great Plains soils

Science.gov (United States)

The amount of soil water lost during stage one and stage two soil water evaporation is of interest to crop water use modelers. The ratio of measured soil surface temperature (Ts) to air temperature (Ta) was tested as a signal for the transition in soil water evaporation from stage one to stage two d...

Soil water repellency of the artificial soil and natural soil in rocky slopes as affected by the drought stress and polyacrylamide.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhang; Wang, Ruixin; Han, Pengyuan; Sun, Hailong; Sun, Haifeng; Li, Chengjun; Yang, Lixia

2018-04-01

Soil water repellency (SWR) causes reduced soil water storage, enhanced runoff and reduced ecosystem productivity. Therefore, characterization of SWR is a prerequisite for effective environmental management. SWR has been reported under different soils, land uses and regions of the world, particularly in forest land and after wildfires; however, the understanding of this variable in the artificial soil of rocky slope eco-engineering is still rather limited. This study presented the characterization of SWR in the artificial soil affected by the polyacrylamide (PAM) and drought stress. There were two molecular weights of PAM, and the CK was without PAM application. Three types of soil were studied: natural soil and two types of artificial soil which have been sprayed for 1y and 5y, respectively. The drought stress experiments had three drought gradients, lasted for three weeks. Water repellency index (WRI) and soil-water contact angle (β) were determined using intrinsic sorptivity method by measuring the water sorptivity (S W ) and ethanol sorptivity (S E ) in all soil samples. The results showed that (1) Polyacrylamide treatments significantly increased S W by 3% to 38%, and reduced S E by 1% to 15%, WRI by 6% to 38%, β by 3% to 23% compared to the control group. Polyacrylamide treatments also increased water-stable aggregates content and total porosity by 22% to 33%, 11% to 20% relative to the control, while PAM with a higher molecular weight performed best. (2) The interaction between PAM and drought stress had a significant effect on WRI and β for all soil types (Pnatural soil. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measuring Soil Water Potential for Water Management in Agriculture: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Bittelli

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Soil water potential is a soil property affecting a large variety of bio-physical processes, such as seed germination, plant growth and plant nutrition. Gradients in soil water potential are the driving forces of water movement, affecting water infiltration, redistribution, percolation, evaporation and plants’ transpiration. The total soil water potential is given by the sum of gravity, matric, osmotic and hydrostatic potential. The quantification of the soil water potential is necessary for a variety of applications both in agricultural and horticultural systems such as optimization of irrigation volumes and fertilization. In recent decades, a large number of experimental methods have been developed to measure the soil water potential, and a large body of knowledge is now available on theory and applications. In this review, the main techniques used to measure the soil water potential are discussed. Subsequently, some examples are provided where the measurement of soil water potential is utilized for a sustainable use of water resources in agriculture.

[Foliar water use efficiency of Platycladus orientalis sapling under different soil water contents].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yong E; Yu, Xin Xiao; Chen, Li Hua; Jia, Guo Dong; Zhao, Na; Li, Han Zhi; Chang, Xiao Min

2017-07-18

The determination of plant foliar water use efficiency will be of great value to improve our understanding about mechanism of plant water consumption and provide important basis of regional forest ecosystem management and maintenance, thus, laboratory controlled experiments were carried out to obtain Platycladus orientalis sapling foliar water use efficiency under five different soil water contents, including instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE gs ) derived from gas exchange and short-term water use efficiency (WUE cp ) caculated using carbon isotope model. The results showed that, controlled by stomatal conductance (g s ), foliar net photosynthesis rate (P n ) and transpiration rate (T r ) increased as soil water content increased, which both reached maximum va-lues at soil water content of 70%-80% field capacity (FC), while WUE gs reached a maximum of 7.26 mmol·m -2 ·s -1 at the lowest soil water content (35%-45% FC). Both δ 13 C of water-soluble leaf and twig phloem material achieved maximum values at the lowest soil water content (35%-45% FC). Besides, δ 13 C values of leaf water-soluble compounds were significantly greater than that of phloem exudates, indicating that there was depletion in 13 C in twig phloem compared with leaf water-soluble compounds and no obvious fractionation in the process of water-soluble material transportation from leaf to twig. Foliar WUE cp also reached a maximum of 7.26 mmol·m -2 ·s -1 at the lowest soil water content (35%-45% FC). There was some difference between foliar WUE gs and WUE cp under the same condition, and the average difference was 0.52 mmol·m -2 ·s -1 . The WUE gs had great space-time variability, by contrast, WUE cp was more representative. It was concluded that P. orientalis sapling adapted to drought condition by increasing water use efficiency and decreasing physiological activity.

Isotope fractionation of sandy-soil water during evaporation - an experimental study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Wen-Bo; Han, Liang-Feng; Tan, Hong-Bing; Wang, Shuai

2017-06-01

Soil samples containing water with known stable isotopic compositions were prepared. The soil water was recovered by using vacuum/heat distillation. The experiments were held under different conditions to control rates of water evaporation and water recovery. Recoveries, δ 18 O and δ 2 H values of the soil water were determined. Analyses of the data using a Rayleigh distillation model indicate that under the experimental conditions only loosely bound water is extractable in cases where the recovery is smaller than 100 %. Due to isotopic exchange between vapour and remaining water in the micro channels or capillaries of the soil matrix, isotopic fractionation may take place under near-equilibrium conditions. This causes the observed relationship between δ 2 H and δ 18 O of the extracted water samples to have a slope close to 8. The results of this study may indicate that, in arid zones when soil that initially contains water dries out, the slope of the relationship between δ 2 H and δ 18 O values should be close to 8. Thus, a smaller slope, as observed by some groundwater and soil water samples in arid zones, may be caused by evaporation of water before the water has entered the unsaturated zone.

A calculation method of available soil water content : application to viticultural terroirs mapping of the Loire valley

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Etienne Goulet

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Vine water supply is one of the most important elements in the determination of grape composition and wine quality. Water supply conditions are in relation with available soil water content, therefore this one has to be determined when vineyard terroir mapping is undertaken. The available soil water content depends on soil factors like water content at field capacity, water content at the permanent wilting point, apparent density and rooting depth. The aim of this study is to seek the relationship between these factors and a simple soil characteristic such as texture which could be easily measurable in routine cartography. Study area is located in the Loire valley, in two different geological regions. First results indicate that it is possible to determine available soil water content from clay percentage, then from soil texture. These results also show that available soil water content algorithms differ with geological properties. This calculation can be used at each auger boring and results can be spatialised within a Geographical Information System that allows the production of available water content maps.

Atmospheric pressure gas chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for simultaneous determination of fifteen organochlorine pesticides in soil and water.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Zhipeng; Dong, Fengshou; Xu, Jun; Liu, Xingang; Wu, Xiaohu; Chen, Zenglong; Pan, Xinglu; Zheng, Yongquan

2016-02-26

In this study, the application of atmospheric pressure gas chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (APGC-QTOF-MS) has been investigated for simultaneous determination of fifteen organochlorine pesticides in soil and water. Soft ionization of atmospheric pressure gas chromatography was evaluated by comparing with traditional more energetic electron impact ionization (EI). APGC-QTOF-MS showed a sensitivity enhancement by approximately 7-305 times. The QuEChERs (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method was used to pretreat the soil samples and solid phase extraction (SPE) cleanup was used for water samples. Precision, accuracy and stability experiments were undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of the method. The results showed that the mean recoveries for all the pesticides from the soil samples were 70.3-118.9% with 0.4-18.3% intra-day relative standard deviations (RSD) and 1.0-15.6% inter-day RSD at 10, 50 and 500 μg/L levels, while the mean recoveries of water samples were 70.0-118.0% with 1.1-17.8% intra-day RSD and 0.5-12.2% inter-day RSD at 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 μg/L levels. Excellent linearity (0.9931 ≦ r(2)≤ 0.9999) was obtained for each pesticides in the soil and water matrix calibration curves within the range of 0.01-1.0mg/L. The limits of detection (LOD) for each of the 15 pesticides was less than 3.00 μg/L, while the limit of quantification (LOQ) was less than 9.99 μg/L in soil and water. Furthermore, the developed method was successfully applied to monitor the targeted pesticides in real soil and water samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physical and water properties of selected Polish heavy soils of various origins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaczmarek Zbigniew

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the characteristics of selected physical, chemical, and water properties of four mineral arable soils characterized with heavy and very heavy texture. Soil samples from genetic horizons of black earths from areas near Kętrzyn, Gniew and Kujawy, and alluvial soils from Żuławy were used. The following properties were determined in the samples of undisturbed and disturbed structure: texture, particle density, bulk density, porosity, natural and hygroscopic moistures, maximal hygroscopic capacity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, potential of water bonding in soil, total and readily available water, total retention in the horizon of 0–50 cm, drainage porosity, content of organic carbon and total nitrogen Parent rocks of these soils were clays, silts and loams of various origin. High content of clay fraction strongly influenced the values of all the analyzed properties. All the examined soils had high content of organic carbon and total nitrogen and reaction close to neutral or alkaline. High content of mineral and organic colloids and, what follows, beneficial state of top horizons’ structure, determined – apart from heavy texture – low soil bulk density and high porosity. The investigated soils were characterized by high field water capacity and wide scopes of total and readily available water. The saturated hydraulic conductivity was low and characteristic to heavy mineral arable soils. The parameter which influenced the variability of analyzed parameters most was texture.

Characterization of soil water content variability and soil texture using GPR groundwave techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grote, K.; Anger, C.; Kelly, B.; Hubbard, S.; Rubin, Y.

2010-08-15

Accurate characterization of near-surface soil water content is vital for guiding agricultural management decisions and for reducing the potential negative environmental impacts of agriculture. Characterizing the near-surface soil water content can be difficult, as this parameter is often both spatially and temporally variable, and obtaining sufficient measurements to describe the heterogeneity can be prohibitively expensive. Understanding the spatial correlation of near-surface soil water content can help optimize data acquisition and improve understanding of the processes controlling soil water content at the field scale. In this study, ground penetrating radar (GPR) methods were used to characterize the spatial correlation of water content in a three acre field as a function of sampling depth, season, vegetation, and soil texture. GPR data were acquired with 450 MHz and 900 MHz antennas, and measurements of the GPR groundwave were used to estimate soil water content at four different times. Additional water content estimates were obtained using time domain reflectometry measurements, and soil texture measurements were also acquired. Variograms were calculated for each set of measurements, and comparison of these variograms showed that the horizontal spatial correlation was greater for deeper water content measurements than for shallower measurements. Precipitation and irrigation were both shown to increase the spatial variability of water content, while shallowly-rooted vegetation decreased the variability. Comparison of the variograms of water content and soil texture showed that soil texture generally had greater small-scale spatial correlation than water content, and that the variability of water content in deeper soil layers was more closely correlated to soil texture than were shallower water content measurements. Lastly, cross-variograms of soil texture and water content were calculated, and co-kriging of water content estimates and soil texture

Environmental Evaluation of Soil Salinity with Various Watering Technologies Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Seitkaziev, Adeubay; Shilibek, Kenzhegali; Fakhrudenova, Idiya; Salybayev, Satybaldy; Zhaparova, Sayagul; Duisenbayeva, Saule; Bayazitova, Zulfia; Aliya, Maimakova; Seitkazieva, Karlygash; Aubakirov, Hamit

2018-01-01

  The purpose of this study is to develop mathematical tools for evaluating the level of environmental safety of various watering technologies. A set of indicators, was developed with regard to the natural factors, the nature of the man-induced load, degradation type, and characteristics of the disruption of humification conditions. Thermal and physical characteristics of the soil, the state of its surface, and meteorological factors, including air temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, wind speed, solar radiation, etc. were studied with a view to determining the heat and air exchange in the soil. An environmental evaluation of the methods for saline land development was conducted with regard to the heat and moisture supply. This tool can be used to determine the level of environmental safety of soil salinization during the environmental evaluation of the investigation of soil salinity with various watering technologies.

A simple method for determining the critical point of the soil water retention curve

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Chong; Hu, Kelin; Ren, Tusheng

2017-01-01

he transition point between capillary water and adsorbed water, which is the critical point Pc [defined by the critical matric potential (ψc) and the critical water content (θc)] of the soil water retention curve (SWRC), demarcates the energy and water content region where flow is dominated......, a fixed tangent line method was developed to estimate Pc as an alternative to the commonly used flexible tangent line method. The relationships between Pc, and particle-size distribution and specific surface area (SSA) were analyzed. For 27 soils with various textures, the mean RMSE of water content from...... the fixed tangent line method was 0.007 g g–1, which was slightly better than that of the flexible tangent line method. With increasing clay content or SSA, ψc was more negative initially but became less negative at clay contents above ∼30%. Increasing the silt contents resulted in more negative ψc values...

Water Drainage from Unsaturated Soils in a Centrifuge Permeameter

Science.gov (United States)

Ornelas, G.; McCartney, J.; Zhang, M.

2013-12-01

This study involves an analysis of water drainage from an initially saturated silt layer in a centrifuge permeameter to evaluate the hydraulic properties of the soil layer in unsaturated conditions up to the point where the water phase becomes discontinuous. These properties include the soil water retention curve (SWRC) and the hydraulic conductivity function (HCF). The hydraulic properties of unsaturated silt are used in soil-atmosphere interaction models that take into account the role of infiltration and evaporation of water from soils due to atmospheric interaction. These models are often applied in slope stability analyses, landfill cover design, aquifer recharge analyses, and agricultural engineering. The hydraulic properties are also relevant to recent research concerning geothermal heating and cooling, as they can be used to assess the insulating effects of soil around underground heat exchangers. This study employs a high-speed geotechnical centrifuge to increase the self-weight of a compacted silt specimen atop a filter plate. Under a centrifuge acceleration of N times earth's gravity, the concept of geometric similitude indicates that the water flow process in a small-scale soil layer will be similar to those in a soil layer in the field that is N times thicker. The centrifuge acceleration also results in an increase in the hydraulic gradient across the silt specimen, which causes water to flow out of the pores following Darcy's law. The drainage test was performed until the rate of liquid water flow out of the soil layer slowed to a negligible level, which corresponds to the transition point at which further water flow can only occur due to water vapor diffusion following Fick's law. The data from the drainage test in the centrifuge were used to determine the SWRC and HCF at different depths in the silt specimen, which compared well with similar properties defined using other laboratory tests. The transition point at which liquid water flow stopped (and

Untangle soil-water-mucilage interactions: 1H NMR Relaxometry is lifting the veil

Science.gov (United States)

Brax, Mathilde; Buchmann, Christian; Schaumann, Gabriele Ellen

2017-04-01

Mucilage is mainly produced at the root tips and has a high water holding capacity derived from highly hydrophilic gel-forming substances. The objective of the MUCILAGE project is to understand the mechanistic role of mucilage for the regulation of water supply for plants. Our subproject investigates the chemical and physical properties of mucilage as pure gel and mixed with soil. 1H-NMR Relaxometry and PFG NMR represent non-intrusive powerful methods for soil scientific research by allowing quantification of the water distribution as well as monitoring of the water mobility in soil pores and gel phases.Relaxation of gel water differs from the one of pure water due to additional interactions with the gel matrix. Mucilage in soil leads to a hierarchical pore structure, consisting of the polymeric biohydrogel network surrounded by the surface of soil particles. The two types of relaxation rates 1/T1 and 1/T2 measured with 1H-NMR relaxometry refer to different relaxation mechanisms of water, while PFG-NMR measures the water self-diffusion coefficient. The objective of our study is to distinguish in situ water in gel from pore water in a simplified soil system, and to determine how the "gel effect" affects both relaxation rates and the water self-diffusion coefficient in porous systems. We demonstrate how the mucilage concentration and the soil solution alter the properties of water in the respective gel phases and pore systems in model soils. To distinguish gel-inherent processes from classical processes, we investigated the variations of the water mobility in pure chia mucilage under different conditions by using 1H-NMR relaxometry and PFG NMR. Using model soils, the signals coming from pore water and gel water were differentiated. We combined the equations describing 1H-NMR relaxation in porous systems and our experimental results, to explain how the presence of gel in soil affects 1H-NMR relaxation. Out of this knowledge we propose a method, which determines in

Observing plants dealing with soil water stress: Daily soil moisture fluctuations derived from polymer tensiometers

Science.gov (United States)

van der Ploeg, Martine; de Rooij, Gerrit

2014-05-01

Periods of soil water deficit often occur within a plant's life cycle, even in temperate deciduous and rain forests (Wilson et al. 2001, Grace 1999). Various experiments have shown that roots are able to sense the distribution of water in the soil, and produce signals that trigger changes in leaf expansion rate and stomatal conductance (Blackman and Davies 1985, Gollan et al. 1986, Gowing et al. 1990 Davies and Zhang 1991, Mansfield and De Silva 1994, Sadras and Milroy 1996). Partitioning of water and air in the soil, solute distribution in soil water, water flow through the soil, and water availability for plants can be determined according to the distribution of the soil water potential (e.g. Schröder et al. 2013, Kool et al. 2014). Understanding plant water uptake under dry conditions has been compromised by hydrological instrumentation with low accuracy in dry soils due to signal attenuation, or a compromised measurement range (Whalley et al. 2013). Development of polymer tensiometers makes it possible to study the soil water potential over a range meaningful for studying plant responses to water stress (Bakker et al. 2007, Van der Ploeg et al. 2008, 2010). Polymer tensiometer data obtained from a lysimeter experiment (Van der Ploeg et al. 2008) were used to analyse day-night fluctuations of soil moisture in the vicinity of maize roots. To do so, three polymer tensiometers placed in the middle of the lysimeter from a control, dry and very dry treatment (one lysimeter per treatment) were used to calculate water content changes over 12 hours. These 12 hours corresponded with the operation of the growing light. Soil water potential measurements in the hour before the growing light was turned on or off were averaged. The averaged value was used as input for the van Genuchten (1980) model. Parameters for the model were obtained from laboratory determination of water retention, with a separate model parameterization for each lysimeter setup. Results show daily

Validation of methods for the determination of radium in waters and soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Decaillon, J.-G.; Bickel, M.; Hill, C.; Altzitzoglou, T.

2004-01-01

This article describes the advantages and disadvantages of several analytical methods used to prepare the alpha-particle source. As a result of this study, a new method combining commercial extraction and ion chromatography prior to a final co-precipitation step is proposed. This method has been applied and validated on several matrices (soil, waters) in the framework of international intercomparisons. The integration of this method in a global procedure to analyze actinoids and radium from a single solution (or digested soil) is also described

Soil Water: Advanced Crop and Soil Science. A Course of Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Larry E.

The course of study represents the fourth of six modules in advanced crop and soil science and introduces the agriculture student to the topic of soil water. Upon completing the three day module, the student will be able to classify water as to its presence in the soil, outline the hydrological cycle, list the ways water is lost from the soil,…

Use of azeotropic distillation for isotopic analysis of deuterium in soil water and saturate saline solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Antonio Vieira dos.

1995-05-01

The azeotropic distillation technique was adapted to extract soil water and saturate saline solution, which is similar to the sea water for the Isotopic Determination of Deuterium (D). A soil test was used to determine the precision and the nature of the methodology to extract soil water for stable isotopic analysis, using the azeotropic distillation and comparing with traditional methodology of heating under vacuum. This methodology has been very useful for several kinds of soil or saturate saline solution. The apparatus does not have a memory effect, and the chemical reagents do not affect the isotopic composition of soil water. (author). 43 refs., 10 figs., 12 tabs

[Effects of brackish water irrigation on soil enzyme activity, soil CO2 flux and organic matter decomposition].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qian-qian; Wang, Fei; Liu, Tao; Chu, Gui-xin

2015-09-01

Brackish water irrigation utilization is an important way to alleviate water resource shortage in arid region. A field-plot experiment was set up to study the impact of the salinity level (0.31, 3.0 or 5.0 g · L(-1) NaCl) of irrigated water on activities of soil catalase, invertase, β-glucosidase, cellulase and polyphenoloxidase in drip irrigation condition, and the responses of soil CO2 flux and organic matter decomposition were also determined by soil carbon dioxide flux instrument (LI-8100) and nylon net bag method. The results showed that in contrast with fresh water irrigation treatment (CK), the activities of invertase, β-glucosidase and cellulase in the brackish water (3.0 g · L(-1)) irrigation treatment declined by 31.7%-32.4%, 29.7%-31.6%, 20.8%-24.3%, respectively, while soil polyphenoloxidase activity was obviously enhanced with increasing the salinity level of irrigated water. Compared to CK, polyphenoloxidase activity increased by 2.4% and 20.5%, respectively, in the brackish water and saline water irrigation treatments. Both soil microbial biomass carbon and microbial quotient decreased with increasing the salinity level, whereas, microbial metabolic quotient showed an increasing tendency with increasing the salinity level. Soil CO2 fluxes in the different treatments were in the order of CK (0.31 g · L(-1)) > brackish water irrigation (3.0 g · L(-1)) ≥ saline water irrigation (5.0 g · L(-1)). Moreover, CO2 flux from plastic film mulched soil was always much higher than that from no plastic film mulched soil, regardless the salinity of irrigated water. Compared with CK, soil CO2 fluxes in the saline water and brackish water treatments decreased by 29.8% and 28.2% respectively in the boll opening period. The decomposition of either cotton straw or alfalfa straw in the different treatments was in the sequence of CK (0.31 g · L(-1)) > brackish water irrigation (3.0 g · L(-1)) > saline water treatment (5.0 g · L(-1)). The organic matter

Ion enrichment of snowmelt water by processes within a podzolic soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazlett, P.W.; Foster, N.W.; English, M.C.

1992-01-01

Ion concentrations in snowmelt runoff, forest-floor percolate and mineral-soil percolate collected in a tolerant hardwood forest at the Turkey Lakes Watershed, ON, were determined during the spring snowmelt of 1986. The results were examined to assess the modification of snowmelt water after contact with the forest soil. Concentrations of NO 3 - increased from 17 to 201 μmol c L -1 and SO 4 2- increased from 25 to 107 μmol c L -1 as meltwater passed through the organic layers and the upper mineral-soil horizons. Mineralization of organic N and S, and desorption of So 4 2- from the soil, provide sources of these ions for leaching during the snowmelt period. Ion-exchange reactions in the forest floor and upper mineral soil resulted in a decrease in H + and an increase in Ca 2+ concentration is solution. In the steep topography of this forested basin, the altered snowmelt solutions are rapidly transported downslope towards the aquatic system by lateral flow. Processes within the forest soil may therefore play an important role in determining the effects of snowmelt water on surface water chemistry in the spring

The method of determining surface water erosion influence on agricultural valorization of soils with usage of geoprocessing techniques and spatial information systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prus Barbara

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to propose methodical solutions concerning synthetic agricultural analysis of production space which consists in combined (synthetic – in spatial and statistical contexts – analysis and evaluation of quality and farming utility of soils in connection with soils erosive risk level. The paper is aimed at presentation of methodology useful in such type of analyses as well as demonstration to what extent the areas of farming production space being subject to restrictive protection are exposed to destructive effect of surface water erosion. Own factor (HDSP.E was suggested, which is a high degree synthesis of soil protection in connection with degrees of surface water erosion risk. The proposed methodology was used for detailed spatial analyses performed for Tomice – the Małopolska rural commune (case study. The area model elaborated for the proposed methodology’s purpose faced with soils mechanical composition allowed to make a model of surface water erosion in five-grade scale. Synthetic evaluation (product of spatial objects on numerous thematic layers of quality and farming utility of soils and also zones of surface water erosion risk allowed to assign spatial distribution of HDSP.E factor (abbreviation of high degree of soil protection combined with erosion. The analyses enabled to determine proportional contribution of the most valuable resources of farming production space that are subject to soil erosion negative phenomenon. Geoprocessing techniques used for the analyses of environmental elements of farming production space were applied in the paper. The analysis of spatial distribution of researched phenomena was elaborated in Quantum GIS programme.

Evaluating the Performance of a Surface Barrier on Reducing Soil-Water Flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Z. F.; Strickland, Christopher E.; Field, Jim G.; Parker, Danny L.; Clayton, Ray E.

2012-08-31

One of the most common effective techniques for contaminant remediation in the vadose zone is to use a surface barrier to reduce or eliminate soil-water flow to reduce the contaminant flux to the underlying groundwater. Confirming the reduction of the soil-water flux rate is challenging because of the difficulty of determining the very low soil-water flux beneath the barrier. We propose a hydraulic-conductivity factor, fK, as a conservative indicator for quantifying the reduction of soil-water flow. The factor can be calculated using the measured soil-water content or pressure but does not require the knowledge of the saturated hydraulic conductivity or the hydraulic gradient. The formulas were tested by comparing with changes in hydraulic conductivity, K, from a drainage experiment. The pressure-based formula was further applied to evaluate the performance of the interim surface barrier at T Tank Farm on Hanford Site. Three years after barrier emplacement, the hydraulic conductivity decreased by a factor between 3.8 and 13.0 at the 1-, 2- and 5-m depths. The difference between the conductivity-reduction factor and the flux-rate-reduction factor, fq, was quantified with a numerical simulation. With the calculated fK, the numerically determined fK/fq ratio, and the assumed pre-barrier soil-water flux rate of 100 mm yr-1, the estimated soil-water flux rate 3 years after barrier emplacement was no more than 8.5 mm yr-1 at or above the 5-m depth.

Soil-Water Repellency Characteristic Curves for Soil Profiles with Organic Carbon Gradients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wijewardana, Nadeeka Senani; Muller, Karin; Moldrup, Per

2016-01-01

Soil water repellency (SWR) of soils is a property with significant consequences for agricultural water management, water infiltration, contaminant transport, and for soil erosion. It is caused by the presence of hydrophobic agents on mineral grain surfaces. Soils were samples in different depths......, and the sessile drop method (SDM). The aim to (i) compare the methods, (ii) characterize the soil-water repellency characteristic curves (SWRCC) being SWR as a function of the volumetric soil-water content (θ) or matric potential (ψ), and (iii) find relationships between SWRCC parameters and SOC content. The WDPT...... at three forest sites in Japan and three pasture sites in New Zealand, covering soil organic carbon (SOC) contents between 1 and 26%. The SWR was measured over a range of water contents by three common methods; the water drop penetration time (WDPT) test, the molarity of an ethanol droplet (MED) method...

Responses of seminal wheat seedling roots to soil water deficits.

Science.gov (United States)

Trejo, Carlos; Else, Mark A; Atkinson, Christopher J

2018-04-01

The aims of this paper are to develop our understanding of the ways by which soil water deficits influence early wheat root growth responses, particularly how seminal roots respond to soil drying and the extent to which information on differences in soil water content are conveyed to the shoot and their impact on shoot behaviour. To achieve this, wheat seedlings have been grown, individually for around 25 days after germination in segmented soil columns within vertical plastic compartments. Roots were exposed to different soil volumetric moisture contents (SVMC) within the two compartments. Experiments where the soil in the lower compartment was allowed to dry to different extents, while the upper was maintained close to field capacity, showed that wheat seedlings allocated proportionally more root dry matter to the lower drier soil compartment. The total production of root, irrespective of the upper or lower SVMC, was similar and there were no detected effects on leaf growth rate or gas exchange. The response of seminal roots to proportionally increase their allocation of dry matter, to the drier soil was unexpected with such plasticity of roots system development traditionally linked to heterogeneous nutrient distribution than accessing soil water. In experiments where the upper soil compartment was allowed to dry, root growth slowed and leaf growth and gas exchange declined. Subsequent experiments used root growth rates to determine when seminal root tips first came into contact with drying soil, with the intentions of determining how the observed root growth rates were maintained as an explanation for the observed changes in root allocation. Measurements of seminal root ABA and ethylene from roots within the drying soil are interpreted with respect to what is known about the physiological control of root growth in drying soil. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous measurement of unfrozen water content and ice content in frozen soil using gamma ray attenuation and TDR

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiaohai; Zhou, Jian; Kinzelbach, Wolfgang; Stauffer, Fritz

2014-12-01

The freezing temperature of water in soil is not constant but varies over a range determined by soil texture. Consequently, the amounts of unfrozen water and ice change with temperature in frozen soil, which in turn affects hydraulic, thermal, and mechanical properties of frozen soil. In this paper, an Am-241 gamma ray source and time-domain reflectometry (TDR) were combined to measure unfrozen water content and ice content in frozen soil simultaneously. The gamma ray attenuation was used to determine total water content. The TDR was used to determine the dielectric constant of the frozen soil. Based on a four-phase mixing model, the amount of unfrozen water content in the frozen soil could be determined. The ice content was inferred by the difference between total water content and unfrozen water content. The gamma ray attenuation and the TDR were both calibrated by a gravimetric method. Water contents measured by gamma ray attenuation and TDR in an unfrozen silt column under infiltration were compared and showed that the two methods have the same accuracy and response to changes of water content. Unidirectional column freezing experiments were performed to apply the combined method of gamma ray attenuation and TDR for measuring unfrozen water content and ice content. The measurement error of the gamma ray attenuation and TDR was around 0.02 and 0.01 m3/m3, respectively. The overestimation of unfrozen water in frozen soil by TDR alone was quantified and found to depend on the amount of ice content. The higher the ice content, the larger the overestimation. The study confirmed that the combined method could accurately determine unfrozen water content and ice content in frozen soil. The results of soil column freezing experiments indicate that total water content distribution is affected by available pore space and the freezing front advance rate. It was found that there is similarity between the soil water characteristic and the soil freezing characteristic of

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.

Importance of soil-water relation in assessment endpoint in bioremediated soils: Plant growth and soil physical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, X.; Sawatsky, N.

1995-01-01

Much effort has been focused on defining the end-point of bioremediated soils by chemical analysis (Alberta Tier 1 or CCME Guideline for Contaminated Soils) or toxicity tests. However, these tests do not completely assess the soil quality, or the capability of soil to support plant growth after bioremediation. This study compared barley (Hordeum vulgare) growth on: (i) non-contaminated, agricultural topsoil, (2) oil-contaminated soil (4% total extractable hydrocarbons, or TEH), and (3) oil-contaminated soil treated by bioremediation (< 2% TEH). Soil physical properties including water retention, water uptake, and water repellence were measured. The results indicated that the growth of barley was significantly reduced by oil-contamination of agricultural topsoil. Furthermore, bioremediation did not improve the barley yield. The lack of effects from bioremediation was attributed to development of water repellence in hydrocarbon contaminated soils. There seemed to be a critical water content around 18% to 20% in contaminated soils. Above this value the water uptake by contaminated soil was near that of the agricultural topsoil. For lower water contents, there was a strong divergence in sorptivity between contaminated and agricultural topsoil. For these soils, water availability was likely the single most important parameter controlling plant growth. This parameter should be considered in assessing endpoint of bioremediation for hydrocarbon contaminated soils

Isotopic fractionation of soil water during evaporation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leopoldo, P R [Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas e Biologicas de Botucatu (Brazil); Salati, E; Matsui, E [Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Piracicaba (Brazil)

1974-07-01

The study of the variation of D/H relation in soil water during evaporation is studied. The isotopic fractionation of soil water has been observed in two soils of light and heavy texture. Soil columns were utilized. Soil water was extracted in a system operated under low pressure and the gaseous hydrogen was obtained by decomposition of the water and was analyzed in a GD-150 mass spectrometer for deuterium content. The variation of the delta sub(eta) /sup 0///sub 00/ value during evaporation showed that for water held at potentials below 15 atm, the deuterium content of soil water stays practically constant. For water held at potentials higher than 15 atm, corresponding to the third stage of evaporation, there is a strong tendency of a constant increase of delta sub(eta) /sup 0///sub 00/ of the remaining water.

Modelling soil water dynamics and crop water uptake at the field level

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kabat, P.; Feddes, R.A.

1995-01-01

Parametrization approaches to model soil water dynamics and crop water uptake at field level were analysed. Averaging and numerical difficulties in applying numerical soil water flow models to heterogeneous soils are highlighted. Simplified parametrization approaches to the soil water flow, such as

Tree tomato water requirements determined by neutron probe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The dynamics of water was studied at ''La Tola'', experimental teaching center of the Central University of Ecuador, in a sandy-loan, typic durustoll soil in which trees tomato were growing. All the components of the crop water balance were determined. Real evapotranspiration (ETR) was estimated through the mass balance method, using every 5-10 days a neutron probe to access the volumetric humidity of the soil. The real evapotranspiration was in direct relation with the growth of the crop, reaching its maximum value of 3,8 mm day-1, at vegetative stage. The soil layer supplying most of the water for the consumptive use of the crop was between 0-40 cm being the root activity also greater in that layer

Soil Water Retention Curve

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, L. E.; Kim, J.; Cifelli, R.; Chandra, C. V.

2016-12-01

Potential water retention, S, is one of parameters commonly used in hydrologic modeling for soil moisture accounting. Physically, S indicates total amount of water which can be stored in soil and is expressed in units of depth. S can be represented as a change of soil moisture content and in this context is commonly used to estimate direct runoff, especially in the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) curve number (CN) method. Generally, the lumped and the distributed hydrologic models can easily use the SCS-CN method to estimate direct runoff. Changes in potential water retention have been used in previous SCS-CN studies; however, these studies have focused on long-term hydrologic simulations where S is allowed to vary at the daily time scale. While useful for hydrologic events that span multiple days, the resolution is too coarse for short-term applications such as flash flood events where S may not recover its full potential. In this study, a new method for estimating a time-variable potential water retention at hourly time-scales is presented. The methodology is applied for the Napa River basin, California. The streamflow gage at St Helena, located in the upper reaches of the basin, is used as the control gage site to evaluate the model performance as it is has minimal influences by reservoirs and diversions. Rainfall events from 2011 to 2012 are used for estimating the event-based SCS CN to transfer to S. As a result, we have derived the potential water retention curve and it is classified into three sections depending on the relative change in S. The first is a negative slope section arising from the difference in the rate of moving water through the soil column, the second is a zero change section representing the initial recovery the potential water retention, and the third is a positive change section representing the full recovery of the potential water retention. Also, we found that the soil water moving has traffic jam within 24 hours after finished first

Impacts of Triclosan in Grey water on Soil Microorganisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrow, D.I; Felker, J.M; Baker, K.H

2011-01-01

The use of grey water for irrigation is becoming a common practice in arid regions such as the Southwestern US, the Middle East, Australia, and China. While grey water supplies nutrients to soil ecosystems, the possible impact of trace contaminants, particularly pharmaceuticals and personal care products, has not been determined. This paper examined the impact of triclosan, an antibacterial agent commonly added to consumer products, on microbial populations and microbial diversity in soil irrigated with grey water. While there was no change in the total number of heterotrophic microorganisms in the soil, both the types and the antibiotic resistance of the microorganisms were significantly influenced by triclosan. The proportion of the microbial isolates resistant to antibiotics increased while at the same time, overall diversity of the microbial community decreased.

The estimation of soil water fluxes using lysimeter data

Science.gov (United States)

Wegehenkel, M.

2009-04-01

The validation of soil water balance models regarding soil water fluxes in the field is still a problem. This requires time series of measured model outputs. In our study, a soil water balance model was validated using lysimeter time series of measured model outputs. The soil water balance model used in our study was the Hydrus-1D-model. This model was tested by a comparison of simulated with measured daily rates of actual evapotranspiration, soil water storage, groundwater recharge and capillary rise. These rates were obtained from twelve weighable lysimeters with three different soils and two different lower boundary conditions for the time period from January 1, 1996 to December 31, 1998. In that period, grass vegetation was grown on all lysimeters. These lysimeters are located in Berlin, Germany. One potential source of error in lysimeter experiments is preferential flow caused by an artificial channeling of water due to the occurrence of air space between the soil monolith and the inside wall of the lysimeters. To analyse such sources of errors, Hydrus-1D was applied with different modelling procedures. The first procedure consists of a general uncalibrated appli-cation of Hydrus-1D. The second one includes a calibration of soil hydraulic parameters via inverse modelling of different percolation events with Hydrus-1D. In the third procedure, the model DUALP_1D was applied with the optimized hydraulic parameter set to test the hy-pothesis of the existence of preferential flow paths in the lysimeters. The results of the different modelling procedures indicated that, in addition to a precise determination of the soil water retention functions, vegetation parameters such as rooting depth should also be taken into account. Without such information, the rooting depth is a calibration parameter. However, in some cases, the uncalibrated application of both models also led to an acceptable fit between measured and simulated model outputs.

Utilization of Weibull equation to obtain soil-water diffusivity in horizontal infiltration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guerrini, I.A.

1982-06-01

Water movement was studied in horizontal infiltration experiments using laboratory columns of air-dry and homogeneous soil to obtain a simple and suitable equation for soil-water diffusivity. Many water content profiles for each one of the ten soil columns utilized were obtained through gamma-ray attenuation technique using a 137 Cs source. During the measurement of a particular water content profile, the soil column was held in the same position in order to measure changes in time and so to reduce the errors in water content determination. The Weibull equation utilized was excellent in fitting water content profiles experimental data. The use of an analytical function for ν, the Boltzmann variable, according to Weibull model, allowed to obtain a simple equation for soil water diffusivity. Comparisons among the equation here obtained for diffusivity and others solutions found in literature were made, and the unsuitability of a simple exponential variation of diffusivity with water content for the full range of the latter was shown. The necessity of admitting the time dependency for diffusivity was confirmed and also the possibility fixing that dependency on a well known value extended to generalized soil water infiltration studies was found. Finally, it was shown that the soil water diffusivity function given by the equation here proposed can be obtained just by the analysis of the wetting front advance as a function of time. (Author) [pt

Solubility of Benzo[a]pyrene and Organic Matter of Soil in Subcritical Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svetlana Sushkova

2015-12-01

Full Text Available A dynamic subcritical water extraction method of benzo[a]pyrene from soils is under consideration. The optimum conditions for benzo[a]pyrene extraction from soil are described including the soil treatment by subcritical water at 250 °C and 100 atm for 30 min. The effectiveness of developed method was determined using the matrix spiking recovery technique. A comparative analysis was made to evaluate the results of benzo[a]pyrene extraction from soils using the subcritical water and organic solvents. The advantages of the subcritical water extraction involve the use of ecologically friendly solvent, a shorter time for the analysis and a higher amount of benzo[a]pyrene extracted from soil (96 %. The influence of subcritical water extraction on soil properties was measured the investigation of the processes occurring within soil under the influence the high temperature and pressure. Under appropriate conditions of the experiment there is the destruction of the soil organic matter while the composition of the soil mineral fraction remains practically unchanged.

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)

Creation of Soil Water and Physical data base and its inclusion in a new version of GIS of Soil Resources Attributive Table

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolev, Boyko

2013-01-01

For better using of GIS of Soil Resources a new version of the attributive table formation was created. This makes possible soil, physical, and water properties to be included into the table. The simulation procedure for soil hydro-physical properties determination was realized by using the soil particle size distribution data only. This develops a calculation algorithm for soil water content dynamic monitoring, which was realized for some of Bulgarian soils. The main aims of the study are: To demonstrate the usefulness of the new version of the attributive table formation. To show how the simulation model can be applied for environment conditions monitoring and agricultural production management. Keywords: environment conditions, simulation model, soil moisture at field capacity, wilting point, effective soil water content, particle size distribution

Soil water retention as affected by tillage and residue management in semiarid Spain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bescansa, P.; Imaz, M.J.; Virto, I.; Enrique, A.; Hoogmoed, W.B.

2006-01-01

Conservation tillage preserves soil water and this has been the main reason for its rapid dissemination in rainfed agriculture in semiarid climates. We determined the effects of conservation versus conventional tillage on available soil water capacity (AWC) and related properties at the end of 5

Three Principles of Water Flow in Soils

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, L.; Lin, H.

2016-12-01

Knowledge of water flow in soils is crucial to understanding terrestrial hydrological cycle, surface energy balance, biogeochemical dynamics, ecosystem services, contaminant transport, and many other Critical Zone processes. However, due to the complex and dynamic nature of non-uniform flow, reconstruction and prediction of water flow in natural soils remain challenging. This study synthesizes three principles of water flow in soils that can improve modeling water flow in soils of various complexity. The first principle, known as the Darcy's law, came to light in the 19th century and suggested a linear relationship between water flux density and hydraulic gradient, which was modified by Buckingham for unsaturated soils. Combining mass balance and the Buckingham-Darcy's law, L.A. Richards quantitatively described soil water change with space and time, i.e., Richards equation. The second principle was proposed by L.A. Richards in the 20th century, which described the minimum pressure potential needed to overcome surface tension of fluid and initiate water flow through soil-air interface. This study extends this principle to encompass soil hydrologic phenomena related to varied interfaces and microscopic features and provides a more cohesive explanation of hysteresis, hydrophobicity, and threshold behavior when water moves through layered soils. The third principle is emerging in the 21st century, which highlights the complex and evolving flow networks embedded in heterogeneous soils. This principle is summarized as: Water moves non-uniformly in natural soils with a dual-flow regime, i.e., it follows the least-resistant or preferred paths when "pushed" (e.g., by storms) or "attracted" (e.g., by plants) or "restricted" (e.g., by bedrock), but moves diffusively into the matrix when "relaxed" (e.g., at rest) or "touched" (e.g., adsorption). The first principle is a macroscopic view of steady-state water flow, the second principle is a microscopic view of interface

Approaches and challenges of soil water monitoring in an irrigated vineyard

Science.gov (United States)

Nolz, Reinhard; Loiskandl, Willibald

2016-04-01

Monitoring of water content is an approved method to quantify certain components of the soil water balance, for example as basis for hydrological studies and soil water management. Temporal soil water data also allow controlling water status by means of demand-oriented irrigation. Regarding spatial variability of water content due to soil characteristics, plant water uptake and other non-uniformities, it is a great challenge to select a location that is most likely representing soil water status of a larger area (e.g. an irrigated field). Although such an approach might not satisfy the requirements of precision farming - which becomes more and more related to industrial agriculture - it can help improving water use efficiency of small-scale farming. In this regard, specific conditions can be found in typical vineyards in the eastern part of Austria, where grapes are grown for high quality wine production. Generally, the local dry-subhumid climate supports grape development. However, irrigation is temporarily essential in order to guarantee stable yields and high quality. As the local winegrowers traditionally control irrigation based on their experience, there is a potential to improve irrigation management by means of soil water data. In order to gain experience with regard to irrigation management, soil water status was determined in a small vineyard in Austria (47°48'16'' N, 17°01'57'' E, 118 m elevation). The vineyard was equipped with a subsurface drip irrigation system and access tubes for measuring water content in soil profiles. The latter was measured using a portable device as well as permanently installed multi-sensor capacitance probes. Soil samples were taken at chosen dates and gravimetrically analyzed in the laboratory. Water content data were analyzed using simple statistical procedures and the temporal stability concept. Soil water content was interpreted considering different environmental conditions, including rainfall and irrigation periods

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.

METHODOLOGY FOR CALCULATION OF HORIZONTAL WATER PERMEABILITY COEFFICIENT IN SOIL CAPILLARY BORDER

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E. I. Michnevich

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The paper shows that for overall estimation of soil water permeability it is necessary to know a horizontal water permeability value of a soil capillary border in addition to coefficients of filtration and permeability. Relations allowing to determine soil permeability in the area of incomplete saturation, are given in the paper. For a fully developed capillary border some calculation formulae have been obtained in the form of algebraic polynomial versus soil grading (grain composition. These formulae allow to make more accurate calculations while designing and operating  reclamation works.

Water potential in soil and Atriplex nummularia (phytoremediator halophyte) under drought and salt stresses.

Science.gov (United States)

de Melo, Hidelblandi Farias; de Souza, Edivan Rodrigues; de Almeida, Brivaldo Gomes; Mulas, Maurizio

2018-02-23

Atriplex nummularia is a halophyte widely employed to recover saline soils and was used as a model to evaluate the water potentials in the soil-plant system under drought and salt stresses. Potted plants grown under 70 and 37% of field capacity irrigated with solutions of NaCl and of a mixture of NaCl, KCl, MgCl 2 and CaCl 2 reproducing six electrical conductivity (EC): 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 dS m -1 . After 100 days, total water (Ψ w, plant ) and osmotic (Ψ o, plant ) potentials at predawn and midday and Ψ o, soil , matric potential (Ψ m, soil ) and Ψ w, soil were determined. The type of ion in the irrigation water did not influence the soil potential, but was altered by EC. The soil Ψ o component was the largest contributor to Ψ w, soil . Atriplex is surviving ECs close to 40 dS m -1 due to the decrease in the Ψ w . The plants reached a Ψ w of approximately -8 MPa. The water potentials determined for different moisture levels, EC levels and salt types showed huge importance for the management of this species in semiarid regions and can be used to recover salt affected soils.

WATER INFILTRATION IN TWO CULTIVATED SOILS IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

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Ildegardis Bertol

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Infiltration is the passage of water through the soil surface, influenced by the soil type and cultivation and by the soil roughness, surface cover and water content. Infiltration absorbs most of the rainwater and is therefore crucial for planning mechanical conservation practices to manage runoff. This study determined water infiltration in two soil types under different types of management and cultivation, with simulated rainfall of varying intensity and duration applied at different times, and to adjust the empirical model of Horton to the infiltration data. The study was conducted in southern Brazil, on Dystric Nitisol (Nitossolo Bruno aluminoférrico húmico and Humic Cambisol (Cambissolo Húmico alumínico léptico soils to assess the following situations: simulated rains on the Nitisol from 2001 to 2012 in 31 treatments, differing in crop type, sowing direction, type of soil opener on the seeder, amount and type of crop residue and amount of liquid swine manure applied; on the Cambisol, rains were simlated from 2006 to 2012 and 18 treatments were evaluated, differing in crop, seeding direction and crop residue type. The constant of the water infiltration rate into the soil varies significantly with the soil type (30.2 mm h-1 in the Nitisol and 6.6 mm h-1 in the Cambisol, regardless of the management system, application time and rain intensity and duration. At the end of rainfalls, soil-water infiltration varies significantly with the management system, with the timing of application and rain intensity and duration, with values ranging from 13 to 59 mm h-1, in the two studied soils. The characteristics of the sowing operation in terms of relief, crop type and amount and type of crop residue influenced soil water infiltration: in the Nitisol, the values of contour and downhill seeding vary between 27 and 43 mm h-1, respectively, with crop residues of corn, wheat and soybean while in the Cambisol, the variation is between 2 and 36 mm h-1

Soil-water contact angle of some soils of the Russian Plane

Science.gov (United States)

Bykova, Galina; Tyugai, Zemfira; Milanovskiy, Evgeny; Shein, Evgeny

2016-04-01

INTRODUCTION Soil wettability affects the aggregate water resistance, the movement of moisture and dissolved substances, preferential flows, etc. There are many factors affecting the soil's wettability (the content of organic matter (OM), soil's mineralogical composition, particle size distribution), so it can reflect changes in the soil, including results of human impact. The quantitative characteristic of soil wettability is a contact angle (CA), its measurement is a new and difficult problem because of the complexity, heterogeneity and polydispersity of the object of investigation. The aim of this work is to study soil-water CA of some soils of the Russian Plane. MATERIALS AND METHODS The objects of study were sod-podzolic (Umbric Albeluvisols Abruptic, Eutric Podzoluvisols), grey forest non-podzolised (Greyic Phaeozems Albic, Haplic Greyzems), typical Chernozems (Voronic Chernozems pachic, Haplic Chernozems) - profiles under the forest and the arable land, and the chestnut (Haplic Kastanozems Chromic, Haplic Kastanozems) soils. The CA's determination was performed by a Drop Shape Analyzer DSA100 by the static sessile drop method. For all samples was determined the content of total and organic carbon (OC and TC) by dry combustion in oxygen flow. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION There is CA increasing from 85,1° (5 cm) to 40-45° (deeper, than 45 cm) in the sod-podzolic soil; OC content is changed at the same depths from 1,44 to 0.22%. We can see the similar picture in profiles of chernozems. In the forest profile the highest OC content and CA value are achieved on the surface of profile (6,41% and 78,1°), and by 90 cm these values are 1.9% and 50.2°. In the chernozem under the arable land the OC content is almost two times less and the profile is more wettable (from 50° to 19° at 5 and 100 cm). Corresponding with the OC content, the curve describing changes of CA in the profile of grey forest soil is S-shaped with peaks at 20 and 150 cm (81,3° and 70° respectively

Stochastic estimation of plant-available soil water under fluctuating water table depths

Science.gov (United States)

Or, Dani; Groeneveld, David P.

1994-12-01

Preservation of native valley-floor phreatophytes while pumping groundwater for export from Owens Valley, California, requires reliable predictions of plant water use. These predictions are compared with stored soil water within well field regions and serve as a basis for managing groundwater resources. Soil water measurement errors, variable recharge, unpredictable climatic conditions affecting plant water use, and modeling errors make soil water predictions uncertain and error-prone. We developed and tested a scheme based on soil water balance coupled with implementation of Kalman filtering (KF) for (1) providing physically based soil water storage predictions with prediction errors projected from the statistics of the various inputs, and (2) reducing the overall uncertainty in both estimates and predictions. The proposed KF-based scheme was tested using experimental data collected at a location on the Owens Valley floor where the water table was artificially lowered by groundwater pumping and later allowed to recover. Vegetation composition and per cent cover, climatic data, and soil water information were collected and used for developing a soil water balance. Predictions and updates of soil water storage under different types of vegetation were obtained for a period of 5 years. The main results show that: (1) the proposed predictive model provides reliable and resilient soil water estimates under a wide range of external conditions; (2) the predicted soil water storage and the error bounds provided by the model offer a realistic and rational basis for decisions such as when to curtail well field operation to ensure plant survival. The predictive model offers a practical means for accommodating simple aspects of spatial variability by considering the additional source of uncertainty as part of modeling or measurement uncertainty.

Lime application methods, water and bottom soil acidity in fresh water fish ponds

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Queiroz Julio Ferraz de

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Although some methods for determining lime requirement of pond soils are available and commonly used, there is still no consensus on whether it is more effective to apply liming materials to the bottoms of empty ponds or to wait and apply them over the water surface after ponds are filled. There is also little information on how deep lime reacts in pond sediment over time, and whether the depth of reaction is different when liming materials are applied to the water or to the soil. Therefore, three techniques for treating fish ponds with agricultural limestone were evaluated in ponds with clayey soils at a commercial fish farm. Amounts of agricultural limestone equal to the lime requirement of bottom soils were applied to each of three ponds by: direct application over the pond water surface; spread uniformly over the bottom of the empty pond; spread uniformly over the bottom of the empty pond followed by tilling of the bottom. Effectiveness of agricultural limestone applications did not differ among treatment methods. Agricultural limestone also reacted quickly to increase total alkalinity and total hardness of pond water to acceptable concentrations within 2 weeks after application. The reaction of lime to increase soil pH was essentially complete after one to two months, and lime had no effect below a soil depth of 8 cm. Tilling of pond bottoms to incorporate liming materials is unnecessary, and tilling consumes time and is an expensive practice; filled ponds can be limed effectively.

Influence of Water Content on the Flow Consistency of Dredged Marine Soils

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Rosman M. Z.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In present time, dredged marine soils (DMS are generally considered as geo-waste in Malaysia. It is also known to contain high value of water and low shear strength. Lightly solidified soils such as soilcement slurry and flowable fill are known as controlled low strength materials (CLSM. On site, the CLSM was tested for its consistency by using an open-ended cylinder pipe. The vertical and lateral displacement from the test would determine the quality and workability of the CLSM. In this study, manufactured kaolin powder was mixed with different percentages of water. Cement was also added to compare the natural soil with solidified soil samples. There are two methods of flowability test used, namely the conventional lift method and innovative drop method. The lateral displacement or soil spread diameter values were recorded and averaged. Tests showed that the soil spread diameter corresponded almost linear with the increasing amount of water. The binder-added samples show no significant difference with non-binder sample. Also, the mixing water content and percentage of fines had influenced the soil spread diameter.

Seasonal change in precipitation, snowpack, snowmelt, soil water and streamwater chemistry, northern Michigan

Science.gov (United States)

Stottlemyer, R.; Toczydlowski, D.

1999-01-01

We have studied weekly precipitation, snowpack, snowmelt, soil water and streamwater chemistry throughout winter for over a decade in a small (176 ha) northern Michigan watershed with high snowfall and vegetated by 60 to 80 year-old northern hardwoods. In this paper, we examine physical, chemical, and biological processes responsible for observed seasonal change in streamwater chemistry based upon intensive study during winter 1996-1997. The objective was to define the contributions made to winter and spring streamwater chemical concentration and flux by processes as snowmelt, over-winter forest floor and surface soil mineralization, immobilization, and exchange, and subsurface flowpath. The forest floor and soil were unfrozen beneath the snowpack which permitted most snowmelt to enter. Over-winter soil mineralization and other biological processes maintain shallow subsurface ion and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) reservoirs. Small, but steady, snowmelt throughout winter removed readily mobilized soil NO3- which resulted in high over-winter streamwater concentrations but little flux. Winter soil water levels and flowpaths were generally deep which increased soil water and streamwater base cation (C(B)), HCO3-, and Si concentrations. Spring snowmelt increased soil water levels and removal of ions and DOC from the biologically active forest floor and shallow soils. The snowpack solute content was a minor component in determining streamwater ion concentration or flux during and following peak snowmelt. Exchangeable ions, weakly adsorbed anions, and DOC in the forest floor and surface soils dominated the chemical concentration and flux in soil water and streamwater. Following peak snowmelt, soil microbial immobilization and rapidly increased plant uptake of limiting nutrients removed nearly all available nitrogen from soil water and streamwater. During the growing season high evapotranspiration increased subsurface flowpath depth which in turn removed weathering

In situ separation of root hydraulic redistribution of soil water from liquid and vapor transport

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffrey M. Warren; J. Renée Brooks; Maria I. Dragila; Frederick C. Meinzer

2011-01-01

Nocturnal increases in water potential and water content in the upper soil profile are often attributed to root water efflux, a process termed hydraulic redistribution (HR). However, unsaturated liquid or vapor flux of water between soil layers independent of roots also contributes to the daily recovery in water content, confounding efforts to determine the actual...

Contact angles of wetting and water stability of soil structure

Science.gov (United States)

Kholodov, V. A.; Yaroslavtseva, N. V.; Yashin, M. A.; Frid, A. S.; Lazarev, V. I.; Tyugai, Z. N.; Milanovskiy, E. Yu.

2015-06-01

From the soddy-podzolic soils and typical chernozems of different texture and land use, dry 3-1 mm aggregates were isolated and sieved in water. As a result, water-stable aggregates and water-unstable particles composing dry 3-1 mm aggregates were obtained. These preparations were ground, and contact angles of wetting were determined by the static sessile drop method. The angles varied from 11° to 85°. In most cases, the values of the angles for the water-stable aggregates significantly exceeded those for the water-unstable components. In terms of carbon content in structural units, there was no correlation between these parameters. When analyzing the soil varieties separately, the significant positive correlation between the carbon content and contact angle of aggregates was revealed only for the loamy-clayey typical chernozem. Based on the multivariate analysis of variance, the value of contact wetting angle was shown to be determined by the structural units belonging to water-stable or water-unstable components of macroaggregates and by the land use type. In addition, along with these parameters, the texture has an indirect effect.

Validation of a spatial–temporal soil water movement and plant water uptake model

KAUST Repository

HEPPELL, J.

2014-06-01

© 2014, (publisher). All rights reserved. Management and irrigation of plants increasingly relies on accurate mathematical models for the movement of water within unsaturated soils. Current models often use values for water content and soil parameters that are averaged over the soil profile. However, many applications require models to more accurately represent the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum, in particular, water movement and saturation within specific parts of the soil profile. In this paper a mathematical model for water uptake by a plant root system from unsaturated soil is presented. The model provides an estimate of the water content level within the soil at different depths, and the uptake of water by the root system. The model was validated using field data, which include hourly water content values at five different soil depths under a grass/herb cover over 1 year, to obtain a fully calibrated system for plant water uptake with respect to climate conditions. When compared quantitatively to a simple water balance model, the proposed model achieves a better fit to the experimental data due to its ability to vary water content with depth. To accurately model the water content in the soil profile, the soil water retention curve and saturated hydraulic conductivity needed to vary with depth.

Improved Instrument for Detecting Water and Ice in Soil

Science.gov (United States)

Buehler, Martin; Chin, Keith; Keymeulen, Didler; McCann, Timothy; Seshadri, Suesh; Anderson, Robert

2009-01-01

An instrument measures electrical properties of relatively dry soils to determine their liquid water and/or ice contents. Designed as a prototype of instruments for measuring the liquid-water and ice contents of lunar and planetary soils, the apparatus could also be utilized for similar purposes in research and agriculture involving terrestrial desert soils and sands, and perhaps for measuring ice buildup on aircraft surfaces. This instrument is an improved version of the apparatus described in Measuring Low Concentrations of Liquid Water and Ice in Soil (NPO-41822), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 33, No. 2 (February 2009), page 22. The designs of both versions are based on the fact that the electrical behavior of a typical soil sample is well approximated by a network of resistors and capacitors in which resistances decrease and capacitances increase (and the magnitude and phase angle of impedance changes accordingly) with increasing water content. The previous version included an impedance spectrometer and a jar into which a sample of soil was placed. Four stainless-steel screws at the bottom of the jar were used as electrodes of a fourpoint impedance probe connected to the spectrometer. The present instrument does not include a sample jar and can be operated without acquiring or handling samples. Its impedance probe consists of a compact assembly of electrodes housed near the tip of a cylinder. The electrodes protrude slightly from the cylinder (see Figure 1). In preparation for measurements, the cylinder is simply pushed into the ground to bring the soil into contact with the electrodes.

Water retention of repellent and subcritical repellent soils: New insights from model and experimental investigations

Science.gov (United States)

Czachor, H.; Doerr, S. H.; Lichner, L.

2010-01-01

SummarySoil organic matter can modify the surface properties of the soil mineral phase by changing the surface tension of the mineral surfaces. This modifies the soil's solid-water contact angle, which in turn would be expected to affect its water retention curve (SWRC). Here we model the impact of differences in the soil pore-water contact angle on capillarity in non-cylindrical pores by accounting for their complex pore geometry. Key outcomes from the model include that (i) available methods for measuring the Young's wetting angle on soil samples are insufficient in representing the wetting angle in the soil pore space, (ii) the wetting branch of water retention curves is strongly affected by the soil pore-water contact angle, as manifest in the wetting behavior of water repellent soils, (iii) effects for the drying branch are minimal, indicating that both wettable and water repellent soils should behave similarly, and (vi) water retention is a feature not of only wettable soils, but also soils that are in a water repellent state. These results are tested experimentally by determining drying and wetting branches for (a) 'model soil' (quartz sands with four hydrophobization levels) and (b) five field soil samples with contrasting wettability, which were used with and without the removal of the soil organic matter. The experimental results support the theoretical predictions and indicate that small changes in wetting angle can cause switches between wettable and water repellent soil behavior. This may explain the common observation that relatively small changes in soil water content can cause substantial changes in soil wettability.

Improved or Unimproved Urban Areas Effect on Soil and Water Quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sally D. Logsdon

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Construction in urban areas usually results in compacted soil, which restricts plant growth and infiltration. Nutrients may be lost in storm runoff water and sediment. The purpose of this study was to determine if existing lawns benefit from aeration and surface compost additions without the negative impact of nutrient loss in runoff. Four sets of lawns were compared, with or without compost plus aeration, as a paired comparison. Surface bulk density was significantly reduced in the treated lawns (1.32 versus 1.42 Mg·m−3. Visual evaluation of soil structure showed improvement in the treated lawns. Of fifteen measurement dates over four years, four dates showed significantly higher surface soil water contents in the treated lawns compared with the untreated lawns. When compared over time, three of the four treated lawns had significantly higher soil water content than the untreated lawns. Nutrient concentrations in rainfall simulator runoff were not significantly different between treated and control lawns, which showed that compost did not negatively impact water quality. Compost and aeration helped restore soil quality for urban soils of recent construction.

A study on water infiltration barriers with compacted layered soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umeda, Y.; Komori, K.; Fujiwara, A.

1993-01-01

In shallow-ground disposal of low-level radioactive wastes, water movements due to natural processes in the soil covering the disposal facility must be properly controlled. A capillary barrier with compacted layered soils can provide an effective means of controlling water movement in the soil covering placed on a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. An experiment was performed to determine the effectiveness of a full-scale fill as a capillary barrier. The fill used in the experiment was constructed of compacted layers of clay, fine sand, and gravel. Man-made rain was caused to fall on the surfaces of the fill to observe the infiltration of rainwater into the fill and to measure the amount of water drained from within. The experiment established the effectiveness of the capillary barrier

Soil water nitrate concentrations in giant cane and forest riparian buffer zones

Science.gov (United States)

Jon E. Schoonover; Karl W. J. Williard; James J. Zaczek; Jean C. Mangun; Andrew D. Carver

2003-01-01

Soil water nitrate concentrations in giant cane and forest riparian buffer zones along Cypress Creek in southern Illinois were compared to determine if the riparian zones were sources or sinks for nitrogen in the rooting zone. Suction lysimeters were used to collect soil water samples from the lower rooting zone in each of the two vegetation types. The cane riparian...

Level of Fluoride in Soil, Grain and Water in Jalgaon District, Maharashtra, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Naik, Rahul Gaybarao; Dodamani, Arun Suresh; Vishwakarma, Prashanth; Jadhav, Harish Chaitram; Khairnar, Mahesh Ravindra; Deshmukh, Manjiri Abhay; Wadgave, Umesh

2017-02-01

Fluoride has an influence on both oral as well as systemic health. The major source of fluoride to body is through drinking water as well as through diet. Staple diet mainly depends on local environmental factors, food grains grown locally, its availability etc. Determination of fluoride level in these food grains is important. So, estimation of the amount of fluoride in grains and its relation to the sources of fluoride used for their cultivation viz., soil and water is important. To estimate the relation of fluoride concentration in grains (Jowar) with respect to that of soil and water used for their cultivation. Fifteen samples each of soil, water and grains were collected using standardized method from the same farm fields of randomly selected villages of Jalgaon district. Fluoride ion concentration was determined in laboratory using SPADNS technique. Mean difference in fluoride levels in between the groups were analyzed using ANOVA and Post-Hoc Tukey test. Linear regression method was applied to analyse the association of the fluoride content of grain with water and soil. There was a significant difference in between mean fluoride levels of soil and water (pwater and grain was found to be non significant (p=0.591). Also fluoride levels in all the three groups showed significant association with each other. Fluoride level of soil, grains and water should be adjusted to an optimum level. Soil has positive correlation with respect to uptake of fluoride by Jowar grains. So, Jowar grains with optimum fluoride content should be made available in the commercial markets so that oral and general health can be benefitted.

Soils and water [Chapter 18

Science.gov (United States)

Goran Berndes; Heather Youngs; Maria Victoria Ramos Ballester; Heitor Cantarella; Annette L. Cowie; Graham Jewitt; Luiz Antonio Martinelli; Dan Neary

2015-01-01

Bioenergy production can have positive or negative impacts on soil and water. To best understand these impacts, the effects of bioenergy systems on water and soil resources should be assessed as part of an integrated analysis considering environmental, social and economic dimensions. Bioenergy production systems that are strategically integrated in the landscape to...

A generalized transmission method for gamma-efficiency determinations in soil samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolivar, J.P.; Garcia-Tenorio, R.; Garcia-Leon, M.

1994-01-01

In this paper, a generalization of the γ-ray transmission method which is useful for measurements on soil samples, for example, is presented. The correction factor, f, is given, which is a function of the apparent density of the soil and the γ-ray energy. With this method, the need for individual determinations of f, for each energy and apparent soil density is avoided. Although the method has been developed for soils, the general philosophy can be applied to other sample matrices, such as water or vegetables for example. (author)

Effects of soil water saturation on sampling equilibrium and kinetics of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Pil-Gon; Roh, Ji-Yeon; Hong, Yongseok; Kwon, Jung-Hwan

2017-10-01

Passive sampling can be applied for measuring the freely dissolved concentration of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) in soil pore water. When using passive samplers under field conditions, however, there are factors that might affect passive sampling equilibrium and kinetics, such as soil water saturation. To determine the effects of soil water saturation on passive sampling, the equilibrium and kinetics of passive sampling were evaluated by observing changes in the distribution coefficient between sampler and soil (K sampler/soil ) and the uptake rate constant (k u ) at various soil water saturations. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) passive samplers were deployed into artificial soils spiked with seven selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In dry soil (0% water saturation), both K sampler/soil and k u values were much lower than those in wet soils likely due to the contribution of adsorption of PAHs onto soil mineral surfaces and the conformational changes in soil organic matter. For high molecular weight PAHs (chrysene, benzo[a]pyrene, and dibenzo[a,h]anthracene), both K sampler/soil and k u values increased with increasing soil water saturation, whereas they decreased with increasing soil water saturation for low molecular weight PAHs (phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, and pyrene). Changes in the sorption capacity of soil organic matter with soil water content would be the main cause of the changes in passive sampling equilibrium. Henry's law constant could explain the different behaviors in uptake kinetics of the selected PAHs. The results of this study would be helpful when passive samplers are deployed under various soil water saturations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using soil water sensors to improve irrigation management

Science.gov (United States)

Irrigation water management has to do with the appropriate application of water to soils, in terms of amounts, rates, and timing to satisfy crop water demands while protecting the soil and water resources from degradation. In this regard, sensors can be used to monitor the soil water status; and som...

Prediction of the Soil Water Characteristic from Soil Particle Volume Fractions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naveed, Muhammad; Møldrup, Per; Tuller, Markus

2012-01-01

Modelling water distribution and flow in partially saturated soils requires knowledge of the soil-water characteristic (SWC). However, measurement of the SWC is challenging and time-consuming, and in some cases not feasible. This study introduces two predictive models (Xw-model and Xw......*-model) for the SWC, derived from readily available soil properties such as texture and bulk density. A total of 46 soils from different horizons at 15 locations across Denmark were used for models evaluation. The Xw-model predicts the volumetric water content as a function of volumetric fines content (organic matter...... (organic matter, clay, silt, fine and coarse sand), variably included in the model depending on the pF value. The volumetric content of a particular soil particle size fraction was included in the model if it was assumed to contribute to the pore size fraction still occupied with water at the given p...

Governing equations of transient soil water flow and soil water flux in multi-dimensional fractional anisotropic media and fractional time

OpenAIRE

M. L. Kavvas; A. Ercan; J. Polsinelli

2017-01-01

In this study dimensionally consistent governing equations of continuity and motion for transient soil water flow and soil water flux in fractional time and in fractional multiple space dimensions in anisotropic media are developed. Due to the anisotropy in the hydraulic conductivities of natural soils, the soil medium within which the soil water flow occurs is essentially anisotropic. Accordingly, in this study the fractional dimensions in two horizontal and one vertical di...

Organic compounds in hot-water-soluble fractions from water repellent soils

Science.gov (United States)

Atanassova, Irena; Doerr, Stefan

2014-05-01

Water repellency (WR) is a soil property providing hydrophobic protection and preventing rapid microbial decomposition of organic matter entering the soil with litter or plant residues. Global warming can cause changes in WR, thus influencing water storage and plant productivity. Here we assess two different approaches for analysis of organic compounds composition in hot water extracts from accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) of water repellent soils. Extracts were lyophilized, fractionated on SiO2 (sand) and SPE cartridge, and measured by GC/MS. Dominant compounds were aromatic acids, short chain dicarboxylic acids (C4-C9), sugars, short chain fatty acids (C8-C18), and esters of stearic and palmitic acids. Polar compounds (mainly sugars) were adsorbed on applying SPE clean-up procedure, while esters were highly abundant. In addition to the removal of polar compounds, hydrophobic esters and hydrocarbons (alkanes and alkenes particle wettability and C dynamics in soils. Key words: soil water repellency, hot water soluble carbon (HWSC), GC/MS, hydrophobic compounds

PILOT-SCALE SUBCRITICAL WATER REMEDIATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON- AND PESTICIDE-CONTAMINATED SOIL. (R825394)

Science.gov (United States)

Subcritical water (hot water under enough pressure to maintain the liquid state) was used to remove polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pesticides from highly contaminated soils. Laboratory-scale (8 g of soil) experiments were used to determine conditions f...

Linking hard and soft traits: Physiology, morphology and anatomy interact to determine habitat affinities to soil water availability in herbaceous dicots.

Science.gov (United States)

Belluau, Michaël; Shipley, Bill

2018-01-01

Species' habitat affinities along environmental gradients should be determined by a combination of physiological (hard) and morpho-anatomical (soft) traits. Using a gradient of soil water availability, we address three questions: How well can we predict habitat affinities from hard traits, from soft traits, and from a combination of the two? How well can we predict species' physiological responses to drought (hard traits) from their soft traits? Can we model a causal sequence as soft traits → hard traits → species distributions? We chose 25 species of herbaceous dicots whose affinities for soil moisture have already been linked to 5 physiological traits (stomatal conductance and net photosynthesis measured at soil field capacity, water use efficiency, stomatal conductance and soil water potential measured when leaves begin to wilt). Under controlled conditions in soils at field capacity, we measured five soft traits (leaf dry matter content, specific leaf area, leaf nitrogen content, stomatal area, specific root length). Soft traits alone were poor predictors (R2 = 0.129) while hard traits explained 48% of species habitat affinities. Moreover, hard traits were significantly related to combinations of soft traits. From a priori biological knowledge and hypothesized ecological links we built a path model showing a sequential pattern soft traits → hard traits → species distributions and accounting for 59.6% (p = 0.782) of habitat wetness. Both direct and indirect causal relationships existed between soft traits, hard traits and species' habitat preferences. The poor predictive abilities of soft traits alone were due to the existence of antagonistic and synergistic direct and indirect effects of soft traits on habitat preferences mediated by the hard traits. To obtain a more realistic model applicable to a population level, it has to be tested in an experiment including species competition for water supply.

Ground cover influence on evaporation and stable water isotopes in soil water

Science.gov (United States)

Magdalena Warter, Maria; Jiménez-Rodríguez, Cesar D.; Coenders-Gerrits, Miriam; Teuling, Adriaan J. Ryan

2017-04-01

Forest ecosystems are characterized by complex structures which influence hydrological processes such as evaporation. The vertical stratification of the forest modifies the effect of the evaporation process due to the composition and local distribution of species within the forest. The evaluation of it will improve the understanding of evaporation in forest ecosystems. To determine the influence of forest understory on the fractionation front, four ground cover types were selected from the Speulderbos forest in the Netherlands. The native species of Thamariskmoss (Thuidium thamariscinum), Rough Stalked Feathermoss (Brachythecium rutabulum), and Haircapmoss (Polytrichum commune) as well as one type of litter made up of Douglas-Fir needles (Pseudotsuga menziesii) were used to analyse the rate of evaporation and changes on the isotopic concentration of the soil water on an in-situ basis in a controlled environment. Over a period of 4 weeks soil water content and atmospheric conditions were continuously measured, while the rainfall simulations were performed with different amounts and timings. The reference water added to the boxes keeps a stable composition along the trial period with a δ ^2H value of -42.59±1.15 \\permil} and δ 18O of -6.01±0.21 \\permil}. The evaporation front in the four ground covers is located between 5 and 10 cm depth and deuterium excess values are bigger than 5 \\permil. The litter layer of Douglas-Fir needles is the cover with higher fractionation in respect to the added water at 10 cm depth (δ ^2H: -29.79 \\permil), while the Haircapmoss keeps the lower fractionation rate at 5 cm and 10 cm (δ ^2H: -33.62 and δ ^2H: -35.34 \\permil). The differences showed by the soil water beneath the different ground covers depict the influence of ground cover on fractionation rates of the soil water, underlining the importance of the spatial heterogeneity of the evaporation front in the first 15 cm of soil.

Determination of trace levels of nickel and manganese in soil, vegetable, and water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khani, Rouhollah; Shemirani, Farzaneh [School of Analytical Chemistry, University College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2010-12-15

A simple and reliable method for rapid and selective extraction and determination of trace levels of Ni{sup 2+} and Mn{sup 2+} was developed by ionic liquid (IL) based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled to flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) detection. The proposed method was successfully applied to the preconcentration and determination of nickel and manganese in soil, vegetable, and water samples. After preconcentration, the settled IL-phase was dissolved in 100 {mu}L of ethanol and aspirated into the FAAS using a home-made microsample introduction system. Injection of 50 {mu}L of each analyte into an air-acetylene flame provided very sensitive spike-like and reproducible signals. Effective parameters such as pH, amount of IL, volume of the disperser solvent, concentration of the chelating agent, and effect of salt concentration were inspected by a (2{sup 5-1}) fractional factorial design to identify the most important parameters and their interactions. Under optimum conditions, preconcentration of 10 mL sample solution permitted the detection of 0.93 {mu}g L{sup -1} Ni{sup 2+} and 0.52 {mu}g L{sup -1} Mn{sup 2+} with enrichment factors 77.2 and 82.6 for Ni{sup 2+} and Mn{sup 2+}, respectively. The accuracy of the procedure was evaluated by analysis of a certified reference material (CRM TMDW-500, drinking water). (Copyright copyright 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Filter Membrane Effects on Water-Extractable Phosphorus Concentrations from Soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Norby, Jessica; Strawn, Daniel; Brooks, Erin

2018-03-01

To accurately assess P concentrations in soil extracts, standard laboratory practices for monitoring P concentrations are needed. Water-extractable P is a common analytical test to determine P availability for leaching from soils, and it is used to determine best management practices. Most P analytical tests require filtration through a filter membrane with 0.45-μm pore size to distinguish between particulate and dissolved P species. However, filter membrane type is rarely specified in method protocols, and many different types of membranes are available. In this study, three common filter membrane materials (polyether sulfone, nylon, and nitrocellulose), all with 0.45-μm pore sizes, were tested for analytical differences in total P concentrations and dissolved reactive P (DRP) concentrations in water extracts from six soils sampled from two regions. Three of the extracts from the six soil samples had different total P concentrations for all three membrane types. The other three soil extracts had significantly different total P results from at least one filter membrane type. Total P concentration differences were as great as 35%. The DRP concentrations in the extracts were dependent on filter type in five of the six soil types. Results from this research show that filter membrane type is an important parameter that affects concentrations of total P and DRP from soil extracts. Thus, membrane type should be specified in soil extraction protocols. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Field soil-water properties measured through radiation techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-07-01

This report shows a major effort to make soil physics applicable to the behaviour of the field soils and presents a rich and diverse set of data which are essential for the development of effective soil-water management practices that improve and conserve the quality and quantity of agricultural lands. This piece of research has shown that the neutron moisture meter together with some complementary instruments like tensiometers, can be used not only to measure soil water contents but also be extremely handy to measure soil hydraulic characteristics and soil water flow. It is, however, recognized that hydraulic conductivity is highly sensitive to small changes in soil water content and texture, being extremely variable spatially and temporally

Water transport in desert alluvial soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kearl, P.M.

1982-04-01

Safe storage of radioactive waste buried in an arid alluvial soil requires extensive site characterization of the physical process influencing moisture movement which could act as a transport medium for the migration of radionuclides. The field portion of this study included an infiltration plot instrumented with thermocouple psychrometers and neturon moisture probe access holes. Baseline information shows a zone of higher moisture content at approximately 1.5 m (5 ft) in depth. A sprinkler system simulated a 500-year precipitation event. Results revealed water penetrated the soil to 0.9 m (2.9 ft). Due to the low moisture content, vapor transport was primarily responsible for water movement at this depth. Temperature gradients are substantially responsible for vapor transport by preferentially sorting water-vapor molecules from the surrounding air by using the soil as a molecular sieve. Adsorbed and capillary water vapor pressure increases in response to a temperature increase and releases additional water to the soil pore atmosphere to be diffused away

Impacts of soil conditioners and water table management on phosphorus loss in tile drainage from a clay loam soil.

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Zhang, T Q; Tan, C S; Zheng, Z M; Welacky, T W; Reynolds, W D

2015-03-01

Adoption of waste-derived soil conditioners and refined water management can improve soil physical quality and crop productivity of fine-textured soils. However, the impacts of these practices on water quality must be assessed to ensure environmental sustainability. We conducted a study to determine phosphorus (P) loss in tile drainage as affected by two types of soil conditioners (yard waste compost and swine manure compost) and water table management (free drainage and controlled drainage with subirrigation) in a clay loam soil under corn-soybean rotation in a 4-yr period from 1999 to 2003. Tile drainage flows were monitored and sampled on a year-round continuous basis using on-site auto-sampling systems. Water samples were analyzed for dissolved reactive P (DRP), particulate P (PP), and total P (TP). Substantially greater concentrations and losses of DRP, PP, and TP occurred with swine manure compost than with control and yard waste compost regardless of water table management. Compared with free drainage, controlled drainage with subirrigation was an effective way to reduce annual and cumulative losses of DRP, PP, and TP in tile drainage through reductions in flow volume and P concentration with control and yard waste compost but not with swine manure compost. Both DRP and TP concentrations in tile drainage were well above the water quality guideline for P, affirming that subsurface loss of P from fine-textured soils can be one critical source for freshwater eutrophication. Swine manure compost applied as a soil conditioner must be optimized by taking water quality impacts into consideration. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Soil water regime under homogeneous eucalyptus and pine forests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, W.P.; Reichardt, K.

1977-01-01

Measurement of precipitation and monthly soil water content during two consecutive years, in 6-year old plantations of eucalypt and pine, and also in an open plot containing natural herbaceous vegetation, were used to compare the soil water regime of these vegetation covers. Precipitation was measured in the open plot with a recording and a non-recording rain gage. Soil water was assessed by the neutron scattering technique to a depth of 1,80 meters. Results indicate that there was, in general, water available in the soil over the entire period of study in all three vegetation conditions. The annual range of soil water in eucalypt, pine, and in natural herbaceous vegetation was essentially similar. The analysis of the average soil water regime showed that the soil under herbaceous vegetation was, generally, more umid than the soil under eucalypt and pine during the period of soil water recharge (September through February); during the period of soil water depletion, the opposite was true. Collectively, the results permit the conclusion that there were no adverse effects on the soil water regime which could be ascribed to reflorestation with eucalypt or pine, as compared with that observed for the natural herbaceous vegetation [pt

Precision of neutron scattering and capacitance type soil water content gauges from field calibration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evett, S.R.; Steiner, J.L.

1995-01-01

Soil water content gauges based on neutron scattering (NS) have been a valuable tool for soil water investigations for some 40 yr. However, licensing, training, and safety regulations pertaining to the radioactive source in these gauges makes their use expensive and prevents use in some situations such as unattended monitoring. A capacitance probe (CP) gauge has characteristics that would seem to make it an ideal replacement for NS gauges. We determined the relative precision of two brands of NS gauges (three gauges of each) and a brand of CP gauge (four gauges) in a field calibration exercise. Both brands of NS gauges were calibrated vs. volumetric soil water content with coefficients of determination (r2) ranging from 0.97 to 0.99 and root mean squared errors (RMSE) 0.012 m3 m-3 water content. Calibrations for the CP gauges resulted in r2 ranging from 0.68 to 0.71 and RMSE of 0.036 m3 m-3 water content. Average 95% confidence intervals on predictions were three to five times higher for the CP gauges than for the NS gauges, ranging from 0.153 to 0.161 and 0.032 to 0.052 m3 m-3, respectively. Although poorly correlated with soil water content, readings were reproducible among the four CP gauges. The poor correlation for CP gauges may be due to small-scale soil water content variations within the measurement volume of the gauge. The NS gauges provide acceptable precision but the CP gauge has poor precision and is unacceptable for routine soil water content measurements

Determinants of farmers’ perception to invest in soil and water conservation technologies in the North-Western Highlands of Ethiopia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Desalew Meseret Moges

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Soil erosion by water is a severe and continuous ecological problem in the north-western Highlands of Ethiopia. Limited perception of farmers to practice soil and water conservation (SWC technologies is one of the major causes that have resulted accelerated soil erosion. Therefore, this paper examines the major determinants of farmers’ perception to use and invest in SWC technologies in Ankasha District, north-western highlands of Ethiopia. A detailed field survey was carried out among 338 households, randomly selected from two rural sample kebeles (called villages here after. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression model were used to analyse the effects of multiple variables on farmers’ perception. The results indicate that educational level of the respondents and their access to trainings were found to have a positive and very significant association (P<0.01 with farmers’ perception. Likewise, land ownership, plot size, slope type, and extension contact positively and significantly influenced farmers’ perception at 5% level of significance. On the other hand, the influence of respondents’ age and plot distance from the homestead was found to be negative and significant (P<0.05. The overall results of this study indicate that the perception of farmers to invest in SWC technologies was highly determined by socioeconomic, institutional, attitudinal and biophysical factors. Thus, a better understanding of constrains that influence farmers' perception is very important while designing and implementing SWC technologies. Frequent contacts between farmers and extension agents and continues agricultural trainings are also needed to increase awareness of the impacts of SWC benefits.

Tritium sorption behavior on the percolation of tritiated water into a soil packed bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furuichi, Kazuya, E-mail: kfuruichi@aees.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Department of Advanced Energy Engineering, Kyushu University, 6-1, Kasuga-koen, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Katayama, Kazunari; Date, Hiroyuki [Department of Advanced Energy Engineering, Kyushu University, 6-1, Kasuga-koen, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Takeishi, Toshiharu [Factory of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan); Fukada, Satoshi [Department of Advanced Energy Engineering, Kyushu University, 6-1, Kasuga-koen, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • We establish the permeation model of tritiated water in the soil layer. • Saturated hydraulic conductivity of water in soil was gained by using the model. • The isotope exchange reaction coefficient was good agreement with experimental data. - Abstract: Development of tritium transport model in natural soil is an important issue from a viewpoint of safety of fusion reactors. The spill of a large amount of tritiated water to the environment is a concern accident because huge tritiated water is handled in a fusion plant. In this work, a simple tritium transport model was proposed based on the tritium transport model in porous materials. The overall mass transfer coefficient representing isotope exchange reaction between tritiated water and structural water in soil particles was obtained by numerically analyzing the result of the percolation experiment of tritiated water into the soil packed bed. Saturated hydraulic conductivity in the natural soil packed bed was obtained to be 0.033 mm/s. By using this value, the overall mass transfer capacity coefficients representing the isotope exchange reaction between tritiated water percolating through the packed bed and overall structural water on soil particles was determined to be 6.0 × 10{sup −4} 1/s. This value is much smaller than the mass transfer capacity coefficient between tritiated water vapor and water on concrete material and metals.

Impact of groundwater levels on evaporation and water-vapor fluxes in highly saline soils

Science.gov (United States)

Munoz, J. F.; Hernández, M. F.; Braud, I.; Gironas, J. A.; Suarez, F. I.

2012-12-01

In aquifers of arid and hyper-arid zones, such as those occurring in the Chilean Andes high plateau, it is important to determine both the quantity and location of water discharges at the temporal scales of interest to close the basin's water budget and thus, to manage the water resource properly. In zones where shallow aquifers are the main source of water, overexploitation of the water resource changes the dynamics of water, heat and solute transport in the vadose zone. As aquifers are exploited, fluctuations in depth to groundwater are exacerbated. These fluctuations modify both soil structure and evaporation from the ground, which is typically the most important discharge from the water budget and is very difficult to estimate. Therefore, a correct quantification of evaporation from these soils is essential to improve the accuracy of the water balance estimation. The objective of this study was to investigate the evaporation processes and water-vapor fluxes in a soil column filled with a saline soil from the Salar del Huasco basin, Chile. Water content, electrical conductivity and temperature at different depths in the soil profile were monitored to determine the liquid and vapor fluxes within the soil column. The results showed that evaporation is negligible when the groundwater table is deeper than 1 m. For shallower groundwater levels, evaporation increases in an exponential fashion reaching a value of 3 mm/day when the groundwater table is near the surface of the ground. These evaporation rates are on the same order of magnitude than the field measurements, but slightly lower due to the controlled conditions maintained in the laboratory. Isothermal fluid fluxes were predominant over the non-isothermal fluid and water vapor fluxes. The net flux for all the phreatic levels tested in the laboratory showed different behaviors, with ascending or descending flows as a consequence of changes in water content and temperature distribution within the soil. It was

A method to extract soil water for stable isotope analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Revesz, Kinga; Woods, Peter H.

1990-07-01

A method has been developed to extract soil water for determination of deuterium (D) and 18O content. The principle of this method is based on the observation that water and toluene form an azeotropic mixture at 84.1°C, but are completely immiscible at ambient temperature. In a specially designed distillation apparatus, the soil water is distilled at 84.1°C with toluene and is separated quantitatively in the collecting funnel at ambient temperature. Traces of toluene are removed and the sample can be analyzed by mass spectrometry. Kerosene may be substituted for toluene. The accuracy of this technique is ± 2 and ± 0.2‰, respectively, for δD and δ 18O. Reduced accuracy is obtained at low water contents.

Transfer mechanisms in cultivated soils of waste radionuclides from electronuclear power plants in the system river--irrigated soil--underground water level

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saas, A; Grauby, A

1974-12-31

From symposinm on environmentl behavior of radionuclides released in the nuclear industry; Aix-en-Provence, France (14 May 1973). The location of nuclear power plants by rivers whose waters are used for irrigation and industrial and domestic consumption necessities a profound study of the river-irrigated soil- ground water system. Mechanisms of radionuclide transport in cultivated soil are considered under three principal aspects: the effect of the quality of the river water, of the irrigation channels, and of the ground water level on the mobility of the radionuclides in the soil; the influence of the type of soil (the four types of soils considered are acid brown soil, calcic brown soil, chalky brown soil, and chalky alluvial soil); and the distribution of radionuclides in the soil (hydrosoluble forms can contminate the ground water level and these are the forms in which they are taken up by plants. A study was made on the following nuclides: /sup 22/Na, /sup 137/Cs, /sup 85/Sr, /Sup 54/Mn, /Sup 59/Fe, /Sup 60/ Co, /sup 65/Zn, /sup 124/Sb, /sup 141 in the cultivated soils permit the evaluation of the risks of contmination of the food chain and of the underground water. This study also showed new perspectives of the behavior of radionuclides as a function of their contmination of the organo-mineral wastes of industrial and domestic origin. This pollution interfers largely with the formation of stble complexes carried by the river to irrigated soils. The quality of the water determines the distribution of the radionuclides in the profile. The hydrosoluble complex persists in the soil and migrates toward the underground water level if they are not biodegradable. The stability of these forms as a function of the soil pH and of its physicochemical characteristics, as well as that of the radionuclides considered, permit the formulation of a new balance of the radionuclides in soils. The formulation of new proposals for the contml of nuclear sites is discussed. (tr-auth)

Measuring water content in soil using TDR: A state-of-the-art in 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Topp, G.C.; Ferre, P.A.

2000-01-01

Over the past decade or so, the development and continuing refinement of the time-domain reflectometry (TDR) technique for in-situ, nondestructive measurement of water content has revolutionized the study and management of the transfer and storage of water within the soil profile. The principles for the application of TDR to water content are now well accepted and straight forward. For many mineral soils, the calibration for water content has a linear relationship with the square root of the relative permittivity measured by TDR. This allows a two-point calibration. TDR-measured water content has been applied successfully to water balance studies ranging from the km scale of small watersheds to the nun scale of the root-soil interface. Soil probes can be designed to meet many and varied requirements. The performance of a number of probe geometries is presented, including some of their strengths and weaknesses. Although coated soil probes allow measurement in more conductive soils, the probe coatings alter the water-content calibration both in sensitivity and linearity. Three general options are available for determining profiles of soil water content from the soil surface to a depth of 1 m. Soil probes of differing total depths extending to the surface are the most accessible. Soil probes buried at selected depths provide easily repeatable values. The vertically installed single probe, Aith depth segments separated by diodes, allows repeated measurement in a single vertical slice. The portability of TDR instrumentation coupled with the simplicity and flexibility of probes has allowed the mapping of spatial patterns of water content and field-based spatial and temporal soil water content distributions. The usefulness and power of the TDR technique for characterizing soil water content is increasing rapidly through continuing improvements in instrument operating range, probe design, multiplexing and automated data collection. (author)

Consequences of using different soil texture determination methodologies for soil physical quality and unsaturated zone time lag estimates.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenton, O; Vero, S; Ibrahim, T G; Murphy, P N C; Sherriff, S C; Ó hUallacháin, D

2015-11-01

Elucidation of when the loss of pollutants, below the rooting zone in agricultural landscapes, affects water quality is important when assessing the efficacy of mitigation measures. Investigation of this inherent time lag (t(T)) is divided into unsaturated (t(u)) and saturated (t(s)) components. The duration of these components relative to each other differs depending on soil characteristics and the landscape position. The present field study focuses on tu estimation in a scenario where the saturated zone is likely to constitute a higher proportion of t(T). In such instances, or where only initial breakthrough (IBT) or centre of mass (COM) is of interest, utilisation of site and depth specific "simple" textural class or actual sand-silt-clay percentages to generate soil water characteristic curves with associated soil hydraulic parameters is acceptable. With the same data it is also possible to estimate a soil physical quality (S) parameter for each soil layer which can be used to infer many other physical, chemical and biological quality indicators. In this study, hand texturing in the field was used to determine textural classes of a soil profile. Laboratory methods, including hydrometer, pipette and laser diffraction methods were used to determine actual sand-silt-clay percentages of sections of the same soil profile. Results showed that in terms of S, hand texturing resulted in a lower index value (inferring a degraded soil) than that of pipette, hydrometer and laser equivalents. There was no difference between S index values determined using the pipette, hydrometer and laser diffraction methods. The difference between the three laboratory methods on both the IBT and COM stages of t(u) were negligible, and in this instance were unlikely to affect either groundwater monitoring decisions, or to be of consequence from a policy perspective. When t(u) estimates are made over the full depth of the vadose zone, which may extend to several metres, errors resulting from

Consequences of using different soil texture determination methodologies for soil physical quality and unsaturated zone time lag estimates

Science.gov (United States)

Fenton, O.; Vero, S.; Ibrahim, T. G.; Murphy, P. N. C.; Sherriff, S. C.; Ó hUallacháin, D.

2015-11-01

Elucidation of when the loss of pollutants, below the rooting zone in agricultural landscapes, affects water quality is important when assessing the efficacy of mitigation measures. Investigation of this inherent time lag (tT) is divided into unsaturated (tu) and saturated (ts) components. The duration of these components relative to each other differs depending on soil characteristics and the landscape position. The present field study focuses on tu estimation in a scenario where the saturated zone is likely to constitute a higher proportion of tT. In such instances, or where only initial breakthrough (IBT) or centre of mass (COM) is of interest, utilisation of site and depth specific "simple" textural class or actual sand-silt-clay percentages to generate soil water characteristic curves with associated soil hydraulic parameters is acceptable. With the same data it is also possible to estimate a soil physical quality (S) parameter for each soil layer which can be used to infer many other physical, chemical and biological quality indicators. In this study, hand texturing in the field was used to determine textural classes of a soil profile. Laboratory methods, including hydrometer, pipette and laser diffraction methods were used to determine actual sand-silt-clay percentages of sections of the same soil profile. Results showed that in terms of S, hand texturing resulted in a lower index value (inferring a degraded soil) than that of pipette, hydrometer and laser equivalents. There was no difference between S index values determined using the pipette, hydrometer and laser diffraction methods. The difference between the three laboratory methods on both the IBT and COM stages of tu were negligible, and in this instance were unlikely to affect either groundwater monitoring decisions, or to be of consequence from a policy perspective. When tu estimates are made over the full depth of the vadose zone, which may extend to several metres, errors resulting from the use of

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...

Soil-Water Characteristic Curves of Red Clay treated by Ionic Soil Stabilizer

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, D.; Xiang, W.

2009-12-01

The relationship of red clay particle with water is an important factor to produce geological disaster and environmental damage. In order to reduce the role of adsorbed water of red clay in WuHan, Ionic Soil Stabilizer (ISS) was used to treat the red clay. Soil Moisture Equipment made in U.S.A was used to measure soil-water characteristic curve of red clay both in natural and stabilized conditions in the suction range of 0-500kPa. The SWCC results were used to interpret the red clay behavior due to stabilizer treatment. In addition, relationship were compared between the basic soil and stabilizer properties such as water content, dry density, liquid limit, plastic limit, moisture absorption rate and stabilizer dosages. The analysis showed that the particle density and specific surface area increase, the dehydration rate slows and the thickness of water film thins after treatment with Ionic Soil Stabilizer. After treatment with the ISS, the geological disasters caused by the adsorbed water of red clay can be effectively inhibited.

Soil water dynamics and evapotranspiration of forage cactus clones under rainfed conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thieres George Freire da Silva

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate soil water dynamics in areas cultivated with forage cactus clones and to determine how environmental conditions and crop growth affect evapotranspiration. The study was conducted in the municipality of Serra Talhada, in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Crop growth was monitored through changes in the cladode area index (CAI and through the soil cover fraction, calculated at the end of the cycle. Real evapotranspiration (ET of the three evaluated clones was obtained as the residual term in the soil water balance method. No difference was observed between soil water balance components, even though the evaluated clones were of different genus and had different CAI increments. Accumulated ET was of 1,173 mm during the 499 days of the experiment, resulting in daily average of 2.35 mm. The CAI increases the water consumption of the Orelha de Elefante Mexicana clone. In dry conditions, the water consumption of the Miúda clone responds more slowly to variation in soil water availability. The lower evolution of the CAI of the IPA Sertânia clone, during the rainy season, leads to a higher contribution of the evaporation component in ET. The atmospheric demand controls the ET of clones only when there is higher soil water availability; in this condition, the water consumption of the Miúda clone decreases more rapidly with the increase of atmospheric demand.

Use of neutron water and gamma density gauges in soil water studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirda, C.

1990-01-01

Irrigation practices should be improved to increase effective use of water and thereby increasing irrigated areas as well as securing soil productivity under irrigated agriculture. Under dry farming systems of rainfed agriculture, different tillage practices should be tested for improved soil water conservation and rain harvesting. The research work addressing the above mentioned problems requires methods to measure soil water content accurately and conveniently. In the following article, the methods which are currently used to measure field soil water content were discussed. 34 refs, 13 figs, 13 tabs

Characterization of field-measured soil-water properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nielsen, D.R.; Reichardt, K.; Wierenga, P.J.

1983-01-01

As part of a five-year co-ordinated research programme of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Use of Radiation and Isotope Techniques in Studies of Soil-Water Regimes, soil physicists examined soil-water properties of one or two field sites in 11 different countries (Brazil, Belgium, Cyprus, Chile, Israel, Japan, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal, Syria and Thailand). The results indicate that the redistribution method yields values of soil-water properties that have a large degree of uncertainty, and that this uncertainty is not necessarily related to the kind of soil being analysed. Regardless of the fundamental cause of this uncertainty (experimental and computational errors versus natural soil variability), the conclusion is that further developments of field technology depend upon stochastic rather than deterministic concepts

[Effects of soil wetting pattern on the soil water-thermal environment and cotton root water consumption under mulched drip irrigation].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Dong-wei; Li, Ming-si; Liu, Dong; Lyu, Mou-chao; Jia, Yan-hui

2015-08-01

Abstract: To explore the effects of soil wetting pattern on soil water-thermal environment and water consumption of cotton root under mulched drip irrigation, a field experiment with three drip intensities (1.69, 3.46 and 6.33 L · h(-1)), was carried out in Shihezi, Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The soil matric potential, soil temperature, cotton root distribution and water consumption were measured during the growing period of cotton. The results showed that the main factor influencing the soil temperature of cotton under plastic mulch was sunlight. There was no significant difference in the soil temperature and root water uptake under different treatments. The distribution of soil matrix suction in cotton root zone under plastic mulch was more homogeneous under ' wide and shallow' soil wetting pattern (W633). Under the 'wide and shallow' soil wetting pattern, the average difference of cotton root water consumption between inner row and outer row was 0.67 mm · d(-1), which was favorable to the cotton growing trimly at both inner and outer rows; for the 'narrow and deep' soil wetting pattern (W169), the same index was 0.88 mm · d(-1), which was unfavorable to cotton growing uniformly at both inner and outer rows. So, we should select the broad-shallow type soil wetting pattern in the design of drip irrigation under mulch.

Does wastewater from olive mills induce toxicity and water repellency in soil?

Science.gov (United States)

Peikert, B.; Bandow, N.; Schaumann, G. E.

2012-04-01

Olive oil mill wastewater is the effluent generated by the olive oil extraction process. It is the main waste product of this industry mainly being produced in the Mediterranean Basin. Because proper treatment options are rare it is often disposed into the environment, e.g. fields or wadies. Due to its high concentration of fatty acids and phytotoxic phenolic compounds and its high chemical and biological oxygen demand, olive oil mill wastewater becomes a serious environmental problem. In this screening study we investigated long-term effects of olive oil mill wastewater application on soil properties in several locations in the West Bank and Israel. We determined wettability via water drop penetration time and the contact angle as well as general soil properties including pH, EC, carbon content, and we conducted thermogravimetrical analyses in order to characterize the impact of the waste water on the quality of soil organic matter. Our results show that application of olive oil mill wastewater has various effects. We determined contact angles between 110 and 120° and water drop penetration times up to 1367 s indicating significant reduction in wettability. Furthermore, soil carbon and nitrogen content and water extractable organic matter increased as well as electric conductivity, which could be pointed out as a fertilizing effect. In contrast soil pH was significantly reduced. Conducting thermal analyses we observed an increase in the labile and refractory carbon fraction. Probably first one is responsible for induced water repellency. As a consequence the reduced wettability negatively affects soil quality. It would therefore be promising to minimize the hydrophobizing impacts without losing fertilizing effects of the olive oil mill wastewater.

Proficiency Test SYKE 9/2012. Oil hydrocarbons in water and soil

OpenAIRE

Korhonen-Ylönen, Kaija; Nuutinen, Jari; Leivuori, Mirja; Ilmakunnas, Markku

2013-01-01

Proftest SYKE carried out the proficiency test for analysis of oil hydrocarbons from water and soil in October 2012. One artificial sample and one surface water sample and one soil sample for the determination of oil hydrocarbons were distributed. In total, 18 laboratories participated in the PT. Either the calculated concentration or the robust mean value was chosen to be the assigned value for the measurement. The performance of the participants was evaluated by using z scores. In this p...

Accumulation of oil and grease in soils irrigated with greywater and their potential role in soil water repellency.

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Travis, Micheal J; Weisbrod, Noam; Gross, Amit

2008-05-01

The potential impact of oil and grease (O and G) to soils irrigated with greywater (GW) was investigated. Greywater streams were sampled and analyzed for O and G content, along with corresponding GW-irrigated soils. Untreated kitchen GW averaged 200 mg L(-1) O and G, over an order of magnitude more than other GW streams. GW-irrigated soils showed O and G accumulation of up to 200 mg kg(-l) within the first 20-cm of depth. To determine the potential effects of such O and G accumulation on water movement in soil, capillary rise and water drop penetration time (WDPT) experiments were conducted. The results showed up to 60% decrease in capillary rise when sand containing 250 mg kg(-1) O and G was used. Interestingly, no additional reduction in capillary rise was observed at concentrations above 250 mg kg(-1). WDPT was observed to increase linearly with increased O and G content, up to 1000 mg kg(-1). This work demonstrated that O and G in GW used for irrigation can accumulate in soil and may lead to a significant reduction in the soils ability to transmit water.

Interactions between soil texture, water, and nutrients control patterns of biocrusts abundance and structure

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Young, Kristina; Bowker, Matthew; Reed, Sasha; Howell, Armin

2017-04-01

Heterogeneity in the abiotic environment structures biotic communities by controlling niche space and parameters. This has been widely observed and demonstrated in vascular plant and other aboveground communities. While soil organisms are presumably also strongly influenced by the physical and chemical dimensions of the edaphic environment, there are fewer studies linking the development, structure, productivity or function of surface soil communities to specific edaphic gradients. Here, we use biological soil crusts (biocrusts) as a model system to determine mechanisms regulating community structure of soil organisms. We chose soil texture to serve as an edaphic gradient because of soil texture's influence over biocrust distribution on a landscape level. We experimentally manipulated texture in constructed soil, and simultaneously manipulated two main outcomes of texture, water and nutrient availability, to determine the mechanism underlying texture's influence on biocrust abundance and structure. We grew biocrust communities from a field-sourced inoculum on four different soil textures, sieved from the same parent soil material, manipulating watering levels and nutrient additions across soil textures in a full-factorial design over a 5-month period of time. We measured abundance and structure of biocrusts over time, and measured two metrics of function, N2 fixation rates and soil stabilization, at the conclusion of the experiment. Our results showed finer soil textures resulted in faster biocrust community development and dominance by mosses, whereas coarser textures grew more slowly and had biocrust communities dominated by cyanobacteria and lichen. Additionally, coarser textured soils contained cyanobacterial filaments significantly deeper into the soil profile than fine textured soils. N2-fixation values increased with increasing moss cover and decreased with increasing cyanobacterial cover, however, the rate of change depended on soil texture and water amount

Non-destructive estimates of soil carbonic anhydrase activity and associated soil water oxygen isotope composition

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Sam P.; Ogée, Jérôme; Sauze, Joana; Wohl, Steven; Saavedra, Noelia; Fernández-Prado, Noelia; Maire, Juliette; Launois, Thomas; Bosc, Alexandre; Wingate, Lisa

2017-12-01

The contribution of photosynthesis and soil respiration to net land-atmosphere carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange can be estimated based on the differential influence of leaves and soils on budgets of the oxygen isotope composition (δ18O) of atmospheric CO2. To do so, the activity of carbonic anhydrases (CAs), a group of enzymes that catalyse the hydration of CO2 in soils and plants, needs to be understood. Measurements of soil CA activity typically involve the inversion of models describing the δ18O of CO2 fluxes to solve for the apparent, potentially catalysed, rate of CO2 hydration. This requires information about the δ18O of CO2 in isotopic equilibrium with soil water, typically obtained from destructive, depth-resolved sampling and extraction of soil water. In doing so, an assumption is made about the soil water pool that CO2 interacts with, which may bias estimates of CA activity if incorrect. Furthermore, this can represent a significant challenge in data collection given the potential for spatial and temporal variability in the δ18O of soil water and limited a priori information with respect to the appropriate sampling resolution and depth. We investigated whether we could circumvent this requirement by inferring the rate of CO2 hydration and the δ18O of soil water from the relationship between the δ18O of CO2 fluxes and the δ18O of CO2 at the soil surface measured at different ambient CO2 conditions. This approach was tested through laboratory incubations of air-dried soils that were re-wetted with three waters of different δ18O. Gas exchange measurements were made on these soils to estimate the rate of hydration and the δ18O of soil water, followed by soil water extraction to allow for comparison. Estimated rates of CO2 hydration were 6.8-14.6 times greater than the theoretical uncatalysed rate of hydration, indicating that CA were active in these soils. Importantly, these estimates were not significantly different among water treatments, suggesting

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

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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.

A rapid method for measuring soil water content in the field with a areometer

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Calbo Adonai Gimenez

2002-01-01

Full Text Available The availability of a rapid method to evaluate the soil water content (U can be an important tool to determine the moment to irrigate. The soil areometer consists of an elongated hydrostatic balance with a weighing pan, a graduated neck, a float and a pynometric flask. In this work an areometer was adapted to rapidly measure soil water content without the need of drying the soil. The expression U = (M A - M AD/(M M -M A was used to calculate the soil water content. In this equation M M is the mass to level the areometer with the pycnometric flask filled with water, M A the mass to level the areometer with a mass M M of soil in the pycnometer, the volume being completed with water, and similarly M AD the mass added to the pan to level the areometer with a mass M M of dried soil in the pycnometric flask. The convenience of this method is that the values M M and M AD are known. Consequently, the decision on irrigation can be made after a measurement that takes, about, ten minutes. The procedure involves only stirring the soil with water for at least 2 minutes to remove the adhered air. The soil water content data obtained with the areometric method were similar to those obtained weighing the soil before and after drying to constant weight, in an oven at 105º C.

Strontium-doped hematite as a possible humidity sensing material for soil water content determination.

Science.gov (United States)

Tulliani, Jean-Marc; Baroni, Chiara; Zavattaro, Laura; Grignani, Carlo

2013-09-10

The aim of this work is to study the sensing behavior of Sr-doped hematite for soil water content measurement. The material was prepared by solid state reaction from commercial hematite and strontium carbonate heat treated at 900 °C. X-Ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry were used for microstructural characterization of the synthesized powder. Sensors were then prepared by uniaxially pressing and by screen-printing, on an alumina substrate, the prepared powder and subsequent firing in the 800-1,000 °C range. These sensors were first tested in a laboratory apparatus under humid air and then in an homogenized soil and finally in field. The results evidenced that the screen printed film was able to give a response for a soil matric potential from about 570 kPa, that is to say well below the wilting point in the used soil.

Strontium-Doped Hematite as a Possible Humidity Sensing Material for Soil Water Content Determination

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Carlo Grignani

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work is to study the sensing behavior of Sr-doped hematite for soil water content measurement. The material was prepared by solid state reaction from commercial hematite and strontium carbonate heat treated at 900 °C. X-Ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry were used for microstructural characterization of the synthesized powder. Sensors were then prepared by uniaxially pressing and by screen-printing, on an alumina substrate, the prepared powder and subsequent firing in the 800–1,000 °C range. These sensors were first tested in a laboratory apparatus under humid air and then in an homogenized soil and finally in field. The results evidenced that the screen printed film was able to give a response for a soil matric potential from about 570 kPa, that is to say well below the wilting point in the used soil.

Large zero-tension plate lysimeters for soil water and solute collection in undisturbed soils

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A. Peters

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Water collection from undisturbed unsaturated soils to estimate in situ water and solute fluxes in the field is a challenge, in particular if soils are heterogeneous. Large sampling devices are required if preferential flow paths are present. We present a modular plate system that allows installation of large zero-tension lysimeter plates under undisturbed soils in the field. To investigate the influence of the lysimeter on the water flow field in the soil, a numerical 2-D simulation study was conducted for homogeneous soils with uni- and bimodal pore-size distributions and stochastic Miller-Miller heterogeneity. The collection efficiency was found to be highly dependent on the hydraulic functions, infiltration rate, and lysimeter size, and was furthermore affected by the degree of heterogeneity. In homogeneous soils with high saturated conductivities the devices perform poorly and even large lysimeters (width 250 cm can be bypassed by the soil water. Heterogeneities of soil hydraulic properties result into a network of flow channels that enhance the sampling efficiency of the lysimeter plates. Solute breakthrough into zero-tension lysimeter occurs slightly retarded as compared to the free soil, but concentrations in the collected water are similar to the mean flux concentration in the undisturbed soil. To validate the results from the numerical study, a dual tracer study with seven lysimeters of 1.25×1.25 m area was conducted in the field. Three lysimeters were installed underneath a 1.2 m filling of contaminated silty sand, the others deeper in the undisturbed soil. The lysimeters directly underneath the filled soil material collected water with a collection efficiency of 45%. The deeper lysimeters did not collect any water. The arrival of the tracers showed that almost all collected water came from preferential flow paths.

Differential soil water sourcing of managed Loblolly Pine and Sweet Gum revealed by stable isotopes in the Upper Coastal Plain, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Brockman, L. E.; Younger, S. E.; Jackson, C. R.; McDonnell, J.; Janzen, K. F.

2017-12-01

Stable isotope signatures of stem water can illuminate where in the soil profile different types of trees are accessing soil water and thereby contribute to our understanding of water movement through the soil plant atmosphere continuum. The objective of this study was to use 2H and 18O isotopes to characterize water sources of fourteen-year-old intensively managed Loblolly Pine and Sweet Gum stands in replicated (n=3) paired plots. In order to differentiate the isotopic signatures of tree and soil water, both species and five soil depths were sampled monthly for one year. Tree sap and soil water were extracted cryogenically and their isotopic signatures were determined. Although plant water uptake is generally considered a non-fractionating process, our dataset suggests a source of fractionation in 2H signatures in both species and during most of the thirteen sampling events. As a result, only the 18O isotopic data were used to determine the vertical distribution of soil water contributions to stem water. Statistically, we grouped the five soil sampling depths into three isotopic horizons. Shallow, intermediate and deep soil represent sampling depths of 0-10cm, 30-70cm and 100-125cm, respectively. These isotopic horizons were used in a direct inference approach and Bayesian mixing model analysis to determine the origin of stem water. In this study, Loblolly Pine used more water from intermediate and deep soil while Sweet Gum used more water from shallow and intermediate soil. In the winter months, January through March, Loblolly Pine transpired primarily deep soil where as Sweet Gum mainly utilized shallow soil for transpiration. These results indicate that both species have opportunistic water use patterns with seasonal variation.

Determination of surface and groundwater quality in the Orontes basin (Syria) and the negative effect of some pollutants on the water, soil, and plants at this area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kassem, A.

2005-01-01

This work deals with the physical/chemical characteristics and quality of surface and ground water in the basin of the Orontes river in Syria. It also deals with concentration of basic elements and trace elements in water, soil and some plant leaves in that area. The internationally acknowledged methods were used to determine the physical constituents and to analyze elements of the most important basic and sub compounds in 95 water samples (77 ground samples and 18 surface samples). The instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis was used to analyze some major elements and trace elements in 18 soil samples and 9 plant leave samples. Evaluation of analysis results of those samples shows the great geo-ecological and geographic effect and the effect of human activities on polluting the water, soil and plants according to quality of irrigation water, effect of air, liquid and solid rejects of the industrial and municipal sites, nature and repetition of plantations and type of fertilizers and pesticides used in the studied area.(author)

Water extraction and implications on soil moisture sensor placement in the root zone of banana

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Alisson Jadavi Pereira da Silva

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: The knowledge on spatial and temporal variations of soil water storage in the root zone of crops is essential to guide the studies to determine soil water balance, verify the effective zone of water extraction in the soil and indicate the correct region for the management of water, fertilizers and pesticides. The objectives of this study were: (i to indicate the zones of highest root activity for banana in different development stages; (ii to determine, inside the zone of highest root activity, the adequate position for the installation of soil moisture sensors. A 5.0 m3 drainage lysimeter was installed in the center of an experimental area of 320 m2. Water extraction was quantified inside the lysimeter using a 72 TDR probe. The concept of time stability was applied to indicate the position for sensor installation within the limits of effective water extraction. There are two patterns of water extraction distribution during the development of banana and the point of installation of sensors for irrigation management inside the zone of highest root activity is not constant along the crop development.

Influence of salinity and water content on soil microorganisms

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Nan Yan

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Salinization is one of the most serious land degradation problems facing world. Salinity results in poor plant growth and low soil microbial activity due to osmotic stress and toxic ions. Soil microorganisms play a pivotal role in soils through mineralization of organic matter into plant available nutrients. Therefore it is important to maintain high microbial activity in soils. Salinity tolerant soil microbes counteract osmotic stress by synthesizing osmolytes which allows them to maintain their cell turgor and metabolism. Osmotic potential is a function of the salt concentration in the soil solution and therefore affected by both salinity (measured as electrical conductivity at a certain water content and soil water content. Soil salinity and water content vary in time and space. Understanding the effect of changes in salinity and water content on soil microorganisms is important for crop production, sustainable land use and rehabilitation of saline soils. In this review, the effects of soil salinity and water content on microbes are discussed to guide future research into management of saline soils.

Predicting and mapping soil available water capacity in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Suk Young; Minasny, Budiman; Han, Kyung Hwa; Kim, Yihyun; Lee, Kyungdo

2013-01-01

The knowledge on the spatial distribution of soil available water capacity at a regional or national extent is essential, as soil water capacity is a component of the water and energy balances in the terrestrial ecosystem. It controls the evapotranspiration rate, and has a major impact on climate. This paper demonstrates a protocol for mapping soil available water capacity in South Korea at a fine scale using data available from surveys. The procedures combined digital soil mapping technology with the available soil map of 1:25,000. We used the modal profile data from the Taxonomical Classification of Korean Soils. The data consist of profile description along with physical and chemical analysis for the modal profiles of the 380 soil series. However not all soil samples have measured bulk density and water content at -10 and -1500 kPa. Thus they need to be predicted using pedotransfer functions. Furthermore, water content at -10 kPa was measured using ground samples. Thus a correction factor is derived to take into account the effect of bulk density. Results showed that Andisols has the highest mean water storage capacity, followed by Entisols and Inceptisols which have loamy texture. The lowest water retention is Entisols which are dominated by sandy materials. Profile available water capacity to a depth of 1 m was calculated and mapped for Korea. The western part of the country shows higher available water capacity than the eastern part which is mountainous and has shallower soils. The highest water storage capacity soils are the Ultisols and Alfisols (mean of 206 and 205 mm, respectively). Validation of the maps showed promising results. The map produced can be used as an indication of soil physical quality of Korean soils.

Predicting and mapping soil available water capacity in Korea

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Suk Young Hong

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The knowledge on the spatial distribution of soil available water capacity at a regional or national extent is essential, as soil water capacity is a component of the water and energy balances in the terrestrial ecosystem. It controls the evapotranspiration rate, and has a major impact on climate. This paper demonstrates a protocol for mapping soil available water capacity in South Korea at a fine scale using data available from surveys. The procedures combined digital soil mapping technology with the available soil map of 1:25,000. We used the modal profile data from the Taxonomical Classification of Korean Soils. The data consist of profile description along with physical and chemical analysis for the modal profiles of the 380 soil series. However not all soil samples have measured bulk density and water content at −10 and −1500 kPa. Thus they need to be predicted using pedotransfer functions. Furthermore, water content at −10 kPa was measured using ground samples. Thus a correction factor is derived to take into account the effect of bulk density. Results showed that Andisols has the highest mean water storage capacity, followed by Entisols and Inceptisols which have loamy texture. The lowest water retention is Entisols which are dominated by sandy materials. Profile available water capacity to a depth of 1 m was calculated and mapped for Korea. The western part of the country shows higher available water capacity than the eastern part which is mountainous and has shallower soils. The highest water storage capacity soils are the Ultisols and Alfisols (mean of 206 and 205 mm, respectively. Validation of the maps showed promising results. The map produced can be used as an indication of soil physical quality of Korean soils.

Response of three soil water sensors to variable solution electrical conductivity in different soils

Science.gov (United States)

Commercial dielectric soil water sensors may improve management of irrigated agriculture by providing continuous field soil water information. Use of these sensors is partly limited by sensor sensitivity to variations in soil salinity and texture, which force expensive, time consuming, soil specific...

Moditored unsaturated soil transport processes as a support for large scale soil and water management

Science.gov (United States)

Vanclooster, Marnik

2010-05-01

The current societal demand for sustainable soil and water management is very large. The drivers of global and climate change exert many pressures on the soil and water ecosystems, endangering appropriate ecosystem functioning. The unsaturated soil transport processes play a key role in soil-water system functioning as it controls the fluxes of water and nutrients from the soil to plants (the pedo-biosphere link), the infiltration flux of precipitated water to groundwater and the evaporative flux, and hence the feed back from the soil to the climate system. Yet, unsaturated soil transport processes are difficult to quantify since they are affected by huge variability of the governing properties at different space-time scales and the intrinsic non-linearity of the transport processes. The incompatibility of the scales between the scale at which processes reasonably can be characterized, the scale at which the theoretical process correctly can be described and the scale at which the soil and water system need to be managed, calls for further development of scaling procedures in unsaturated zone science. It also calls for a better integration of theoretical and modelling approaches to elucidate transport processes at the appropriate scales, compatible with the sustainable soil and water management objective. Moditoring science, i.e the interdisciplinary research domain where modelling and monitoring science are linked, is currently evolving significantly in the unsaturated zone hydrology area. In this presentation, a review of current moditoring strategies/techniques will be given and illustrated for solving large scale soil and water management problems. This will also allow identifying research needs in the interdisciplinary domain of modelling and monitoring and to improve the integration of unsaturated zone science in solving soil and water management issues. A focus will be given on examples of large scale soil and water management problems in Europe.

Soil Water Measurement Using Actively Heated Fiber Optics at Field Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Vidana Gamage, Duminda N; Biswas, Asim; Strachan, Ian B; Adamchuk, Viacheslav I

2018-04-06

Several studies have demonstrated the potential of actively heated fiber optics (AHFO) to measure soil water content (SWC) at high spatial and temporal resolutions. This study tested the feasibility of the AHFO technique to measure soil water in the surface soil of a crop grown field over a growing season using an in-situ calibration approach. Heat pulses of five minutes duration were applied at a rate of 7.28 W m -1 along eighteen fiber optic cable transects installed at three depths (0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 m) at six-hour intervals. Cumulative temperature increase (T cum ) during heat pulses was calculated at locations along the cable. While predicting commercial sensor measurements, the AHFO showed root mean square errors (RMSE) of 2.8, 3.7 and 3.7% for 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 m depths, respectively. Further, the coefficients of determination (R²) for depth specific relationships were 0.87 (0.05 m depth), 0.46 (0.10 m depth), 0.86 (0.20 m depth) and 0.66 (all depths combined). This study showed a great potential of the AHFO technique to measure soil water at high spatial resolutions (<1 m) and to monitor soil water dynamics of surface soil in a crop grown field over a cropping season with a reasonable compromise between accuracy and practicality.

Quasi 3D modelling of water flow in the sandy soil

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

2016-04-01

parameters showed that changes in soil water content are mainly affected by the soil saturated hydraulic conductivity Ks in a two-layered soil. Results demonstrated the large spatial variability of Ks (CV = 86.21%). A significant negative correlation was found between ln Ks and ECa (r = 0.83; P≤0.01). This site-specific relation between ln Ks and ECa was used to predict Ks for the whole field after validation using an independent dataset of measured Ks. Result showed that this approach can accurately determine the field scale irrigation requirements, taking into account variations in boundary conditions and spatial variations of model parameters across the field. We found that uniform distribution of water using standard gun sprinkler irrigation is not an efficient approach since at locations with shallow groundwater, the amount of water applied will be excessive as compared to the crop requirements, while in locations with a deeper groundwater table, the crop irrigation requirements will not be met during crop water stress. Numerical results showed that optimal irrigation scheduling using the aforementioned water stress calculations can save up to ~25% irrigation water as compared to the current irrigation regime. This resulted in a yield increase of ~7%, simulated by the crop growth model.

Comparing the Goodness of Different Statistical Criteria for Evaluating the Soil Water Infiltration Models

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S. Mirzaee

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The infiltration process is one of the most important components of the hydrologic cycle. Quantifying the infiltration water into soil is of great importance in watershed management. Prediction of flooding, erosion and pollutant transport all depends on the rate of runoff which is directly affected by the rate of infiltration. Quantification of infiltration water into soil is also necessary to determine the availability of water for crop growth and to estimate the amount of additional water needed for irrigation. Thus, an accurate model is required to estimate infiltration of water into soil. The ability of physical and empirical models in simulation of soil processes is commonly measured through comparisons of simulated and observed values. For these reasons, a large variety of indices have been proposed and used over the years in comparison of infiltration water into soil models. Among the proposed indices, some are absolute criteria such as the widely used root mean square error (RMSE, while others are relative criteria (i.e. normalized such as the Nash and Sutcliffe (1970 efficiency criterion (NSE. Selecting and using appropriate statistical criteria to evaluate and interpretation of the results for infiltration water into soil models is essential because each of the used criteria focus on specific types of errors. Also, descriptions of various goodness of fit indices or indicators including their advantages and shortcomings, and rigorous discussions on the suitability of each index are very important. The objective of this study is to compare the goodness of different statistical criteria to evaluate infiltration of water into soil models. Comparison techniques were considered to define the best models: coefficient of determination (R2, root mean square error (RMSE, efficiency criteria (NSEI and modified forms (such as NSEjI, NSESQRTI, NSElnI and NSEiI. Comparatively little work has been carried out on the meaning and

Selenium status in soil, water and essential crops of Iran

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Nazemi Lyly

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstracts As a contributing factor to health, the trace element selenium (Se is an essential nutrient of special interest for humans and all animals. It is estimated that 0.5 to 1 billion people worldwide suffer from Se deficiency. In spite of the important role of Se, its concentrations in soil, water and essential crops have not been studied in Iran. Therefore, the main aim of the current study was to determine the Se content of soil, water, and essential crops (rice in North, wheat in Center, date, and pistachio in South of different regions of Iran. Sampling was performed in the North, South, and Central regions of Iran. In each selected area in the three regions, 17 samples of surface soil were collected; samples of water and essential crops were also collected at the same sampling points. Upon preliminary preparation of all samples, the Se concentrations were measured by ICP-OES Model Varian Vista-MPX. The amount of soil-Se was found to be in the range between 0.04 and 0.45 ppm in the studied areas; the Se content of soil in the central region of Iran was the highest compared to other regions (p

Mapping regional soil water erosion risk in the Brittany-Loire basin for water management agency

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Degan, Francesca; Cerdan, Olivier; Salvador-Blanes, Sébastien; Gautier, Jean-Noël

2014-05-01

Soil water erosion is one of the main degradation processes that affect soils through the removal of soil particles from the surface. The impacts for environment and agricultural areas are diverse, such as water pollution, crop yield depression, organic matter loss and reduction in water storage capacity. There is therefore a strong need to produce maps at the regional scale to help environmental policy makers and soil and water management bodies to mitigate the effect of water and soil pollution. Our approach aims to model and map soil erosion risk at regional scale (155 000 km²) and high spatial resolution (50 m) in the Brittany - Loire basin. The factors responsible for soil erosion are different according to the spatial and time scales considered. The regional scale entails challenges about homogeneous data sets availability, spatial resolution of results, various erosion processes and agricultural practices. We chose to improve the MESALES model (Le Bissonnais et al., 2002) to map soil erosion risk, because it was developed specifically for water erosion in agricultural fields in temperate areas. The MESALES model consists in a decision tree which gives for each combination of factors the corresponding class of soil erosion risk. Four factors that determine soil erosion risk are considered: soils, land cover, climate and topography. The first main improvement of the model consists in using newly available datasets that are more accurate than the initial ones. The datasets used cover all the study area homogeneously. Soil dataset has a 1/1 000 000 scale and attributes such as texture, soil type, rock fragment and parent material are used. The climate dataset has a spatial resolution of 8 km and a temporal resolution of mm/day for 12 years. Elevation dataset has a spatial resolution of 50 m. Three different land cover datasets are used where the finest spatial resolution is 50 m over three years. Using these datasets, four erosion factors are characterized and

Multi-residue determination of 47 organic compounds in water, soil, sediment and fish-Turia River as case study.

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Carmona, Eric; Andreu, Vicente; Picó, Yolanda

2017-11-30

A sensitive and reliable method based on solid-liquid extraction (SLE) using McIlvaine-Na 2 EDTA buffer (pH=4.5)-methanol and solid-phase extraction (SPE) clean up prior to ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was applied to determine 47 organic contaminants in fish, soil and sediments. The SPE procedure to clean-up the extracts was also used as extraction method to determine these compounds in water. Recoveries ranged from 38 to 104% for all matrices with RSDsfish and 0.3-26ng/L for water. Furthermore, the proposed method was compared to QuEChERS (widely used for environmental matrices) that involves extraction with buffered acetonitrile (pH 5.5) and dispersive SPE clean-up. The results obtained (recoveries>50% for 36 compounds in front of 9, matrix effectfish, bisphenol A (33ngg -1 ) or sulfamethoxazole (13ngg -1 ). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pressure-Water Content Relations for a Sandy, Granitic Soil Under Field and Laboratory Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Chandler, D. G.; McNamara, J. M.; Gribb, M. M.

2001-12-01

A new sensor was developed to measure soil water potential in order to determine the predominant mechanisms of snowmelt delivery to streamflow. The sensors were calibrated for +50 to -300 cm for application on steep granitic slopes and deployed at three depths and 2 locations on a slope in a headwater catchment of the Idaho Batholith throughout the 2001 snowmelt season. Soil moisture was measured simultaneously with Water Content Reflectometers (Cambell Scientific, Logan, UT), that were calibrated in situ with Time Domain Reflectometry measurements. Sensor performance was evaluated in a laboratory soil column via side-by-side monitoring during injection of water with a cone permeameter. Soil characteristic curves were also determined for the field site by multi-step outflow tests. Comparison of the results from the field study to those from the laboratory experiment and to the characteristic curves demonstrate the utility of the new sensor for recording dynamic changes in soil water status. During snowmelt, the sensor responded to both matric potential and bypass-flow pore potential. Large shifts in the pressure record that correspond to changes in the infiltration flux indicate initiation and cessation of macropore flow. The pore pressure records may be used to document the frequency, timing and duration of bypass flow that are not apparent from the soil moisture records.

Suburban Soils: Are they the answer in determining factors controlling non-point-source DOC and DON in urban surface waters?

Science.gov (United States)

Aitkenhead-Peterson, J. A.

2016-12-01

Generally the quality of urban streams has been attributed to storm water runoff and sewage effluent discharge. Recent work in the upper Trinity Basin downstream from the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolis, TX concluded that sewage effluent only contributed between 1 and 35% of DOC dependent upon the population of the watershed. Change from native to urban land use increased DOC exports to between 938 - 1840 kg km-2 yr-1relative to the 517 kg km-2 yr-1 expected from native land use. Where this excess DOC might come from in an urban ecosystem was addressed in a separate study examining water extractable DOC (WEDOC) and DON (WEDON) in soils of single-family home lawns in Chicago, IL, Frederick, MD, Bryan/College Station, TX and Galveston, TX. These cities were exposed to different sources of sodium. Time of exposure to sodium was considered on the assumption that as new sub-divisions are built, new soil or turfgrass sod is introduced to the site. Exposure times were 0-5, 6-10, 11-20, 21-30 and > 30 yr. Length of exposure time of the soil to the urban environment was significant among the four cities examined for DOC (p < 0.001), DON (p < 0.001), sodium adsorption ratio (p < 0.006) but not for sodium (p = 0.08) or exchangeable sodium percent (ESP) (p = 0.09). In all cities WEDON increased with urban exposure time and in all cities except Galveston WEDOC increased with urban exposure time. Sodium, regardless of its source, explained 60% of the variance in WEDOC and 54% of the variance in WEDON across all cities (n = 136). To determine what other factors might be involved in increasing WEDOC and WEDON losses from suburban soils, backward stepwise regression models were used. Across the four cities, time of urban exposure, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), NO3-N, NH4-N, S, PO4-P, Na, Cu, Ca, Fe and Zn produced a significant model for WEDOC (Adjusted r2 = 0.85; p < 0.001) and Ksat, pH, NH4-N, PO4-P, S, Alkalinity and Cu produced a significant model for WEDON

Uncoupling between soil and xylem water isotopic composition: how to discriminate mobile and tightly-bound water?

Science.gov (United States)

Martín Gómez, Paula; Aguilera, Mònica; Pemán, Jesús; Gil Pelegrín, Eustaquio; Ferrio, Juan Pedro

2014-05-01

xylem water. References 1. Dawson, T. E. & Ehleringer, J. R. Isotopic enrichment of water in the 'woody' tissues of plants: Implications for plant water source, water uptake, and other studies which use the stable isotopic composition of cellulose. (1993). 2. Cernusak, L. a, Farquhar, G. D. & Pate, J. S. Environmental and physiological controls over oxygen and carbon isotope composition of Tasmanian blue gum, Eucalyptus globulus. Tree Physiol. 25, 129-46 (2005). 3. Bertrand, G. et al. Determination of spatiotemporal variability of tree water uptake using stable isotopes (δ 18 O, δ 2 H) in an alluvial system supplied by a high-altitude watershed, Pfyn forest, Switzerland. Ecohydrology (2012). doi:10.1002/eco.1347 4. Tang, K. & Feng, X. The effect of soil hydrology on the oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions of plants ' source water. 185, (2001). 5. Brooks, J. R., Barnard, H. R., Coulombe, R. & McDonnell, J. J. Ecohydrologic separation of water between trees and streams in a Mediterranean climate. Nat. Geosci. 3, 100-104 (2009). Acknowledgements This study was funded by RESILFOR project (AGL 2012-40039-C02-02) and FPU fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (FPU12/00648). We thank Instituto de Formación Agroambiental de Jaca and Unidad de Salud de los Bosques de Aragón for their support on field work and we feel very grateful to Miguel Ángel Lázaro for climbing the studied trees, José María Alcaire for one year of rain collection and Pilar Sopeña and Ma Josep Pau for laboratory analysis. Helpful comments by Jordi Voltas on statistical analysis have improved the quality of the work.

Prediction of unsaturated flow and water backfill during infiltration in layered soils

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Guotao; Zhu, Jianting

2018-02-01

We develop a new analytical infiltration model to determine water flow dynamics around layer interfaces during infiltration process in layered soils. The model mainly involves the analytical solutions to quadratic equations to determine the flux rates around the interfaces. Active water content profile behind the wetting front is developed based on the solution of steady state flow to dynamically update active parameters in sharp wetting front infiltration equations and to predict unsaturated flow in coarse layers before the front reaches an impeding fine layer. The effect of water backfill to saturate the coarse layers after the wetting front encounters the impeding fine layer is analytically expressed based on the active water content profiles. Comparison to the numerical solutions of the Richards equation shows that the new model can well capture water dynamics in relation to the arrangement of soil layers. The steady state active water content profile can be used to predict the saturation state of all layers when the wetting front first passes through these layers during the unsteady infiltration process. Water backfill effect may occur when the unsaturated wetting front encounters a fine layer underlying a coarse layer. Sensitivity analysis shows that saturated hydraulic conductivity is the parameter dictating the occurrence of unsaturated flow and water backfill and can be used to represent the coarseness of soil layers. Water backfill effect occurs in coarse layers between upper and lower fine layers when the lower layer is not significantly coarser than the upper layer.

Water erosion and soil water infiltration in different stages of corn development and tillage systems

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Daniel F. de Carvalho

2015-11-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACTThis study evaluated soil and water losses, soil water infiltration and infiltration rate models in soil tillage systems and corn (Zea mays, L. development stages under simulated rainfall. The treatments were: cultivation along contour lines, cultivation down the slope and exposed soil. Soil losses and infiltration in each treatment were quantified for rains applied using a portable simulator, at 0, 30, 60 and 75 days after planting. Infiltration rates were estimated using the models of Kostiakov-Lewis, Horton and Philip. Based on the obtained results, the combination of effects between soil tillage system and corn development stages reduces soil and water losses. The contour tillage system promoted improvements in soil physical properties, favoring the reduction of erosion in 59.7% (water loss and 86.6% (soil loss at 75 days after planting, and the increase in the stable infiltration rate in 223.3%, compared with the exposed soil. Associated to soil cover, contour cultivation reduces soil and water losses, and the former is more influenced by management. Horton model is the most adequate to represent soil water infiltration rate under the evaluated conditions.

Recent Experimental Advances to Determine (noble) Gases in Waters

Science.gov (United States)

Kipfer, R.; Brennwald, M. S.; Huxol, S.; Mächler, L.; Maden, C.; Vogel, N.; Tomonaga, Y.

2013-12-01

In aquatic systems noble gases, radon, and bio-geochemically conservative transient trace gases (SF6, CFCs) are frequently applied to determine water residence times and to reconstruct past environmental and climatic conditions. Recent experimental breakthroughs now enable ● to apply the well-established concepts of terrestrial noble gas geochemistry in waters to the minute water amounts stored in sediment pore space and in fluid inclusions (A), ● to determine gas exchange processes on the bio-geochemical relevant time scales of minutes - hours (B), and ● to separate diffusive and advective gas transport in soil air (C). A. Noble-gas analysis in water samples (transport in the pore space and identifying the origin of bio- and geogenic fluids in (un) consolidated sediments [1]. Advanced techniques that combine crushing and sieving speleothem samples in ultra-high-vacuum to a specific grain size allow to separate air and water-bearing fluid inclusions and thus enables noble-gas-based reconstruction of environmental conditions from water masses as small as 1mg [2]. B. The coupling of noble gas analysis with approaches of gas chromatography permits combined analysis of noble gases and other gases species (e.g., SF6, CFCs, O2, N2) from a single water sample. The new method substantially improves ground water dating by SF6 and CFCs as excess air is quantified from the same sample and hence can adequately be corrected for [3]. Portable membrane-inlet mass spectrometers enable the quasi-continuous and real-time analysis of noble gases and other dissolved gases directly in the field, allowing, for instance, quantification of O2 turnover rates on small time scales [4]. C. New technical developments perfect 222Rn analysis in water by the synchronous the determination of the short-lived 220Rn. The combined 220,222Rn analysis sheds light on the emanation behaviour of radon by identifying soil water content to be the crucial control of 220Rn occurrence in the environment

Flow of gasoline-in-water microemulsion through water-saturated soil columns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouyang, Y.; Mansell, R.S.; Rhue, R.D.

1995-01-01

Much consideration has been given to the use of surfactants to clean up nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) from contaminated soil and ground water. Although this emulsification technique has shown significant potential for application in environmental remediation practices, a major obstacle leading to low washing efficiency is the potential formation of macroemulsion with unfavorable flow characteristics in porous media. This study investigated influences of the flow of leaded-gasoline-in-water (LG/W) microemulsion upon the transport of gasoline and lead (Pb) species in water-saturated soil columns. Two experiments were performed: (1) the immiscible displacement of leaded gasoline and (2) the miscible displacement of LG/W microemulsion through soil columns, followed by sequentially flushing with NaCl solution and a water/surfactant/cosurfactant (W/S/CoS) mixture. Comparison of breakthrough curves (BTC) for gasoline between the two experiments shows that about 90% of gasoline and total Pb were removed from the soil columns by NaCl solution in the LG/W microemulsion experiment as compared to 40% removal of gasoline and 10% removal of total Pb at the same process in the leaded gasoline experiment. Results indicate that gasoline and Pb species moved much more effectively through soil during miscible flow of LG/W microemulsion than during immiscible flow of leaded gasoline. In contrast to the adverse effects of macroemulsion on the transport of NAPLs, microemulsion was found to enhance the transport of gasoline through water-saturated soil. Mass balance analysis shows that the W/S/CoS mixture had a high capacity for removing residual gasoline and Pb species from contaminated soil. Comparison of water-pressure differences across the soil columns for the two experiments indicates that pore clogging by gasoline droplets was greatly minimized in the LG/W microemulsion experiment

Soil sheaths, photosynthate distribution to roots, and rhizosphere water relations for Opuntia ficus-indica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, B.; North, G.B.; Nobel, P.S. (Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States))

1993-09-01

Soil sheaths incorporating aggregated soil particles surround young roots of many species, but the effects of such sheaths on water movement between roots and the soil are largely unknown. The quantity and location of root exudates associated with soil sheath along the entire length of its young roots, except within 1.4 cm of the tip. The soil sheaths, which average 0.7 mm in thickness, were composed of soil particles and root hairs, both of which were covered with exuded mucilaginous material. As determined with a [sup 14]C pulse-labeling technique, 2% of newly fixed [sup 14]C-photosynthate was translocated into the roots at 3d, 6% at 9 d, and 8% at 15 d after labeling. The fraction of insoluble [sup 14]C in the roots increased twofold from 3 d to 15 d. Over the same time period, 6%-9% of the [sup 14]C translocated to the roots was exuded into the soil. The soluble [sup 14]C compounds exuded into the soil were greater in the 3-cm segment at the root tip than elsewhere along the root, whereas mucilage was exuded relatively uniformly along roots 15 cm in length. The volumetric efflux of water increase for both sheathed and unsheathed roots as the soil water potential decreased form -0.1 MPa to -1.0 MPa. The efflux rate was greater for unsheathed roots than for sheathed roots, which were more turgid and had a higher water potential, especially at lower soil water potentials. During drying, soil particles in the sheaths aggregate more tightly, making the sheaths less permeable to water and possibly creating air gaps. The soil sheaths of O. ficus-indica thus reduce water loss from the roots to a drying soil. 34 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.

Soil Water Balance and Irrigation Strategies in an Agricultural District of Southern Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Domenico Ventrella

2010-06-01

Full Text Available An efficient management of water resources is considered very important for Mediterranean regions of Italy in order to improve the economical and environmental sustainability of the agricultural activity. The purpose of this study is to analyze the components of soil water balance in an important district included in the regions of Basilicata and Puglia and situated in the Jonical coastal area of Southern Italy and mainly cropped with horticultural crops. The study was performed by using the spatially distributed and physically based model SIMODIS in order to individuate the best irrigation management maximizing the water use efficiency and minimizing water losses by deep percolation and soil evaporation. SIMODIS was applied taking in to account the soil spatial variability and localization of cadastral units for two crops, durum wheat and water melon. For water melon recognition in 2007 a remote sensed image, from SPOT5 satellite, at the spatial resolution of 10 m, has been used. In 2008, a multi-temporal data set was available, from SPOT5 satellite to produce a land cover map for the classes water melon and durum wheat. Water melon cultivation was simulated adopting different water supply managements: rainfed and four irrigation strategies based on (i soil water availability and (ii plant water status adopting a threshold daily stress value. For each management, several water management indicators were calculated and mapped in GIS environment. For seasonal irrigation depth, actual evapotranspiration and irrigation efficiency were also determined. The analysis allowed to individuate the areas particularly sensitive to water losses by deep percolation because of their hydraulic functions characterized by low water retention and large values of saturated hydraulic conductivity. For these areas, the irrigation based on plant water status caused very high water losses by drainage. On the contrary, the irrigation scheduled on soil base allowed to

Integrated double mulching practices optimizes soil temperature and improves soil water utilization in arid environments

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Wen; Feng, Fuxue; Zhao, Cai; Yu, Aizhong; Hu, Falong; Chai, Qiang; Gan, Yantai; Guo, Yao

2016-09-01

Water shortage threatens agricultural sustainability in many arid and semiarid areas of the world. It is unknown whether improved water conservation practices can be developed to alleviate this issue while increasing crop productivity. In this study, we developed a "double mulching" system, i.e., plastic film coupled with straw mulch, integrated together with intensified strip intercropping. We determined (i) the responses of soil evaporation and moisture conservation to the integrated double mulching system and (ii) the change of soil temperature during key plant growth stages under the integrated systems. Experiments were carried out in northwest China in 2009 to 2011. Results show that wheat-maize strip intercropping in combination with plastic film and straw covering on the soil surface increased soil moisture (mm) by an average of 3.8 % before sowing, 5.3 % during the wheat and maize co-growth period, 4.4 % after wheat harvest, and 4.9 % after maize harvest, compared to conventional practice (control). The double mulching decreased total evapotranspiration of the two intercrops by an average of 4.6 % ( P < 0.05), compared to control. An added feature was that the double mulching system decreased soil temperature in the top 10-cm depth by 1.26 to 1.31 °C in the strips of the cool-season wheat, and by 1.31 to 1.51 °C in the strips of the warm-season maize through the 2 years. Soil temperature of maize strips higher as 1.25 to 1.94 °C than that of wheat strips in the top 10-cm soil depth under intercropping with the double mulching system; especially higher as 1.58 to 2.11 °C under intercropping with the conventional tillage; this allows the two intercrops to grow in a well "collaborative" status under the double mulching system during their co-growth period. The improvement of soil moisture and the optimization of soil temperature for the two intercrops allow us to conclude that wheat-maize intensification with the double mulching system can be used as an

Trace Element Concentration and Speciation in Selected Mining-Contaminated Soils and Water in Willow Creek Floodplain, Colorado

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R. Burt

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Long-term mining activities in the mountains around Creede, Colorado have resulted in significant contamination in soils and water in the Willow Creek floodplain. Total major and trace were determined for soils and water and sequential chemical extraction for soils. Objectives were to determine concentrations and potential reactivity of trace elements and investigate their relationship with other soil and water properties. Water trace elements showed significant variability among sites, ranging from 347 to 12108 μg/L. Relative trend showed (Zn > Sr > Ba > (Mn > W > Cd > (Sn > V ≈ Ni ≈ Cu > Co > (Ag. Soil trace elements showed significant short-range spatial variability, ranging from 2819 to 19274 mg/kg. Relative trend showed (Pb ≈ Zn > Mn > Ba > P > (As > Cu > Sr > V > Cd > Sb ≈ Ag > (Co ≈ Cr > Mo ≈ Sn ≈ Ni > (Be ≈ W > Se ≈ Hg. Predominant fractions were oxide, specifically-sorbed/carbonate bound, and residual. Water soluble and exchangeable fractions showed (Zn ≈ Cd > Pb and Cd > Zn > Pb, respectively. Mobility factors for highly contaminated soils showed Cd ≈ Zn > Pb > Cu > As.

Water table fluctuations and soil biogeochemistry: An experimental approach using an automated soil column system

Science.gov (United States)

Rezanezhad, F.; Couture, R.-M.; Kovac, R.; O'Connell, D.; Van Cappellen, P.

2014-02-01

Water table fluctuations significantly affect the biological and geochemical functioning of soils. Here, we introduce an automated soil column system in which the water table regime is imposed using a computer-controlled, multi-channel pump connected to a hydrostatic equilibrium reservoir and a water storage reservoir. The potential of this new system is illustrated by comparing results from two columns filled with 45 cm of the same homogenized riparian soil. In one soil column the water table remained constant at -20 cm below the soil surface, while in the other the water table oscillated between the soil surface and the bottom of the column, at a rate of 4.8 cm d-1. The experiment ran for 75 days at room temperature (25 ± 2 °C). Micro-sensors installed at -10 and -30 cm below the soil surface in the stable water table column recorded constant redox potentials on the order of 600 and -200 mV, respectively. In the fluctuating water table column, redox potentials at the same depths oscillated between oxidizing (∼700 mV) and reducing (∼-100 mV) conditions. Pore waters collected periodically and solid-phase analyses on core material obtained at the end of the experiment highlighted striking geochemical differences between the two columns, especially in the time series and depth distributions of Fe, Mn, K, P and S. Soil CO2 emissions derived from headspace gas analysis exhibited periodic variations in the fluctuating water table column, with peak values during water table drawdown. Transient redox conditions caused by the water table fluctuations enhanced microbial oxidation of soil organic matter, resulting in a pronounced depletion of particulate organic carbon in the midsection of the fluctuating water table column. Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) revealed the onset of differentiation of the bacterial communities in the upper (oxidizing) and lower (reducing) soil sections, although no systematic differences in microbial community structure

Influence of hydrological regime on pore water metal concentrations in a contaminated sediment-derived soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Laing, G.; Vanthuyne, D.R.J.; Vandecasteele, B.; Tack, F.M.G.; Verloo, M.G.

2007-01-01

Options for wetland creation or restoration might be limited because of the presence of contaminants in the soil. The influence of hydrological management on the pore water concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn in the upper soil layer of a contaminated overbank sedimentation zone was investigated in a greenhouse experiment. Flooding conditions led to increased Fe, Mn, Ni and Cr concentrations and decreased Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations in the pore water of the upper soil layer. Keeping the soil at field capacity resulted in a low pore water concentration of Fe, Mn and Ni while the Cd, Cu, Cr and Zn concentrations increased. Alternating hydrological conditions caused metal concentrations in the pore water to fluctuate. Formation and re-oxidation of small amounts of sulphides appeared dominant in determining the mobility of Cd, Cu, and to a lesser extent Zn, while Ni behaviour was consistent with Fe/Mn oxidation and reduction. These effects were strongly dependent on the duration of the flooded periods. The shorter the flooded periods, the better the metal concentrations could be linked to the mobility of Ca in the pore water, which is attributed to a fluctuating CO 2 pressure. - The hydrological regime is a key factor in determining the metal concentration in the pore water of a contaminated sediment-derived soil

Soil and water losses in eucalyptus plantation and natural forest and determination of the USLE factors at a pilot sub-basin in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

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Bárbara Pereira Christofaro Silva

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Monitoring water erosion and the factors that control soil and water loss are essential for soil conservation planning. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil and water losses by water erosion under natural rainfall in eucalyptus plantations established in 2001 (EF2, and 2004 (EF1, native forest (NF and bare soil (BS, during the period of 2007 to 2012; and to determine the USLE factors: rain erosivity (R, erodibility (K of a Red Argisol and the cover-management factor (C for EF1, EF2 and NF at a pilot sub-basin, in Eldorado do Sul, RS, Brazil. The R factor was estimated by the EI30 index, using rainfall data from a gauging station located at the sub-basin. The soil and water losses were monitored in erosion plots, providing consistent data for the estimation of the K and C factors. The sub-basin presented an average erosivity of 4,228.52 MJ mm ha-1 h-1 yr-1. The average annual soil losses em EF1 and EF2 (0.81 e 0.12 Mg ha-1 year-1, respectively were below of the limit of tolerance, 12.9 Mg ha-1 year-1. The percentage values of water loss relating to the total rainfall decreased annually, approaching the values observed at the NF. From the 5th year on after the implantation of the eucalyptus systems, soil losses values were similar to the ones from NF. The erodibility of the Red Argisol was of 0.0026 Mg ha h ha-1 MJ-1mm-1 and the C factor presented values of 0.121, 0.016 and 0.015 for EF1, EF2 and NF, respectively.

On the derivation of specific yield and soil water retention characteristics in peatlands from rainfall, microrelief and water level data - Theory and Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Dettmann, Ullrich; Bechtold, Michel

2016-04-01

-dimensional expression we developed a novel approach for the in situ determination of soil water retention characteristics that is applicable to shallow groundwater systems. Our approach is built on two assumptions: i) for shallow groundwater systems with medium- to high conductive soils the soil moisture profile is always close to hydrostatic equilibrium and ii) over short time periods differences in total water storage due to lateral fluxes are negligible. Given these assumptions, the height of a water level rise due to a precipitation event mainly depends on the soil water retention characteristics, the precipitation amount, the initial water level depth and, if present, the microrelief. We use this dependency to determine water retention characteristics (van Genuchten parameter) by Bayesian inversion. Our results demonstrate that observations of water level rises, caused by precipitation events, contain sufficient information to constrain the water retention characteristics around two dip wells in a Sphagnum bog to plausible ranges. We discuss the possible biases that come along with our approach and point out the research that is needed to quantify their significance.

Theory of evapotranspiration. 2. Soil and intercepted water evaporation

OpenAIRE

Budagovskyi, Anatolij Ivanovič; Novák, Viliam

2011-01-01

Evaporation of water from the soil is described and quantified. Formation of the soil dry surface layer is quantitatively described, as a process resulting from the difference between the evaporation and upward soil water flux to the soil evaporating level. The results of evaporation analysis are generalized even for the case of water evaporation from the soil under canopy and interaction between evaporation rate and canopy transpiration is accounted for. Relationships describing evapotranspi...

Effects of soil water and nitrogen availability on photosynthesis and water use efficiency of Robinia pseudoacacia seedlings.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiping; Fan, Yangyang; Long, Junxia; Wei, Ruifeng; Kjelgren, Roger; Gong, Chunmei; Zhao, Jun

2013-03-01

The efficient use of water and nitrogen (N) to promote growth and increase yield of fruit trees and crops is well studied. However, little is known about their effects on woody plants growing in arid and semiarid areas with limited water and N availability. To examine the effects of water and N supply on early growth and water use efficiency (WUE) of trees on dry soils, one-year-old seedlings of Robinia pseudoacacia were exposed to three soil water contents (non-limiting, medium drought, and severe drought) as well as to low and high N levels, for four months. Photosynthetic parameters, leaf instantaneous WUE (WUEi) and whole tree WUE (WUEb) were determined. Results showed that, independent of N levels, increasing soil water content enhanced the tree transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (Gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), maximum net assimilation rate (Amax), apparent quantum yield (AQY), the range of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) due to both reduced light compensation point and enhanced light saturation point, and dark respiration rate (Rd), resulting in a higher net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and a significantly increased whole tree biomass. Consequently, WUEi and WUEb were reduced at low N, whereas WUEi was enhanced at high N levels. Irrespective of soil water availability, N supply enhanced Pn in association with an increase of Gs and Ci and a decrease of the stomatal limitation value (Ls), while Tr remained unchanged. Biomass and WUEi increased under non-limiting water conditions and medium drought, as well as WUEb under all water conditions; but under severe drought, WUEi and biomass were not affected by N application. In conclusion, increasing soil water availability improves photosynthetic capacity and biomass accumulation under low and high N levels, but its effects on WUE vary with soil N levels. N supply increased Pn and WUE, but under severe drought, N supply did not enhance WUEi and biomass.

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

NUTRIENT BALANCE IN WATER HARVESTING SOILS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Díaz, F

2005-05-01

Full Text Available Dryland farming on Fuerteventura and Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain, which has an annual rainfall of less than 150 mm/year, has been based traditionally on water harvesting techniques (known locally as “gavias”. Periods of high productivity alternate with those of very low yield. The systems are sustainable in that they reduce erosive processes, contribute to soil and soil-water conservation and are largely responsible for maintaining the soil’s farming potential. In this paper we present the chemical fertility status and nutrient balance of soils in five “gavia” systems. The results are compared with those obtained in adjacent soils where this water harvesting technique is not used. The main crops are wheat, barley, maize, lentils and chick-peas. Since neither organic nor inorganic fertilisers are used, nutrients are derived mainly from sediments carried by runoff water. Nutrients are lost mainly through crop harvesting and harvest residues. The soils where water harvesting is used have lower salt and sodium in the exchange complex, are higher in carbon, nitrogen, copper and zinc and have similar phosphorous and potassium content. It is concluded that the systems improve the soil’s natural fertility and also that natural renovation of nutrients occurs thanks to the surface deposits of sediments, which mix with the arable layer. The system helps ensure adequate fertility levels, habitual in arid regions, thus allowing dryland farming to be carried out.

Assimilable organic carbon (AOC in soil water extracts using Vibrio harveyi BB721 and its implication for microbial biomass.

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Jincai Ma

Full Text Available Assimilable organic carbon (AOC is commonly used to measure the growth potential of microorganisms in water, but has not yet been investigated for measuring microbial growth potential in soils. In this study, a simple, rapid, and non-growth based assay to determine AOC in soil was developed using a naturally occurring luminous strain Vibrio harveyi BB721 to determine the fraction of low molecular weight organic carbon in soil water extract. Calibration of the assay was achieved by measuring the luminescence intensity of starved V. harveyi BB721 cells in the late exponential phase with a concentration range from 0 to 800 µg l(-1 glucose (equivalent to 0-16.0 mg glucose C kg(-1 soil with the detection limit of 10 µg l(-1 equivalent to 0.20 mg glucose C kg(-1 soil. Results showed that bioluminescence was proportional to the concentration of glucose added to soil. The luminescence intensity of the cells was highly pH dependent and the optimal pH was about 7.0. The average AOC concentration in 32 soils tested was 2.9±2.2 mg glucose C kg(-1. Our data showed that AOC levels in soil water extracts were significantly correlated (P<0.05 with microbial biomass determined as microbial biomass carbon, indicating that the AOC concentrations determined by the method developed might be a good indicator of soil microbial biomass. Our findings provide a new approach that may be used to determine AOC in environmental samples using a non-growth bioluminescence based assay. Understanding the levels of AOC in soil water extract provides new insights into our ability to estimate the most available carbon pool to bacteria in soil that may be easily assimilated into cells for many metabolic processes and suggest possible the links between AOC, microbial regrowth potential, and microbial biomass in soils.

Seasonal variations in soil water in two woodland savannas of central Brazil with different fire history.

Science.gov (United States)

Quesada, Carlos Alberto; Hodnett, Martin G; Breyer, Lacê M; Santos, Alexandre J B; Andrade, Sérgio; Miranda, Heloisa S; Miranda, Antonio Carlos; Lloyd, Jon

2008-03-01

Changes in soil water content were determined in two cerrado (sensu stricto) areas with contrasting fire history and woody vegetation density. The study was undertaken near Brasília, Brazil, from 1999 to 2001. Soil water content was measured with a neutron probe in three access tubes per site to a depth of 4.7 m. One site has been protected from fire for more than 30 years and, as a consequence, has a high density of woody plants. The other site had been frequently burned, and has a high herbaceous vegetation density and less woody vegetation. Soil water uptake patterns were strongly seasonal, and despite similarities in hydrological processes, the protected area systematically used more water than the burned area. Three temporarily contiguous patterns of water absorption were differentiated, characterized by variation in the soil depth from which water was extracted. In the early dry season, vegetation used water from throughout the soil profile but with a slight preference for water in the upper soil layers. Toward the peak of the dry season, vegetation had used most or all available water from the surface to a depth of 1.7 m, but continued to extract water from greater depths. Following the first rains, all water used was from the recently wetted upper soil layers only. Evaporation rates were a linear function of soil water availability, indicating a strong coupling of atmospheric water demand and the physiological response of the vegetation.

Soil and water nitrate levels in relation to fertilizer utilization in Yugoslavia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filipovic, R.; Stevanovic, D.

1980-01-01

The results of a number of field experiments and monitoring of drainage canals close to intensive agricultural production involving the application of mineral fertilizers are reported. The object was to determine whether the pollution potential of underground and derived surface waters by nitrates and phosphates could be expressed as a function of the applied doses of fertilizer, method of application, climate, soil, etc. Analytical data indicated that, in surface waters adjacent to fertilized land, nitrate levels were higher than those of surface waters adjacent to unfertilized land. Preliminary results on the distribution of NO 3 down the soil profile following the application of 15 N-labelled ammonium nitrate to maize indicated downward movement of the labelled nitrate below the 100-cm depth. Application of organic matter with the fertilizer apparently retarded the leaching process. Soil-surface drainage water was characterized by high P/N ratios. (author)

Application of minidisk infiltrometer to estimate soil water repellency

Science.gov (United States)

Alagna, Vincenzo; Iovino, Massimo; Bagarello, Vincenzo; Mataix-Solera, Jorge; Lichner, Ľubomír

2016-04-01

Soil water repellency (SWR) reduces affinity of soils to water resulting in detrimental implication for plants growth as well as for hydrological processes. During the last decades, it has become clear that SWR is much more widespread than formerly thought, having been reported for a wide variety of soils, land uses and climatic conditions. The repellency index (RI), based on soil-water to soil-ethanol sorptivity ratio, was proposed to characterize subcritical SWR that is the situation where a low degree of repellency impedes infiltration but does not prevent it. The minidisk infiltrometer allows adequate field assessment of RI inherently scaled to account for soil physical properties other than hydrophobicity (e.g., the volume, connectivity and the geometry of pores) that directly influence the hydrological processes. There are however some issues that still need consideration. For example, use of a fixed time for both water and ethanol sorptivity estimation may lead to inaccurate RI values given that water infiltration could be negligible whereas ethanol sorptivity could be overestimated due to influence of gravity and lateral diffusion that rapidly come into play when the infiltration process is very fast. Moreover, water and ethanol sorptivity values need to be determined at different infiltration sites thus implying that a large number of replicated runs should be carried out to obtain a reliable estimate of RI for a given area. Minidisk infiltrometer tests, conducted under different initial soil moisture and management conditions in the experimental sites of Ciavolo, Trapani (Italy) and Javea, Alicante (East Spain), were used to investigate the best applicative procedure to estimate RI. In particular, different techniques to estimate the water, Sw, and ethanol, Se, sorptivities were compared including i) a fixed 1-min time interval, ii) the slope of early-time 1D infiltration equation and iii) the two-term transient 3D infiltration equation that explicitly

Quantification of the soil-water balance under different veld ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The monthly herbage production, water-use efficiency (WUE: above-ground phytomass production per unit of evapotranspiration), surface runoff and soil loss were determined on grassland in three different ecological conditions, viz. poor, moderate and good, over a four year (1995/1996 to 1998/1999) period. In addition ...

Methods of soil organic carbon determination in Brazilian savannah soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana Hiromi Sato

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Several methods exist for determining soil organic carbon, and each one has its own advantages and limitations. Consequently, a comparison of the experimental results obtained when these methods are employed is hampered, causing problems in the comparison of carbon stocks in soils. This study aimed at evaluating the analytical procedures used in the determination of carbon and their relationships with soil mineralogy and texture. Wet combustion methods, including Walkley-Black, Mebius and Colorimetric determination as well as dry combustion methods, such as Elemental and Gravimetric Analysis were used. Quantitative textural and mineralogical (kaolinite, goethite and gibbsite analyses were also carried out. The wet digestion methods underestimated the concentration of organic carbon, while the gravimetric method overestimated. Soil mineralogy interfered with the determination of carbon, with emphasis on the gravimetric method that was greatly influenced by gibbsite.

Effects of fire ash on soil water retention

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stoof, C.R.; Wesseling, J.G.; Ritsema, C.J.

2010-01-01

Despite the pronounced effect of fire on soil hydrological systems, information on the direct effect of fire on soil water retention characteristics is limited and contradictory. To increase understanding in this area, the effect of fire on soil water retention was evaluated using laboratory burning

Field, laboratory and estimated soil-water content limits

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2005-01-21

Jan 21, 2005 ... silt (0.002 to 0.05 mm) percentage to estimate the soil-water content at a given soil-water .... ar and br are the intercept and slope values of the regres- .... tions use the particle size classification of the South African Soil.

Novel evaporation experiment to determine soil hydraulic properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Schneider

2006-01-01

Full Text Available A novel experimental approach to determine soil hydraulic material properties for the dry and very dry range is presented. Evaporation from the surface of a soil column is controlled by a constant flux of preconditioned air and the resulting vapour flux is measured by infrared absorption spectroscopy. The data are inverted under the assumptions that (i the simultaneous movement of water in the liquid and vapour is represented by Richards' equation with an effective hydraulic conductivity and that (ii the coupling between the soil and the well-mixed atmosphere can be modelled by a boundary layer with a constant transfer resistance. The optimised model fits the data exceptionally well. Remaining deviations during the initial phase of an experiment are thought to be well-understood and are attributed to the onset of the heat flow through the column which compensates the latent heat of evaporation.

Fly ash dynamics in soil-water systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, S.; Fulekar, M.H.; Jayalakshmi, C.P.

1989-01-01

Studies regarding the effluents and coal ashes (or fly ash) resulting from coal burning are numerous, but their disposal and interactions with the soil and water systems and their detailed environmental impact assessment with concrete status reports on a global scale are scanty. Fly ash dynamics in soil and water systems are reviewed. After detailing the physical composition of fly ash, physicochemical changes in soil properties due to fly ash amendment are summarized. Areas covered include texture and bulk density, moisture retention, change in chemical equilibria, and effects of fly ash on soil microorganisms. Plant growth in amended soils is discussed, as well as plant uptake and accumulation of trace elements. In order to analyze the effect of fly ash on the physicochemical properties of water, several factors must be considered, including surface morphology of fly ash, pH of the ash sluice water, pH adjustments, leachability and solubility, and suspended ash and settling. The dynamics of fly ash in water systems is important due to pollution of groundwater resources from toxic components such as trace metals. Other factors summarized are bioaccumulation and biomagnification, human health effects of contaminants, and the impact of radionuclides in fly ash. Future research needs should focus on reduction of the environmental impact of fly ash and increasing utilization of fly ash as a soil amendment. 110 refs., 2 figs., 10 tabs

In situ separation of root hydraulic redistribution of soil water from liquid and vapor transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Warren, Jeffrey [ORNL; Brooks, J Renee [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR; Dragila, Maria [Oregon State University, Corvallis; Meinzer, Rick [USDA Forest Service

2011-01-01

Nocturnal increases in water potential ( ) and water content (WC) in the upper soil profile are often attributed to root water efflux into the soil, a process termed hydraulic lift or hydraulic redistribution (HR). We have previously reported HR values up to ~0.29 mm day-1 in the upper soil for a seasonally dry old-growth ponderosa pine site. However, unsaturated liquid or vapor flux of water between soil layers independent of roots also contributes to the diurnal patterns in WC, confounding efforts to determine the actual magnitude of HR. In this study, we estimated liquid (Jl) and vapor (Jv) soil water fluxes and their impacts on quantifying HR in situ by applying existing data sets of , WC, temperature (T) and soil physical properties to soil water transport equations. Under moist conditions, Jl between layers was estimated to be larger than necessary to account for measured nocturnal increases in WC of upper soil layers. However, as soil drying progressed unsaturated hydraulic conductivity declined rapidly such that Jl was irrelevant (< 2E-06 cm hr-1 at 0-60 cm depths) to total water flux by early August. In surface soil at depths above 15 cm, large T fluctuations can impact Jv leading to uncertainty concerning the role, if any, of HR in nocturnal WC dynamics. Vapor flux was estimated to be the highest at the shallowest depths measured (20 - 30 cm) where it could contribute up to 40% of hourly increases in nocturnal soil moisture depending on thermal conditions. While both HR and net soil water flux between adjacent layers contribute to WC in the 15-65 cm soil layer, HR was the dominant process and accounted for at least 80% of the diurnal increases in WC. While the absolute magnitude of HR is not easily quantified, total diurnal fluctuations in upper soil water content can be quantified and modeled, and remain highly applicable for establishing the magnitude and temporal dynamics of total ecosystem water flux.

Effect of restoring soil hydrological poperties on water conservation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moore, D.; Kostka, S.J.; Boerth, T.J.; Franklin, M.A.; Ritsema, C.J.; Dekker, L.W.; Oostindie, K.; Stoof, C.R.; Park, D.M.

2008-01-01

Water repellency in soil is more wide spread than previously thought ¿ and has a significant impact on irrigation efficiency and water conservation. Soil water repellency has been identified in many soil types under a wide array of climatic conditions world wide. Consequences include increased

Integrated water-crop-soil-management system for evaluating the quality of irrigation water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pla-Sentis, I.

1983-01-01

The authors make use of an independent balance of the salts and ions present in the water available for irrigation, based on the residence times in the soil solution that are allowed by solubility limits and drainage conditions, to develop an efficient system for evaluating the quality of such water which combines the factors: water, crop, soil and management. The system is based on the principle that such quality depends not only on the concentration and composition of the salts dissolved in the water, but also on existing possibilities and limitations in using and managing it in respect of the soil and crops, with allowance for the crop's tolerance of salinity, drainage conditions and hydrological properties of the soils, climate and current or potential practices for the management of the irrigation. If this system is used to quantify approximately the time behaviour of the concentration and composition of the salts in the soil solution, it is possible not only to predict the effects on soil, crops and drainage water, but also to evaluate the various combinations of irrigation water, soil, crops and management and to select the most suitable. It is also useful for fairly accurately diagnosing current problems of salinity and for identifying alternatives and possibilities for reclamation. Examples of its use for these purposes in Venezuela are presented with particular reference to the diagnosis of the present and future development of ''salino-sodic'' and ''sodic'' soils by means of low-salt irrigation water spread over agricultural soils with very poor drainage in a sub-humid or semi-arid tropical climate. The authors also describe the use of radiation techniques for gaining an understanding of the relations between the factors making up the system and for improving the quantitative evaluations required to diagnose problems and to select the best management methods for the available irrigation water. (author)

Sensitivity Analysis of the USLE Soil Erodibility Factor to Its Determining Parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Mitova, Milena; Rousseva, Svetla

2014-05-01

Soil erosion is recognized as one of the most serious soil threats worldwide. Soil erosion prediction is the first step in soil conservation planning. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is one of the most widely used models for soil erosion predictions. One of the five USLE predictors is the soil erodibility factor (K-factor), which evaluates the impact of soil characteristics on soil erosion rates. Soil erodibility nomograph defines K-factor depending on soil characteristics, such as: particle size distribution (fractions finer that 0.002 mm and from 0.1 to 0.002 mm), organic matter content, soil structure and soil profile water permeability. Identifying the soil characteristics, which mostly influence the K-factor would give an opportunity to control the soil loss through erosion by controlling the parameters, which reduce the K-factor value. The aim of the report is to present the results of analysis of the relative weight of these soil characteristics in the K-factor values. The relative impact of the soil characteristics on K-factor was studied through a series of statistical analyses of data from the geographic database for soil erosion risk assessments in Bulgaria. Degree of correlation between K-factor values and the parameters that determine it was studied by correlation analysis. The sensitivity of the K-factor was determined by studying the variance of each parameter within the range between minimum and maximum possible values considering average value of the other factors. Normalizing transformation of data sets was applied because of the different dimensions and the orders of variation of the values of the various parameters. The results show that the content of particles finer than 0.002 mm has the most significant relative impact on the soil erodibility, followed by the content of particles with size from 0.1 mm to 0.002 mm, the class of the water permeability of the soil profile, the content of organic matter and the aggregation class. The

Arsenic contamination in irrigation water, agricultural soil and maize crop from an abandoned smelter site in Matehuala, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruíz-Huerta, Esther Aurora; de la Garza Varela, Alonso; Gómez-Bernal, Juan Miguel; Castillo, Francisco; Avalos-Borja, Miguel; SenGupta, Bhaskar; Martínez-Villegas, Nadia

2017-10-05

Mobility of Arsenic (As) from metallurgical wastes in Matehuala, Mexico has been accounted for ultra-high concentration of As in water (4.8-158mg/L) that is used for recreational purposes as well as cultivation of maize. In this study, we (i) measured As concentrations in soils irrigated with this water, (ii) investigated the geochemical controls of available As, and (iii) measured bioaccumulation of As in maize. Water, soil, and maize plant samples were collected from 3 different plots to determine As in environmental matrices as well as water soluble As in soils. Soil mineralogy was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Bioaccumulation of As in maize plants was estimated from the bioconcentration and translocation factors. We recorded As built-up in agricultural soils to the extent of 172mg/kg, and noted that this As is highly soluble in water (30% on average). Maize crops presented high bioaccumulation, up to 2.5 times of bioconcentration and 45% of translocation. Furthermore, we found that water extractable As was higher in soils rich in calcite, while it was lower in soils containing high levels of gypsum, but As bioconcentration showed opposite trend. Results from this study show that irrigation with As rich water represents a significant risk to the population consuming contaminated crops. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CO2 response to rewetting of hydrophobic soils - Can soil water repellency inhibit the 'Birch effect'?

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez-Garcia, Carmen; Urbanek, Emilia; Doerr, Stefan

2017-04-01

Rewetting of dry soils is known to cause a short-term CO2 pulse commonly known as the 'Birch effect'. The displacement of CO2 with water during the process of wetting has been recognised as one of the sources of this pulse. The 'Birch effect' has been extensively observed in many soils, but some studies report a lack of such phenomenon, suggesting soil water repellency (SWR) as a potential cause. Water infiltration in water repellent soils can be severely restricted, causing overland flow or increased preferential flow, resulting in only a small proportion of soil pores being filled with water and therefore small gas-water replacement during wetting. Despite the suggestions of a different response of CO2 fluxes to wetting under hydrophobic conditions, this theory has never been tested. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that CO2 pulse does not occur during rewetting of water repellent soils. Dry homogeneous soils at water-repellent and wettable status have been rewetted with different amounts of water. CO2 flux as a response to wetting has been continuously measured with the CO2 flux analyser. Delays in infiltration and non-uniform heterogeneous water flow were observed in water repellent soils, causing an altered response in the CO2 pulse in comparison to typically observed 'Birch effect' in wettable systems. The main conclusion from the study is that water repellency not only affects water relations in soil, but has also an impact on greenhouse gas production and transport and therefore should be included as an important parameter during the sites monitoring and modelling of gas fluxes.

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.

Contribution of soil electric resistivity measurements to the studies on soil/grapevine water relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Etienne Goulet

2006-06-01

Full Text Available The classical techniques that allow to quantify the soil water status such as the gravimetric method or the use of neutrons probes do not give access to the volume of soil explored by the plant root system. On the contrary, electric tomography can be used to have a global vision on the water exchange area between soil and plant. The measurement of soil electric resistivity, as a non destructive, spatially integrative technique, has recently been introduced into viticulture. The use of performing equipment and adapted software allows for rapid data processing and gives the possibility to spatialize the variations of soil texture or humidity in two or three dimensions. Soil electric resistivity has been tested for the last three years at the Experimental Unit on Grapevine and Vine, INRA, Angers, France, to study the water supply to the vine in different “terroir” conditions. Resistivity measurements were carried out with the resistivity meter Syscal R1+ (Iris Instruments, France equipped with 21 electrodes. Those electrodes were lined up on the soil surface in a direction perpendiculary to 5 grapevine rows with an electrode spacing of 0.5 m. and a dipole-dipole arrangement. Resistivity measurements were performed on the same place at different times in order to study soil moisture variations. This experimental set up has permitted to visualise the soil stratification and individualize some positive electric anomalies corresponding to preferential drying ; this desiccation could be attributed to grapevine root activity. The soil bulk subject to the water up-take could be defined more precisely and in some types of soil, available water may even be quantified. Terroir effect on grapevine root activity has also been shown up on two different experimental parcels through electric tomography and first results indicate that it is possible to monitor the effects of soil management (inter-row grassing or different rootstocks on the water supply to the

Net carbon allocation in soybean seedlings as influenced by soil water stress at two soil temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCoy, E.L.; Boersma, L.; Ekasingh, M.

1990-01-01

The influence of water stress at two soil temperatures on allocation of net photoassimilated carbon in soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) was investigated using compartmental analysis. The experimental phase employed classical 14 C labeling methodology with plants equilibrated at soil water potentials of -0.04, -0.25 and -0.50 MPa; and soil temperatures of 25 and 10C. Carbon immobilization in the shoot apex generally followed leaf elongation rates with decreases in both parameters at increasing water stress at both soil temperatures. However, where moderate water stress resulted in dramatic declines in leaf elongation rates, carbon immobilization rates were sharply decreased only at severe water stress levels. Carbon immobilization was decreased in the roots and nodules of the nonwater stressed treatment by the lower soil temperature. This relation was reversed with severe water stress, and carbon immobilization in the roots and nodules was increased at the lower soil temperature. Apparently, the increased demand for growth and/or carbon storage in these tissues with increased water stress overcame the low soil temperature limitations. Both carbon pool sizes and partitioning of carbon to the sink tissues increased with moderate water stress at 25C soil temperature. Increased pool sizes were consistent with whole plant osmotic adjustment at moderate water stress. Increased partitioning to the sinks was consistent with carbon translocation processes being less severely influenced by water stress than is photosynthesis

Moisture variability resulting from water repellency in Dutch soils

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dekker, L.W.

1998-01-01

The present study suggests that many soils in the Netherlands, in natural as well as in agricultural areas, may be water repellent to some degree, challenging the common perception that soil water repellency is only an interesting aberration. When dry, water repellent soils resist or retard

Implications of market access on soil and water conservation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Market access is one of the motivating mechanisms for farmers to invest in soil and water conservation (SWC). Areas of relatively high agricultural potential but remote from major markets face numerous challenges in marketing their outputs. The objective of this study was to explore the market access determinants of farmer ...

Soil water sensor response to bulk electrical conductivity

Science.gov (United States)

Soil water monitoring using electromagnetic (EM) sensors can facilitate observations of water content at high temporal and spatial resolutions. These sensors measure soil dielectric permittivity (Ka) which is largely a function of volumetric water content. However, bulk electrical conductivity BEC c...

Supercooled interfacial water in fine-grained soils probed by dielectric spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Lorek

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Water substantially affects nearly all physical, chemical and biological processes on the Earth. Recent Mars observations as well as laboratory investigations suggest that water is a key factor of current physical and chemical processes on the Martian surface, e.g. rheological phenomena. Therefore it is of particular interest to get information about the liquid-like state of water on Martian analogue soils for temperatures below 0 °C. To this end, a parallel plate capacitor has been developed to obtain isothermal dielectric spectra of fine-grained soils in the frequency range from 10 Hz to 1.1 MHz at Martian-like temperatures down to −70 °C. Two Martian analogue soils have been investigated: a Ca-bentonite (specific surface of 237 m2 g−1, up to 9.4% w / w gravimetric water content and JSC Mars 1, a volcanic ash (specific surface of 146 m2 g−1, up to 7.4% w / w. Three soil-specific relaxation processes are observed in the investigated frequency–temperature range: two weak high-frequency processes (bound or hydrated water as well as ice and a strong low-frequency process due to counter-ion relaxation and the Maxwell–Wagner effect. To characterize the dielectric relaxation behaviour, a generalized fractional dielectric relaxation model was applied assuming three active relaxation processes with relaxation time of the ith process modelled with an Eyring equation. The real part of effective complex soil permittivity at 350 kHz was used to determine ice and liquid-like water content by means of the Birchak or CRIM equation. There are evidence that bentonite down to −70 °C has a liquid-like water content of 1.17 monolayers and JSC Mars 1 a liquid-like water content of 1.96 monolayers.

Pore-water chemistry explains zinc phytotoxicity in soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Kader, Mohammed; Lamb, Dane T; Correll, Ray; Megharaj, Mallavarapu; Naidu, Ravi

2015-12-01

Zinc (Zn) is a widespread soil contaminant arising from a numerous anthropogenic sources. However, adequately predicting toxicity of Zn to ecological receptors remains difficult due to the complexity of soil characteristics. In this study, we examined solid-solution partitioning using pore-water data and toxicity of Zn to cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) in spiked soils. Pore-water effective concentration (ECx, x=10%, 20% and 50% reduction) values were negatively related to pH, indicating lower Zn pore water concentration were needed to cause phytotoxicity at high pH soils. Total dissolved zinc (Znpw) and free zinc (Zn(2+)) in soil-pore water successfully described 78% and 80.3% of the variation in relative growth (%) in the full dataset. When the complete data set was used (10 soils), the estimated EC50pw was 450 and 79.2 µM for Znpw and Zn(2+), respectively. Total added Zn, soil pore water pH (pHpw) and dissolve organic carbon (DOC) were the best predictors of Znpw and Zn(2+) in pore-water. The EC10 (total loading) values ranged from 179 to 5214 mg/kg, depending on soil type. Only pH measurements in soil were related to ECx total Zn data. The strongest relationship to ECx overall was pHca, although pHw and pHpw were in general related to Zn ECx. Similarly, when a solution-only model was used to predict Zn in shoot, DOC was negatively related to Zn in shoot, indicating a reduction in uptake/ translocation of Zn from solution with increasing DOC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Benzo(a)pyrene accumulation in soils of technogenic emission zone by subcritical water extraction method

Science.gov (United States)

Sushkova, Svetlana; Minkina, Tatiana; Kizilkaya, Ridvan; Mandzhieva, Saglara; Batukaev, Abdulmalik; Bauer, Tatiana; Gulser, Coskun

2016-04-01

The purpose of research is the assessment of main marker of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contamination, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) content in soils of emission zone of the power complex plant in soils with use of ecologically clean and effective subcritical water extraction method. Studies were conducted on the soils of monitoring plots subjected to Novocherkassk Power Plant emissions from burning coal. In 2000, monitoring plots were established at different distances from the NPS (1.0-20.0 km). Soil samples for the determination of soil properties and the contents of BaP were taken from a depth of 0-20 cm. The soil cover in the region under study consisted of ordinary chernozems, meadow-chernozemic soils, and alluvial meadow soils. This soil revealed the following physical and chemical properties: Corg-3.1-5.0%, pH-7.3-7.6, ECE-31.2-47.6 mmol(+)/100g; CaCO3-0.2-1.0%, the content of physical clay - 51-67% and clay - 3-37%. BaP extraction from soils was carried out by a subcritical water extraction method. Subcritical water extraction of BaP from soil samples was conducted in a specially developed extraction cartridge made of stainless steel and equipped with screw-on caps at both ends. It was also equipped with a manometer that included a valve for pressure release to maintain an internal pressure of 100 atm. The extraction cartridge containing a sample and water was placed into an oven connected to a temperature regulator under temperature 250oC and pressure 60 atm. The BaP concentration in the acetonitrile extract was determined by HPLC. The efficiency of BaP extraction from soil was determined using a matrix spike. The main accumulation of pollutant in 20 cm layer of soils is noted directly in affected zone on the plots situated at 1.2, 1.6, 5.0, 8.0 km from emission source in the direction of prevailing winds. The maximum quantity of a pollutant was founded in the soil of the plot located mostly close to a source of pollution in the direction of prevailing winds

Determination of amino acids in industrial effluents contaminated soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahar, M.T.; Khuhawar, M.Y.

2014-01-01

38 samples of soil for 19 locations partially irrigated on the effluents of sugar mill and oil andghee mill, bottom sediments of evaporation ponds of sugar and fertilizer industries were collected and analyzed for amino acids after acid digestion by gas chromatography using pre column derivatization with trifluroacetyleacetone and ethyl chloroformate. The results obtained were compared with the soil samples irrigated with fresh water. The soil samples were also analyzed for pH, total nitrogen contents and organic carbon. Nine essential (leucine (Leu), threonine (Thr), lysine (Lys), L-phenylalanine (Phe), tryptophan (Trp), histadine (His), L-valine (Val), methionine (Met) and isoleucine Ile) and ten non-essential ( alanine (Ala), cysteine (Cys), asparagine (Asn), glutamic acid (Glu), serine (Ser), glycine (Gly), proline (Pro), Glutamine (Gln), aspartic acid (Asp), tyrosine (Tyr)) amino acids were analyzed 13-15 amino acids were identified and determined quantitatively from soil samples. Amino acids Met, Asn, Gln and Trp were observed absent from all the samples. The variation in the amino acids contents in soil with the industrial effluents added and total nitrogen and organic carbon is discussed. (author)

Cropping system impact on soil quality determinants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. VESTBERG

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Worldwide interest in soil quality evaluation has increased rapidly throughout the past decade, prompting us to evaluate the long-term impact of four cropping systems on several biological, chemical and physical determinants of soil quality. We hypothesized that after 17 years several of the determinants would show significant differences between conventional cereal and low input/organic rotations. Four crop rotations were imposed on a silt soil from 1982 through 1999. Rotation A was a conventionally managed cereal rotation that received 100% of the recommended mineral fertilizer each year. Rotation B was also managed conventionally from 1982 until 1993, although it received only 50% of the recommended mineral fertilizer. From 1994 through 1999, rotation B was managed as an organic rotation. Rotations C and D were low-input rotations with plant residues returned either untreated (Cor composted (Dfrom 1982 until 1994.From 1994 through 1999,they were also anaged organically. Significant decreases in extractable phosphorus (Pand potassium were observed in rotations C and D compared with rotation A, presumably because their yearly nutrient inputs were somewhat lower. The amount of soil organic carbon (Corg, soil water holding capacity, the numbers and biomass of earthworms and the microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen were or tended to be higher in low input/organic than in conventionally managed plots. These effects may be in connection with the slightly increased levels of Corg in soil of the organic rotations. Activities of twelve enzymes were strongly affected by sampling time (early-versus late-summer, but much less by long-term management. Litter decomposition, numbers of soil nematodes, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AMfungal diversity,AM spore density and AM functioning were little affected by rotation. However,AM spore density correlated positively with the high amounts of extractable calcium and P which were a result from excessive liming applied

Response of the water status of soybean to changes in soil water potentials controlled by the water pressure in microporous tubes

Science.gov (United States)

Steinberg, S. L.; Henninger, D. L.

1997-01-01

Water transport through a microporous tube-soil-plant system was investigated by measuring the response of soil and plant water status to step change reductions in the water pressure within the tubes. Soybeans were germinated and grown in a porous ceramic 'soil' at a porous tube water pressure of -0.5 kpa for 28 d. During this time, the soil matric potential was nearly in equilibrium with tube water pressure. Water pressure in the porous tubes was then reduced to either -1.0, -1.5 or -2.0 kPa. Sap flow rates, leaf conductance and soil, root and leaf water potentials were measured before and after this change. A reduction in porous tube water pressure from -0.5 to -1.0 or -1.5 kPa did not result in any significant change in soil or plant water status. A reduction in porous tube water pressure to -2.0 kPa resulted in significant reductions in sap flow, leaf conductance, and soil, root and leaf water potentials. Hydraulic conductance, calculated as the transpiration rate/delta psi between two points in the water transport pathway, was used to analyse water transport through the tube-soil-plant continuum. At porous tube water pressures of -0.5 to-1.5 kPa soil moisture was readily available and hydraulic conductance of the plant limited water transport. At -2.0 kPa, hydraulic conductance of the bulk soil was the dominant factor in water movement.

Arsenic and trace elements in soil, water, grapevine and onion in Jáchal, Argentina.

Science.gov (United States)

Funes Pinter, Iván; Salomon, M Victoria; Gil, Raúl; Mastrantonio, Leandro; Bottini, Rubén; Piccoli, Patricia

2018-02-15

Contamination by trace elements (TE) is an increasing concern worldwide. In some areas, crop production could be limited by the presence of metals and metalloids, so it is important to determine their concentrations and mobility. The region of Jáchal, province of San Juan, Argentina, has good growing conditions for onion and grapevine production, but their quality and yield are affected by high TE concentration in soils and water. Soils, water, grapevine and onion were sampled and TE content determined. In soils elevated As, B, Cr, Hg, and Tl concentrations were detected (506±46, 149±3, 2714±217, 16±7, and 12±3μgg -1 , respectively, for maximum values measured), and physicochemical properties of the soil promotes these elements mobility. Water samples had high As, B, Cr, and Fe concentrations (1438±400, 10,871±471, 11,516±2363, and 3071±257μgL -1 , respectively, for maximum values measured) while in onion bulbs and grapevine berries, As, Cr, Cu, and Fe (92±7 and 171±20, 1412±18 and 2965±32, 17±3 and 126±88, and 418±204 and 377±213μgg -1 , respectively, for maximum values measured) exceeded the limits for food consumption established by Argentinian law. Correlation analyses indicated that: i) there is a common source of TE in this area, ii) each elements concentration in plants is associated with different soil variables and different soils depths, and iii) the lack of correlation between soil and water indicates that concentration in water is not constant over the time and/or there exists a differential accumulation of elements in soils depending on their own properties. Data obtained demonstrate very high concentration of TE in soil, grapevines, and onion plants in Jáchal region, and different remediation techniques are necessary to stabilize and minimize the bioavailability of these elements. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of soil water regime under spruce stands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tužinský Ladislav

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to analyse the water regime of soils under spruce ecosystems in relation to long-lasting humid and drought periods in the growing seasons 1991-2013. The dominant interval humidity in observing growing seasons is semiuvidic interval with soil moisture between hydro-limits maximal capillary capacity (MCC and point of diminished availability (PDA. Gravitationally seepage concentrated from accumulated winter season, water from melting snow and existing atmospheric precipitation occurs in the soil only at the beginning of the growing season. The supplies of soil water are significantly decreasing in the warm climate and precipitant deficient days. The greatest danger from drought threatens Norway spruce during the summer months and it depends on the duration of dry days, water supply at the beginning of the dry days, air temperature and the intensity of evapotranspiration. In the surface layers of the soil, with the maximum occurrence of active roots, the water in semiarid interval area between hydro-limits PDA and wilting point (WP decreases during the summer months. In the culminating phase occurs the drying to moisture state with capillary stationary and the insufficient supply of available water for the plants. Physiological weakening of Norway spruce caused by set of outlay components of the water balance is partially reduced by delivering of water by capillary action from deeper horizons. In extremely dry periods, soil moisture is decreasing also throughout the soil profile (0-100 cm into the bottom third of the variation margin hydro-limits MCC-PDA in the category of capillary less moving and for plants of low supply of usable water (60-90 mm. The issue of deteriorated health state of spruce ecosystems is considered to be actual. Changes and developments of hydropedological conditions which interfere the mountain forests represent the increasing danger of the drought for the spruce.

Soil water sensors:Problems, advances and potential for irrigation scheduling

Science.gov (United States)

Irrigation water management has to do with the appropriate application of water to soils, in terms of amounts, rates, and timing to satisfy crop water demands, while protecting the soil and water resources from degradation. In this regard, sensors can be used to monitor the soil water status; and so...

Rain water drop impact as a laboratory methodology to determinate the soils structural stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arias, Dora M; Amezquita E

1999-01-01

To avoid degradation, it is necessary to have (sufficiently) sensitive parameter to the use actions, so that it is possible to determine what negative changes are happening and to take the soil management measures that avoid the degradation. One of the main causes of degradation in the areas of hillside of Colombia is the erosion, which begins with the impact of the drop of rainwater on the bare soil. For this research samples of an oxic dystropepts were taken at two depths (0-2.5 and 2.5-5 cm) to studying the susceptibility of its structure, to the impact of the drop falling from 2000 mm high. The samples were subjected to drop impact, in a special assembly apparatus that generated drops falling on samples that were 2-m below rotating in a rotations apparatus of generation of drops. As the time of impact advanced, the changes in the hydraulic conductivity were determined. This as parameter was used as an indicator appraiser of the structural resistance of the soils. The results show that the used methodology was sensitive to the situations of use of the soils. The initial hydraulic conductivity was higher in the production systems less intervened (natural forest, leucaena, with mulch, without mulch) and smaller in la those ones most intervened (monocrops of corn, bean, yuca), showing that human intervention has promotes a decay in the stability of soil structure

Predicting soil water content at - 33 kPa by pedotransfer functions in stoniness 1 soils in northeast Venezuela.

Science.gov (United States)

Pineda, M C; Viloria, J; Martínez-Casasnovas, J A; Valera, A; Lobo, D; Timm, L C; Pires, L F; Gabriels, D

2018-02-22

Soil water content is a key property in the study of water available for plants, infiltration, drainage, hydraulic conductivity, irrigation, plant water stress and solute movement. However, its measurement consumes time and, in the case of stony soils, the presence of stones difficult to determinate the water content. An alternative is the use of pedotransfer functions (PTFs), as models to predict these properties from readily available data. The present work shows a comparison of different widely used PTFs to estimate water content at-33 kPa (WR -33kPa ) in high stoniness soils. The work was carried out in the Caramacate River, an area of high interest because the frequent landslides worsen the quality of drinking water. The performance of all evaluated PTFs was compared with a PTF generated for the study area. Results showed that the Urach's PTF presented the best performance in relation to the others and could be used to estimate WR -33kPa in soils of Caramacate River basin. The calculated PTFs had a R 2 of 0.65. This was slightly higher than the R 2 of the Urach's PTF. The inclusion of the rock fragment volume could have the better results. The weak performance of the other PTFs could be related to the fact that the mountain soils of the basin are rich in 2:1 clay and high stoniness, which were not used as independent variables for PTFs to estimate the WR -33kPa .

Reliance on deep soil water in the tree species Argania spinosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Zunzunegui, M; Boutaleb, S; Díaz Barradas, M C; Esquivias, M P; Valera, J; Jáuregui, J; Tagma, T; Ain-Lhout, F

2017-12-07

In South-western Morocco, water scarcity and high temperature are the main factors determining species survival. Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels is a tree species, endemic to Morocco, which is suffering from ongoing habitat shrinkage. Argan trees play essential local ecological and economic roles: protecting soils from erosion, shading different types of crops, helping maintain soil fertility and, even more importantly, its seeds are used by the local population for oil production, with valuable nutritional, medicinal and cosmetic purposes. The main objective of this study was to identify the sources of water used by this species and to assess the effect of water availability on the photosynthetic rate and stem water potential in two populations: one growing on the coast and a second one 10 km inland. Stem water potential, photosynthetic rate and xylem water isotopic composition (δ18O) were seasonally monitored during 2 years. Trees from both populations showed a similar strategy in the use of the available water sources, which was strongly dependent on deep soil water throughout the year. Nevertheless, during the wet season or under low precipitation a more complex water uptake pattern was found with a mixture of water sources, including precipitation and soil at different depths. No evidence was found of the use of either groundwater or atmospheric water in this species. Despite the similar water-use strategy, the results indicate that Argania trees from the inland population explored deeper layers than coastal ones as suggested by more depleted δ18O values recorded in the inland trees and better photosynthetic performance, hence suggesting that the coastal population of A. spinosa could be subjected to higher stress. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Soil water status under perennial and annual pastures on an acid duplex soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heng, L.K.; White, R.E.; Chen, D.

2000-01-01

A comprehensive field study of soil water balance, nitrogen (N) cycling, pasture management and animal production was carried out on an acid duplex soil at Book Book near Wagga Wagga in southern New South Wales. The experiment, carried out over a 3-year period, tested the hypothesis that sown perennial grass pastures improve the sustainability of a grazing system through better use of water and N. The treatments were: annual pastures without lime (AP-), annual pastures with lime (AP+), perennial pastures without lime (PP-) and perennial pastures with lime (PP+). Soil water measurement was made using a neutron probe on one set of the treatments comprising four adjacent paddocks. Over three winter and spring periods, the results showed that perennial grass pastures, especially PP+, consistently extracted about 40 mm more soil water each year than did the annual grass pastures. As a result, surface runoff, sub-surface flow and deep drainage (percolation below 180 cm depth) were about 40 mm less from the perennial pastures. The soil water status of the four pasture treatments was simulated reasonably well using a simple soil water model. Together with the long-term simulation of deep drainage, using past meteorological records, it is shown that proper management of perennial pastures can reduce recharge to groundwater and make pastoral systems more sustainable in the high rainfall zone. However, to completely reduce recharge, more-deeply rooted plants or trees are needed. (author)

Impact of watering with UV-LED-treated wastewater on microbial and physico-chemical parameters of soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Chevremont, A-C; Boudenne, J-L; Coulomb, B; Farnet, A-M

2013-04-15

Advanced oxidation processes based on UV radiations have been shown to be a promising wastewater disinfection technology. The UV-LED system involves innovative materials and could be an advantageous alternative to mercury-vapor lamps. The use of the UV-LED system results in good water quality meeting the legislative requirements relating to wastewater reuse for irrigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of watering with UV-LED treated wastewaters (UV-LED WW) on soil parameters. Solid-state ¹³C NMR shows that watering with UV-LED WW do not change the chemical composition of soil organic matter compared to soil watered with potable water. Regarding microbiological parameters, laccase, cellulase, protease and urease activities increase in soils watered with UV-LED WW which means that organic matter brought by the effluent is actively degraded by soil microorganisms. The functional diversity of soil microorganisms is not affected by watering with UV-LED WW when it is altered by 4 and 8 months of watering with wastewater (WW). After 12 months, functional diversity is similar regardless of the water used for watering. The persistence of faecal indicator bacteria (coliform and enterococci) was also determined and watering with UV-LED WW does not increase their number nor their diversity unlike soils irrigated with activated sludge wastewater. The study of watering-soil microcosms with UV-LED WW indicates that this system seems to be a promising alternative to the UV-lamp-treated wastewaters. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temperature peaks affect fire-induced soil water repellency, infiltration and erosion risk of Mediterranean shrublands. Implications for water and sediment connectivity

Science.gov (United States)

Jordán, Antonio; Zavala, Lorena M.; Gordillo-Rivero, Ángel J.; Miriam, Miriam; Keesstra, Saskia; Cerdà, Artemi

2017-04-01

We know that the impact of fire on soil water repellency varies largely with the availability of water and physical and chemical soil properties, as well as the intensity of pre-existing hydrophobicity. However, there are few studies that relate the intensity of post-fire soil hydrophobicity and its persistence to the intensity and duration of thermal peaks occurring during fire. Fundamentally, this is due to the difficulty of quantifying these factors in situ, so that experimental fires are an extremely useful tool. The objective of this work was to study the impact of the intensity and duration of the thermal peaks observed during an experimental fire in the hydrophobicity of previously wet or slightly hydrophobic soils and the consequences of these changes on infiltration, runoff and soil loss (through rainfall simulation) in the immediate (30 days) and medium-term (1 year) post-fire period. In general, soil water repellency increased in all cases, although high temperatures and residence times of moderate thermal peaks caused the greatest impact. Although infiltration rates determined by mini-disk infiltrometer with water generally declined, no significant changes were observed in the same measurement with ethanol (which negates the effect of hydrophobicity).

Snowmelt water drives higher soil erosion than rainfall water in a mid-high latitude upland watershed

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yuyang; Ouyang, Wei; Hao, Zengchao; Yang, Bowen; Wang, Li

2018-01-01

The impacts of precipitation and temperature on soil erosion are pronounced in mid-high latitude areas, which lead to seasonal variations in soil erosion. Determining the critical erosion periods and the reasons behind the increased erosion loads are essential for soil management decisions. Hence, integrated approaches combining experiments and modelling based on field investigations were applied to investigate watershed soil erosion characteristics and the dynamics of water movement through soils. Long-term and continuous data for surface runoff and soil erosion variation characteristics of uplands in a watershed were observed via five simulations by the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). In addition, laboratory experiments were performed to quantify the actual soil infiltrabilities in snowmelt seasons (thawed treatment) and rainy seasons (non-frozen treatment). The results showed that over the course of a year, average surface runoff and soil erosion reached peak values of 31.38 mm and 1.46 t ha-1 a-1, respectively, in the month of April. They also ranked high in July and August, falling in the ranges of 23.73 mm to 24.91 mm and 0.55 t ha-1 a-1 to 0.59 t ha-1 a-1, respectively. With the infiltration time extended, thawed soils showed lower infiltrabilities than non-frozen soils, and the differences in soil infiltration amounts between these two were considerable. These results highlighted that soil erosion was very closely and positively correlated with surface runoff. Soil loss was higher in snowmelt periods than in rainy periods due to the higher surface runoff in early spring, and the decreased soil infiltrability in snowmelt periods contributed much to this higher surface runoff. These findings are helpful for identification of critical soil erosion periods when making soil management before critical months, especially those before snowmelt periods.

The Effect of Earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris L.) Population Density and Soil Water Content Interactions on Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Agricultural Soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evers, A.K.; Gordon, A.M.; Thevathasan, N.V.; Demers, T.A.

2010-01-01

Earthworms may have an influence on the production of N 2 O, a greenhouse gas, as a result of the ideal environment contained in their gut and casts for denitrifier bacteria. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris L.) population density, soil water content and N 2 O emissions in a controlled greenhouse experiment based on population densities (90 to 270 individuals m-2) found at the Guelph Agroforestry Research Station (GARS) from 1997 to 1998. An experiment conducted at considerably higher than normal densities of earthworms revealed a significant relationship between earthworm density, soil water content and N 2 O emissions, with mean emissions increasing to 43.5 g ha-1day-1 at 30 earthworms 0.0333 m-2 at 35% soil water content. However, a second experiment, based on the density of earthworms at GARS, found no significant difference in N 2 O emissions (5.49 to 6.99 g ha-1day-1) aa a result of density and 31% soil water content

Determination of the hydraulic conductivity in column of undeformed soil by gamma rays transmission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreira, Anderson C.; Cavalcante, Fabio H.M.; Portezan Filho, Otavio; Coimbra, Melayne M.; Appoloni, Carlos Roberto

2000-01-01

The water infiltration process in undeformed soil column and the measurement of redistribution process by gamma rays transmission in different depth allow the determination of Hydraulic Conductivity K(Θ) function, using the Sisson et al. (1980) method. A LRd (dystrophic dark red soil) soil column with 60 cm of height, 10 cm of width and 5 cm of thickness, was analyzed in laboratory, reproducing the field conditions concerning to the water infiltration and redistribution in the soil. The soil moisture content data was obtained with a radioactivity source 241 Am (100 mCi; 59,6 keV), NaI (Tl) 2x2 detector, coupled to an gamma rays spectrometric electronic chain and a measurement table that allowed the vertical displacement of the soil column. The results indicate a growing behavior for K(Θ) in relation to the depth. The collimators had 2 mm and 5 mm diameter for radioactivity source and detector respectively. (author)

An overview of soil water sensors for salinity & irrigation management

Science.gov (United States)

Irrigation water management has to do with the appropriate application of water to soils, in terms of amounts, rates, and timing to satisfy crop water demands while protecting the soil and water resources from degradation. Accurate irrigation management is even more important in salt affected soils ...

Dynamics of soil organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon in relation to water erosion and tillage erosion.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiaojun, Nie; Jianhui, Zhang; Zhengan, Su

2013-01-01

Dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) are associated with soil erosion, yet there is a shortage of research concerning the relationship between soil erosion, SOC, and especially microbial biomass carbon (MBC). In this paper, we selected two typical slope landscapes including gentle and steep slopes from the Sichuan Basin, China, and used the (137)Cs technique to determine the effects of water erosion and tillage erosion on the dynamics of SOC and MBC. Soil samples for the determination of (137)Cs, SOC, MBC and soil particle-size fractions were collected on two types of contrasting hillslopes. (137)Cs data revealed that soil loss occurred at upper slope positions of the two landscapes and soil accumulation at the lower slope positions. Soil erosion rates as well as distribution patterns of the erosion is the major process of soil redistribution in the gentle slope landscape, while tillage erosion acts as the dominant process of soil redistribution in the steep slope landscape. In gentle slope landscapes, both SOC and MBC contents increased downslope and these distribution patterns were closely linked to soil redistribution rates. In steep slope landscapes, only SOC contents increased downslope, dependent on soil redistribution. It is noticeable that MBC/SOC ratios were significantly lower in gentle slope landscapes than in steep slope landscapes, implying that water erosion has a negative effect on the microbial biomass compared with tillage erosion. It is suggested that MBC dynamics are closely associated with soil redistribution by water erosion but independent of that by tillage erosion, while SOC dynamics are influenced by soil redistribution by both water erosion and tillage erosion.

A reevaluation of TDR propagation time determination in soils and geological media

Science.gov (United States)

Time domain reflectometry (TDR) is an established method for the determination of apparent dielectric permittivity and water content in soils. Using current waveform interpretation procedures, signal attenuation and variation in dielectric media properties along the transmission line can significant...

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.

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.

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.

Determination of hydraulic properties of unsaturated soil via inverse modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kodesova, R.

2004-01-01

The method for determining the hydraulic properties of unsaturated soil with inverse modeling is presented. A modified cone penetrometer has been designed to inject water into the soil through a screen, and measure the progress of the wetting front with two tensiometer rings positioned above the screen. Cumulative inflow and pressure head readings are analyzed to obtain estimates of the hydraulic parameters describing K(h) and θ(h). Optimization results for tests at one side are used to demonstrate the possibility to evaluate either the wetting branches of the soil hydraulic properties, or the wetting and drying curves simultaneously, via analysis of different parts of the experiment. The optimization results are compared to the results of standard laboratory and field methods. (author)

Complex linkage between soil, soil water, atmosphere and Eucalyptus Plantations

Science.gov (United States)

Shukla, C.; Tiwari, K. N.

2017-12-01

Eucalyptus is most widely planted genus grown in waste land of eastern region of India to meet the pulp industry requirements. Sustainability of these plantations is of concern because in spite of higher demand water and nutrients of plantations, they are mostly planted on low-fertility soils. This study has been conducted to quantify effect of 25 years old, a fully established eucalyptus plantations on i.) Alteration in physico-chemical and hydrological properties of soil of eucalyptus plantation in comparison to soil of natural grassland and ii.) Spatio-temporal variation in soil moisture under eucalyptus plantations. Soil physico-chemical properties of two adjacent plots covered with eucatuptus and natural grasses were analyzed for three consecutive depths (i.e. 0-30 cm, 30-60 cm and 60-90 cm) with five replications in each plot. Soil infiltration rate and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) were measured in-situ to incorporate the influence of macro porosity caused due to roots of plantations. Daily soil moisture at an interval of 10 cm upto 160 cm depth with 3 replications and Leaf Area Index (LAI) at an interval of 15 days with 5 replications were recorded over the year. Significant variations found at level of 0.05 between soil properties of eucalyptus and natural grass land confirm the effect of plantations on soil properties. Comparative results of soil properties show significant alteration in soil texture such as percent of sand, organic matter and Ks found more by 20%, 9% and 22% respectively in eucalyptus plot as compare to natural grass land. Available soil moisture (ASM) was found constantly minimum in top soil excluding rainy season indicate upward movement of water and nutrients during dry season. Seasonal variation in temperature (T), relative humidity (RH) and leaf area index (LAI) influenced the soil moisture extraction phenomenon. This study clearly stated the impact of long term establishment of eucalyptus plantations make considerable

[Effects of land use changes on soil water conservation in Hainan Island, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Zhi; Zhao, He; Liu, Lei; OuYang, Zhi Yun; Zheng, Hua; Mi, Hong Xu; Li, Yan Min

2017-12-01

In tropical areas, a large number of natural forests have been transformed into other plantations, which affected the water conservation function of terrestrial ecosystems. In order to clari-fy the effects of land use changes on soil water conservation function, we selected four typical land use types in the central mountainous region of Hainan Island, i.e., natural forests with stand age greater than 100 years (VF), secondary forests with stand age of 10 years (SF), areca plantations with stand age of 12 years (AF) and rubber plantations with stand age of 35 years (RF). The effects of land use change on soil water holding capacity and water conservation (presented by soil water index, SWI) were assessed. The results showed that, compared with VF, the soil water holding capacity index of other land types decreased in the top soil layer (0-10 cm). AF had the lowest soil water holding capacity in all soil layers. Soil water content and maximum water holding capacity were significantly related to canopy density, soil organic matter and soil bulk density, which indicated that canopy density, soil organic matter and compactness were important factors influencing soil water holding capacity. Compared to VF, soil water conservation of SF, AF and RF were reduced by 27.7%, 54.3% and 11.5%, respectively. The change of soil water conservation was inconsistent in different soil layers. Vegetation canopy density, soil organic matter and soil bulk density explained 83.3% of the variance of soil water conservation. It was suggested that land use conversion had significantly altered soil water holding capacity and water conservation function. RF could keep the soil water better than AF in the research area. Increasing soil organic matter and reducing soil compaction would be helpful to improve soil water holding capacity and water conservation function in land management.

Spatial Variation of Arsenic in Soil, Irrigation Water, and Plant Parts: A Microlevel Study

OpenAIRE

Kabir, M. S.; Salam, M. A.; Paul, D. N. R.; Hossain, M. I.; Rahman, N. M. F.; Aziz, Abdullah; Latif, M. A.

2016-01-01

Arsenic pollution became a great problem in the recent past in different countries including Bangladesh. The microlevel studies were conducted to see the spatial variation of arsenic in soils and plant parts contaminated through ground water irrigation. The study was performed in shallow tube well command areas in Sadar Upazila (subdistrict), Faridpur, Bangladesh, where both soil and irrigation water arsenic are high. Semivariogram models were computed to determine the spatial dependency of s...

Modeling Soil Water Retention Curves in the Dry Range Using the Hygroscopic Water Content

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Chong; Hu, Kelin; Arthur, Emmanuel

2014-01-01

Accurate information on the dry end (matric potential less than −1500 kPa) of soil water retention curves (SWRCs) is crucial for studying water vapor transport and evaporation in soils. The objectives of this study were to assess the potential of the Oswin model for describing the water adsorption...... curves of soils and to predict SWRCs at the dry end using the hygroscopic water content at a relative humidity of 50% (θRH50). The Oswin model yielded satisfactory fits to dry-end SWRCs for soils dominated by both 2:1 and 1:1 clay minerals. Compared with the Oswin model, the Campbell and Shiozawa model...... for soils dominated by 2:1 and 1:1 clays, respectively. Comparison of the Oswin model combined with the Kelvin equation, with water potential estimated from θRH50 (Oswin-KRH50), CS model combined with the Arthur equation (CS-A), and CS-K model, with water potential obtained from θRH50 (CS-KRH50) indicated...

The soil sulphate effect and maize plant (Zea mays L.) growth of sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) inoculation in acid sulfate soils with the different soil water condition

Science.gov (United States)

Asmarlaili, S.; Rauf, A.; Hanafiah, D. S.; Sudarno, Y.; Abdi, P.

2018-02-01

The objective of the study was to determine the potential application of sulphate reducing bacteria on acid sulfate soil with different water content in the green house. The research was carried out in the Laboratory and Green House, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara. This research used Randomized Block Design with two treatments factors, ie sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) isolate (control, LK4, LK6, TSM4, TSM3, AP4, AP3, LK4 + TSM3, LK4 + AP4, LK4 + AP3, LK6 + TSM3, LK6 + AP4, LK6 + AP3, TSM4 + TSM3, TSM4 + AP4, TSM4 + AP3) and water condition (100% field capacity and 110% field capacity). The results showed that application of isolate LK4 + AP4 with water condition 110% field capacity decreased the soil sulphate content (27.38 ppm) significantly after 6 weeks. Application of isolate LK4 + AP3 with water condition 110% field capacity increased soil pH (5.58) after-week efficacy 6. Application of isolate LK4 with water condition 110% field capacity increased plant growth (140 cm; 25.74 g) significantly after week 6. The best treatment was application isolate LK4 with water condition 110% field Capacity (SRB population 2.5x108; soil sulphate content 29.10ppm; soil acidity 4.78; plant height 140cm; plant weight 25.74g).

Modelling Water Flow through Paddy Soils under Alternate Wetting and Drying Irrigation Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Shekhar, S.; Mailapalli, D. R.; Das, B. S.; Raghuwanshi, N. S.

2017-12-01

Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation practice in paddy cultivation requires an optimum soil moisture stress (OSMS) level at which irrigation water savings can be maximized without compromising the yield reduction. Determining OSMS experimentally is challenging and only possible with appropriate modeling tools. In this study, field experiments on paddy were conducted in thirty non-weighing type lysimeters during dry seasons of 2016 and 2017. Ten plots were irrigated using continuous flooding (CF) and the rest were irrigated with AWD practice at 40mb and 75mb soil moisture stress levels. Depth of ponding and soil suction at 10, 40 and 70 cm from the soil surface were measured daily from all lysimeter plots. The measured field data were used in calibration and validation of Hydrus-1D model and simulated the water flow for both AWD and CF plots. The Hydrus-1D is being used to estimate OSMS for AWD practice and compared the seasonal irrigation water input and deep percolation losses with CF practice.

Water and energy balance in the cultivated and bake soil in a montane area in Paraiba, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, Jose Romualdo de Sousa

2004-02-01

In the areas of rain fed agriculture it is very important to quantify losses of water by evapotranspiration and soil evaporation. The methods used for measuring evapotranspiration and/or evaporation varies from direct measurements techniques, using lysimeters, to measurements of the water and energy balances. The precision lysimeters have high cost, being only used for research purposes. The water and energy balances methods have been very used due the simplicity, robustness and lower cost. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the water and energy balance components in the soil cultivated with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp) and without vegetation, besides comparing the methods used to determine the cowpea evapotranspiration. Two experiments (2002 and 2003) were performed in the 4 ha area of the Centro de Ciencias Agrarias, UFPB, municipality of Areia, Paraiba State (6 deg C 58 S, 5 deg C 41 W). To determine the energy balance, the area was instrumented with a rain gauge, a pyrano meter, a net radiometer, and sensors for measuring air temperature and humidity, and wind speed in two levels. Two locals, in the soil, were instrumented with two temperature sensors located at 2.0 cm and 8.0 cm below soil surface and one heat flux plate placed at 5.0 cm below soil surface. The measurements were recorded every 30 minutes on a data logger. To determine the water balance, three plots were installed, composed one-meter access tube for neutron probe measurements, and 8 tensiometers. The results show very good correlation between the aerodynamic method and the Bowen ration energy balance method, for all atmospherics and soil water conditions. For the two years, in average 72% of the net radiation was used by crop evapotranspiration. The energy and water balance can be used, the determine the crop evapotranspiration and soil evaporation, and regardless of the method used, the major water use by crop occurred in the reproductive stage. In the year of 2002

Percolation behavior of tritiated water into a soil packed bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Honda, T.; Katayama, K.; Uehara, K.; Fukada, S. [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka (Japan); Takeishi, T. [Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Motooka Nishi-ku, Fukuoka (Japan)

2015-03-15

A large amount of cooling water is used in a D-T fusion reactor. The cooling water will contain tritium with high concentration because tritium can permeate metal walls at high temperature easily. A development of tritium handling technology for confining tritiated water in the fusion facility is an important issue. In addition, it is also important to understand tritium behavior in environment assuming severe accidents. In this study, percolation experiments of tritiated water in soil packed bed were carried out and tritium behavior in soil was discussed. Six soil samples were collected in Hakozaki campus of Kyushu University. These particle densities were of the same degree as that of general soils and moisture contents were related to BET surface area. For two soil samples used in the percolation experiment of tritiated water, saturated hydraulic conductivity agreed well with the estimating value by Creager. Tritium retention ratio in the soil packed bed was larger than water retention. This is considered to be due to an effect of tritium sorption on the surface of soil particles. The isotope exchange capacity estimated by assuming that H/T ratio of supplied tritiated water and H/T ratio of surface water of soil particle was equal was comparable to that on cement paste and mortar which were obtained by exposure of tritiated water vapor. (authors)

Percolation behavior of tritiated water into a soil packed bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Honda, T.; Katayama, K.; Uehara, K.; Fukada, S.; Takeishi, T.

2015-01-01

A large amount of cooling water is used in a D-T fusion reactor. The cooling water will contain tritium with high concentration because tritium can permeate metal walls at high temperature easily. A development of tritium handling technology for confining tritiated water in the fusion facility is an important issue. In addition, it is also important to understand tritium behavior in environment assuming severe accidents. In this study, percolation experiments of tritiated water in soil packed bed were carried out and tritium behavior in soil was discussed. Six soil samples were collected in Hakozaki campus of Kyushu University. These particle densities were of the same degree as that of general soils and moisture contents were related to BET surface area. For two soil samples used in the percolation experiment of tritiated water, saturated hydraulic conductivity agreed well with the estimating value by Creager. Tritium retention ratio in the soil packed bed was larger than water retention. This is considered to be due to an effect of tritium sorption on the surface of soil particles. The isotope exchange capacity estimated by assuming that H/T ratio of supplied tritiated water and H/T ratio of surface water of soil particle was equal was comparable to that on cement paste and mortar which were obtained by exposure of tritiated water vapor. (authors)

Relationship between root water uptake and soil respiration: A modeling perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Teodosio, Bertrand; Pauwels, Valentijn R. N.; Loheide, Steven P.; Daly, Edoardo

2017-08-01

Soil moisture affects and is affected by root water uptake and at the same time drives soil CO2 dynamics. Selecting root water uptake formulations in models is important since this affects the estimation of actual transpiration and soil CO2 efflux. This study aims to compare different models combining the Richards equation for soil water flow to equations describing heat transfer and air-phase CO2 production and flow. A root water uptake model (RWC), accounting only for root water compensation by rescaling water uptake rates across the vertical profile, was compared to a model (XWP) estimating water uptake as a function of the difference between soil and root xylem water potential; the latter model can account for both compensation (XWPRWC) and hydraulic redistribution (XWPHR). Models were compared in a scenario with a shallow water table, where the formulation of root water uptake plays an important role in modeling daily patterns and magnitudes of transpiration rates and CO2 efflux. Model simulations for this scenario indicated up to 20% difference in the estimated water that transpired over 50 days and up to 14% difference in carbon emitted from the soil. The models showed reduction of transpiration rates associated with water stress affecting soil CO2 efflux, with magnitudes of soil CO2 efflux being larger for the XWPHR model in wet conditions and for the RWC model as the soil dried down. The study shows the importance of choosing root water uptake models not only for estimating transpiration but also for other processes controlled by soil water content.

BEYOND THE “LEAST LIMITING WATER RANGE”: RETHINKING SOIL PHYSICS RESEARCH IN BRAZIL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quirijn de Jong van Lier

2015-08-01

Full Text Available As opposed to objective definitions in soil physics, the subjective term “soil physical quality” is increasingly found in publications in the soil physics area. A supposed indicator of soil physical quality that has been the focus of attention, especially in the Brazilian literature, is the Least Limiting Water Range (RLL, translated in Portuguese as "Intervalo Hídrico Ótimo" or IHO. In this paper the four limiting water contents that define RLLare discussed in the light of objectively determinable soil physical properties, pointing to inconsistencies in the RLLdefinition and calculation. It also discusses the interpretation of RLL as an indicator of crop productivity or soil physical quality, showing its inability to consider common phenological and pedological boundary conditions. It is shown that so-called “critical densities” found by the RLL through a commonly applied calculation method are questionable. Considering the availability of robust models for agronomy, ecology, hydrology, meteorology and other related areas, the attractiveness of RLL as an indicator to Brazilian soil physicists is not related to its (never proven effectiveness, but rather to the simplicity with which it is dealt. Determining the respective limiting contents in a simplified manner, relegating the study or concern on the actual functioning of the system to a lower priority, goes against scientific construction and systemic understanding. This study suggests a realignment of the research in soil physics in Brazil with scientific precepts, towards mechanistic soil physics, to replace the currently predominant search for empirical correlations below the state of the art of soil physics.

Mitigation of dimethazone residues in soil and runoff water from agricultural field.

Science.gov (United States)

Antonious, George F

2011-01-01

Dimethazone, also known as clomazone [2-[(2-chlorophenyl) methyl]- 4,4-dimethyl-3-isoxaolidinone] is a pre-emergent nonionic herbicide commonly used in agriculture. A field study was conducted on a silty-loam soil of 10 % slope to monitor off-site movement and persistence of dimethazone in soil under three management practices. Eighteen plots of 22 x 3.7 m each were separated using stainless steel metal borders and the soil in six plots was mixed with municipal sewage sludge (MSS) and yard waste (YW) compost (MSS+YW) at 15 t acre⁻¹ on dry weight basis, six plots were mixed with MSS at 15 t acre⁻¹, and six unamended plots (NM) were used for comparison purposes. The objectives of this investigation were to: (i) monitor the dissipation and half-life (T₁/₂) of dimethazone in soil under three management practices; (ii) determine the concentration of dimethazone residues in runoff and infiltration water following natural rainfall events; and (iii) assess the impact of soil amendments on the transport of NO₃, NH₄, and P into surface and subsurface water. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometery (GC/MS) analyses of soil extracts indicated the presence of ion fragments at m/z 125 and 204 that can be used for identification of dimethazone residues. Intitial deposits of dimethazone varied from 1.3 μg g⁻¹ dry native soil to 3.2 and 11.8 μg g⁻¹ dry soil in MSS and MSS+YW amended soil, respectively. Decline of dimethazone residues in the top 15 cm native soil and soil incorporated with amendments revealed half-life (T₁/₂) values of 18.8, 25.1, and 43.0 days in MSS+YW, MSS, and NM treatments, respectively. Addition of MSS+YW mix and MSS alone to native soil increased water infiltration, lowering surface runoff water volume and dimethazone residues in runoff following natural rainfall events.

Effects of soil and water conservation practices on selected soil ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Although different types of soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) were introduced, the sustainable use of these practices is far below expectations, and soil erosion continues to be a severe problem in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was conducted at Debre Yakobe Micro-Watershed (DYMW), Northwest Ethiopia ...

Soil water movement in the unsaturated zone of an inland arid region: Mulched drip irrigation experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Dongmei; Zhou, Tiantian

2018-04-01

Agricultural irrigation with trans-basin water diversion can effectively relieve the water paucity in arid and semi-arid regions, however, this may be accompanied by eco-environmental problems (e.g., saline soils, rising groundwater levels, water quality problems). The mechanism of soil water movement under irrigation in the unsaturated zone of arid regions is a key scientific problem that should be solved in order to evaluate agricultural water management and further improve current irrigation practices. This study investigated the impact of drip irrigation on soil water movement in the unsaturated zone of a cotton field in an inland arid region (the Karamay Agricultural Development Area), northwest China. Combining in situ observational physical data with temporal variation in stable isotopic compositions of soil water, we described the soil water flow system and mechanism in severe (Plot 1) and mild (Plot 2) saline-alkali cotton fields. The infiltration depths are 0-150 cm for both plots. Drip irrigation scheduling makes no significant contribution to local groundwater recharge, however, groundwater can move into the unsaturated zone through capillary rise during cotton flowering and boll periods. Plot 2 is less prone to having secondary soil salinization than Plot 1 due to the existence of a middle layer (approximately 100 cm thick), which elongated the distance between the root zone and aquifer. Rise in the water table (approximately 60 cm for Plot 1 and 50 cm for Plot 2) could be caused by lateral groundwater flow instead of vertical infiltration. We estimated the soil water storage changes in the unsaturated zone and proposed a conceptual model for deciphering the movement process of soil water. This study provides a scientific basis for determining the rise of groundwater levels and potential development of saline soils and improving agricultural water management in arid regions.

CO2 efflux from soils with seasonal water repellency

Science.gov (United States)

Urbanek, Emilia; Doerr, Stefan H.

2017-10-01

Soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are strongly dependent on pore water distribution, which in turn can be modified by reduced wettability. Many soils around the world are affected by soil water repellency (SWR), which reduces infiltration and results in diverse moisture distribution. SWR is temporally variable and soils can change from wettable to water-repellent and vice versa throughout the year. Effects of SWR on soil carbon (C) dynamics, and specifically on CO2 efflux, have only been studied in a few laboratory experiments and hence remain poorly understood. Existing studies suggest soil respiration is reduced with increasing severity of SWR, but the responses of soil CO2 efflux to varying water distribution created by SWR are not yet known.Here we report on the first field-based study that tests whether SWR indeed reduces soil CO2 efflux, based on in situ measurements carried out over three consecutive years at a grassland and pine forest sites under the humid temperate climate of the UK.Soil CO2 efflux was indeed very low on occasions when soil exhibited consistently high SWR and low soil moisture following long dry spells. Low CO2 efflux was also observed when SWR was absent, in spring and late autumn when soil temperatures were low, but also in summer when SWR was reduced by frequent rainfall events. The highest CO2 efflux occurred not when soil was wettable, but when SWR, and thus soil moisture, was spatially patchy, a pattern observed for the majority of the measurement period. Patchiness of SWR is likely to have created zones with two different characteristics related to CO2 production and transport. Zones with wettable soil or low persistence of SWR with higher proportion of water-filled pores are expected to provide water with high nutrient concentration resulting in higher microbial activity and CO2 production. Soil zones with high SWR persistence, on the other hand, are dominated by air-filled pores with low microbial activity, but facilitating O2

Characteristics of soil water retention curve at macro-scale

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2009-01-01

Scale adaptable hydrological models have attracted more and more attentions in the hydrological modeling research community, and the constitutive relationship at the macro-scale is one of the most important issues, upon which there are not enough research activities yet. Taking the constitutive relationships of soil water movement--soil water retention curve (SWRC) as an example, this study extends the definition of SWRC at the micro-scale to that at the macro-scale, and aided by Monte Carlo method we demonstrate that soil property and the spatial distribution of soil moisture will affect the features of SWRC greatly. Furthermore, we assume that the spatial distribution of soil moisture is the result of self-organization of climate, soil, ground water and soil water movement under the specific boundary conditions, and we also carry out numerical experiments of soil water movement at the vertical direction in order to explore the relationship between SWRC at the macro-scale and the combinations of climate, soil, and groundwater. The results show that SWRCs at the macro-scale and micro-scale presents totally different features, e.g., the essential hysteresis phenomenon which is exaggerated with increasing aridity index and rising groundwater table. Soil property plays an important role in the shape of SWRC which will even lead to a rectangular shape under drier conditions, and power function form of SWRC widely adopted in hydrological model might be revised for most situations at the macro-scale.

Electroanalytical procedure for the determination of methylparathion in soil suspensions and its application for sorption studies with Brazilian soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Castanho Giuliane M.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The differential pulse polarography technique was used to establish an electroanalytical procedure for the determination of the organophosphorous insecticide methyl parathion (O,O-dimethyl O-(4-nitrophenyl phosphorothioate in soil samples. Three reduction peaks were observed in mercury electrodes as a function of the solution pH. The more cathodic peak (Ep= -0.55V, only observed for pH values higher than 5.0, was chosen for the analytical determinations. The limit of detection was 1.93x10-8 mol L-1 for pure water and about 8x10-8 mol L-1 for soil suspensions with a scan rate of 2 mV s-1 and a pH of 6.75. The electroanalytical procedure developed was applied for the determination of sorption isotherms of methylparathion on 3 soils from São Paulo State, Brazil, at different pH and diverse amounts of clay and organic matter. The experimental data were fitted using the Freundlich isotherm model and the Freundlich coefficients (K F obtained for each soil varied from 7 to 29 L kg-1, representing a low to medium sorption capacity, according to the IBAMA (Brazilian Environmental Protection Agency standards. The amounts of organic matter and clay were the most important soil parameters controling the sorption of methylparathion by these soils.

Determination of bare soil and its seasonal variation using image analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pulido Fernandez, M.; Lavado Contador, J. F.; Schnabel, S.; Gomez Gutierrez, A.

2009-01-01

Bare soil is of outstanding interest as an indicator of land degradation because it is strongly related with water erosion, particularly in low-vegetated areas as those typical of the Mediterranean rangelands. In areas with high livestock densities, erosion can ultimately get to a partial or total soil loss, particularly at the beginning of the rainy season, when the surface cover is reduce after the dry summer period. Therefore, it is necessary to develop accurate methods allowing the quantification of soil exposed areas and their temporal dynamics. The main goal of this work is the determination of bare soil surface using aerial orthophotomaps and the analysis of the changes resulting from the analysis and classification of images corresponding to two contrasting seasons (summer and spring). (Author) 6 refs.

Effects of land disposal of municipal sewage sludge on fate of nitrates in soil, streambed sediment, and water quality

Science.gov (United States)

Tindall, James A.; Lull, Kenneth J.; Gaggiani, Neville G.

1994-01-01

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of sewage-sludge disposal at the Lowry sewage-sludge-disposal area, near Denver, Colorado, on ground- and surface-water quality, to determine the fate of nitrates from sludge leachate, and to determine the source areas of leachate and the potential for additional leaching from the disposal area.Sewage-sludge disposal began in 1969. Two methods were used to apply the sludge: burial and plowing. Also, the sludge was applied both in liquid and cake forms. Data in this report represent the chemical composition of soil and streambed sediment from seven soil- and four streambed-sampling sites in 1986, chemical and bacterial composition of ground water from 28 wells from 1981 to 1987, and surface-water runoff from seven water-sampling sites from 1984 to 1987. Ground water samples were obtained from alluvial and bedrock aquifers. Samples of soil, streambed sediment, ground water and surface water were obtained for onsite measurement and chemical analysis. Measurements included determination of nitrogen compounds and major cations and anions, fecal-coliform and -streptococcus bacteria, specific conductance, and pH.Thirteen wells in the alluvial aquifer in Region 3 of the study area contain water that was probably affected by sewage-sludge leachate. The plots of concentration of nitrate with time show seasonal trends and trends caused by precipitation. In addition to yearly fluctuation, there were noticeable increases in ground-water concentrations of nitrate that coincided with increased precipitation. After 3 years of annual ground-water-quality monitoring and 4 years of a quarterly sampling program, it has been determined that leachate from the sewage-sludge-disposal area caused increased nitrite plus nitrate (as nitrogen) concentration in the alluvial ground water at the site. Soil analyses from the disposal area indicate that organic nitrogen was the dominant form of nitrogen in the soil.As a result of investigations at

Occurrence, fate, and persistence of gemfibrozil in water and soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Yu; Karnjanapiboonwong, Adcharee; Chase, Darcy A; Wang, Jiafan; Morse, Audra N; Anderson, Todd A

2012-03-01

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have emerged as a group of potential environmental contaminants of concern. The occurrence of gemfibrozil, a lipid-regulating drug, was studied in the influent and effluent at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and groundwater below a land application site receiving treated effluent from the WWTP. In addition, the sorption of gemfibrozil in two loam soils and sand was assessed, and biological degradation rates in two soil types under aerobic conditions were also determined. Results showed that concentrations of gemfibrozil in wastewater influent, effluent, and groundwater were in the range of 3.47 to 63.8 µg/L, 0.08 to 19.4 µg/L, and undetectable to 6.86 µg/L, respectively. Data also indicated that gemfibrozil in the wastewater could reach groundwater following land application of the treated effluent. Soil-water distribution coefficients for gemfibrozil, determined by the batch equilibrium method, varied with organic carbon content in the soils. The sorption capacity was silt loam > sandy loam > sand. Under aerobic conditions, dissipation half-lives for gemfibrozil in sandy loam and silt loam soils were 17.8 and 20.6 days, respectively; 25.4 and 11.3% of gemfibrozil was lost through biodegradation from the two soils over 14 days. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

Applicability of the Guggenheim–Anderson–Boer water vapour sorption model for estimation of soil specific surface area

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arthur, Emmanuel; Tuller, Markus; Møldrup, Per

2018-01-01

Soil specific surface area (SA) controls fundamental soil processes such as retention of water, ion exchange, and adsorption and release of plant nutrients and contaminants. Conventional methods for determining SA include adsorption of polar or non‐polar fluid molecules with associated advantages...... parameters varied depending on the water activity or relative humidity range of measured data (0.03–0.93 compared with 0.10–0.80), whereas the variation for desorption was minimal. For desorption isotherms, the average water activity value at which the GAB monolayer parameter was obtained was 0......‐based modelling approaches to determine SA. Measured water vapour adsorption and desorption isotherms for 321 soil samples were used to parameterize the GAB model, the Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) equation and a film adsorption Tuller–Or (TO) model to estimate SA. For adsorption isotherms, the values of the GAB...

Soil variability and effectiveness of soil and water conservation in the Sahel.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hien, F.G.; Rietkerk, M.; Stroosnijder, L.

1997-01-01

Sahelian sylvopastoral lands often degrade into bare and crusted areas where regeneration of soil and vegetation is impossible in the short term unless soil and water conservation measures are implemented. Five combinations of tillage with and without mulch on three crust type/soil type combinations

Effects of biochar, waste water irrigation and fertilization on soil properties in West African urban agriculture.

Science.gov (United States)

Häring, Volker; Manka'abusi, Delphine; Akoto-Danso, Edmund K; Werner, Steffen; Atiah, Kofi; Steiner, Christoph; Lompo, Désiré J P; Adiku, Samuel; Buerkert, Andreas; Marschner, Bernd

2017-09-06

In large areas of sub-Saharan Africa crop production must cope with low soil fertility. To increase soil fertility, the application of biochar (charred biomass) has been suggested. In urban areas, untreated waste water is widely used for irrigation because it is a nutrient-rich year-round water source. Uncertainty exists regarding the interactions between soil properties, biochar, waste water and fertilization over time. The aims of this study were to determine these interactions in two typical sandy, soil organic carbon (SOC) and nutrient depleted soils under urban vegetable production in Tamale (Ghana) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) over two years. The addition of biochar at 2 kg m -2 made from rice husks and corn cobs initially doubled SOC stocks but SOC losses of 35% occurred thereafter. Both biochar types had no effect on soil pH, phosphorous availability and effective cation exchange capacity (CEC) but rice husk biochar retained nitrogen (N). Irrigation with domestic waste water increased soil pH and exchangeable sodium over time. Inorganic fertilization alone acidified soils, increased available phosphorous and decreased base saturation. Organic fertilization increased SOC, N and CEC. The results from both locations demonstrate that the effects of biochar and waste water were less pronounced than reported elsewhere.

Soil water content plays an important role in soil-atmosphere exchange of carbonyl sulfide (OCS)

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Zhigang; Behrendt, Thomas; Bunk, Rüdiger; Wu, Dianming; Kesselmeier, Jürgen

2016-04-01

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is a quite stable gas in the troposphere and is transported up to the stratosphere, where it contributes to the sulfate aerosol layer (Crutzen 1976). The tropospheric concentration seems to be quite constant, indicating a balance between sinks and sources. Recent work by Sandoval-Soto et al. (2005) demonstrated the enormous strength of the vegetation sink and the urgent needs to understand the sinks and sources. The role of soils is a matter of discussion (Kesselmeier et al., 1999; Van Diest and Kesselmeier, 2008; Maseyk et al., 2014; Whelan et al., 2015). To better understand the influence of soil water content and OCS mixing ratio on OCS fluxes, we used an OCS analyzer (LGR COS/CO Analyzer 907-0028, Los Gatos, CA, USA) coupled with automated soil chamber system (Behrendt et al., 2014) to measure the OCS fluxes with a slow drying of four different types of soil (arable wheat soil in Mainz, blueberry soil in Waldstein, spruce soil in Waldstein and needle forest soil in Finland). Results showed that OCS fluxes as well as the optimum soil water content for OCS uptake varied significantly for different soils. The net production rates changed significantly with the soil drying out from 100% to about 5% water holding capacity (WHC), implying that soil water content play an important role in the uptake processes. The production and uptake processes were distinguished by the regression of OCS fluxes under different OCS mixing ratios. OCS compensation points (CP) were found to differ significantly for different soil types and water content, with the lowest CP at about 20% WHC, implying that when estimating the global budgets of OCS, especially for soils fluxes, soil water content should be taken into serious consideration. References Crutzen, P. J. 1976, Geophys. Res. Lett., 3, 73-76. Sandoval-Soto, L. et al., 2005, Biogeosciences, 2, 125-132. Kesselmeier, J. et al., 1999, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 11577-11584. Van Diest, H. and Kesselmeier, J. 2008

The dependence of water potential in shoots of Picea abies on air and soil water status

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Sellin

Full Text Available Where there is sufficient water storage in the soil the water potential (Ψx in shoots of Norway spruce [Picea abies (L. Karst.] is strongly governed by the vapour pressure deficit of the atmosphere, while the mean minimum values of Ψx usually do not drop below –1.5 MPa under meteorological conditions in Estonia. If the base water potential (Ψb is above –0.62 MPa, the principal factor causing water deficiency in shoots of P. abies may be either limited soil water reserves or atmospheric evaporative demand depending on the current level of the vapour pressure deficit. As the soil dries the stomatal control becomes more efficient in preventing water losses from the foliage, and the leaf water status, in turn, less sensitive to atmospheric demand. Under drought conditions, if Ψb falls below –0.62 MPa, the trees' water stress is mainly caused by low soil water availability. Further declines in the shoot water potential (below –1.5 MPa can be attributed primarily to further decreases in the soil water, i.e. to the static water stress.Key words. Hydrology (evapotranspiration · plant ecology · soil moisture.

Determination of moisture content and natural radioactivity in soils using gamma spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdel-Hady, E E [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Qater University (Qatar); El-Sayed, A M.A.; Alaa, H B [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, El-Minia University, Minia (Egypt)

1997-12-31

The gamma-ray transmission method has been used to study the soil-water properties in the laboratory as well as in the field. The present measurements were performed using gamma-ray spectroscopy system based on a 5 x 5 cm Nal (T 1) scintillation detector and combined sources ({sup 137} Cs and {sup 241} Am). The two sources are placed in a suitable lead collimator to obtain a pin beam of 1 mm diameter. Suitable samples of clay and sandy soils obtained from the local field were prepared to determine the water content and the soil bulk densities by the combined method for different moisture stages. From the results obtained, it is clear that the soil density at both stages (saturated and after drainage) remains the same. this is because the soil particles do not rearrange during the wetting and drying process. The full results will be presented in the text. Natural radioactivity of the investigated samples was also studied using gamma-ray spectrometer having HPGe detector. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of natural gamma radiations revealed the presence of {sup 40} K, {sup 214} Bi, {sup 208} TI and {sup 228} Ac in meaningful concentrations. 3 figs.

Infiltration of water in disturbed soil columns as affected by clay dispersion and aggregate slaking

OpenAIRE

Amezketa, E.; Aragües, R.; Gazol, R.

2004-01-01

Soil crusting negatively affects the productivity and sustainability of irrigated agriculture, reducing water infiltration and plant emergence, and enhancing surface runoff and erosion. Clay dispersion and slaking of the aggregates at the soil surface are the main processes responsible for crusting. The infiltration rates (IR) of ten arid-zone soils in disturbed soil columns were measured and their relative susceptibilities to dispersion and slaking were determined. It was also examined wheth...

Soil and ground-water remediation techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beck, P.

1996-01-01

Urban areas typically contain numerous sites underlain by soils or ground waters which are contaminated to levels that exceed clean-up guidelines and are hazardous to public health. Contamination most commonly results from the disposal, careless use and spillage of chemicals, or the historic importation of contaminated fill onto properties undergoing redevelopment. Contaminants of concern in soil and ground water include: inorganic chemicals such as heavy metals; radioactive metals; salt and inorganic pesticides, and a range of organic chemicals included within petroleum fuels, coal tar products, PCB oils, chlorinated solvents, and pesticides. Dealing with contaminated sites is a major problem affecting all urban areas and a wide range of different remedial technologies are available. This chapter reviews the more commonly used methods for ground-water and soil remediation, paying particular regard to efficiency and applicability of specific treatments to different site conditions. (author). 43 refs., 1 tab., 27 figs

Quantitative survival of Leptospira interrogans in soil and water microcosms.

Science.gov (United States)

Casanovas-Massana, Arnau; Pedra, Gabriel Ghizzi; Wunder, Elsio A; Diggle, Peter J; Begon, Mike; Ko, Albert I

2018-04-27

Leptospira interrogans is the etiological agent of leptospirosis, a globally distributed zoonotic disease. Human infection usually occurs through skin exposure with water and soil contaminated with the urine of chronically infected animals. In this study, we aimed to quantitatively characterize the survival of Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni in environmental matrices. We constructed laboratory microcosms to simulate natural conditions and determined the persistence of DNA markers in soil, mud, spring water and sewage using a qPCR and a PMA-qPCR assay. We found that L. interrogans does not survive at high concentrations in the tested matrices. No net growth was detected in any of the experimental conditions and in all cases the concentration of the DNA markers targeted decreased from the beginning of the experiment following an exponential decay with a decreasing decay rate over time. After 12 and 21 days of incubation the spiked concentration of 10 6 L. interrogans cells/mL or g decreased to approximately 100 cells/mL or g in soil and spring water microcosms, respectively. Furthermore, culturable L. interrogans persisted at concentrations under the limit of detection by PMA-qPCR or qPCR for at least 16 days in soil and 28 days in spring water. Altogether our findings suggest that the environment is not a multiplication reservoir, but a temporary carrier of the L. interrogans Copenhageni, although the observed prolonged persistence at low concentrations may still enable the transmission of the disease. IMPORTANCE Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by spirochetes of the genus Leptospira that primarily affects impoverished populations worldwide. Although leptospirosis is transmitted by contact with water and soil, little is known about the ability of the pathogen to survive in the environment. In this study, we quantitatively characterized the survival of L. interrogans in environmental microcosms and found that although it cannot multiply in water

Water infiltration into homogeneous soils: a new concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manfredni, S.

1977-10-01

A new concept for the analytical description of the process of water infiltration into homogeneous soils is presented. The concept uses a new definition of a 'gravitational diffusivity' which permits the generalization of both cases, horizontal and vertical infiltration. The efficiency of the new concept in describing the infiltration process, for short and intermediate times, is proved through experimental data obtained during water infiltration into air-dry soil columns. Its advantages are discussed comparing soil water contents predicted by the numerical solution proposed by PHILLIP (1955, 1957) [pt

Determinants of adoption and continued use of stone terraces for soil and water conservation in an Ethiopian highland watershed

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Amsalu, A.; Graaff, de J.

2007-01-01

In the Ethiopian highlands, land degradation resulting from soil erosion and nutrient depletion is a serious environmental and socio-economic problem. Although soil and water conservation techniques have extensively been introduced over the past decades, sustained use of the measures was not as