Soil pores

Preferential flow through root-mediated soil pores has been demonstrated for chloride, nitrate, and other ions that are not sorbed onto soil organic matter and clays. However, pesticide sorption onto soil affects both mobiUty of the pesticide as well as its residual life in the soil. Pesticide sorption onto root organic matter or organic linings of worm burrows may also slow transport of pesticides relative to water (72), thus countering the effects of increased permeabihty caused by roots. 

In first approximation, this dependence can be presented as a linear one until a free volume of the soil pores is attained, i.e., up to 35-45%. Consequently, an instant increase in the soil water content can be written as ... 

In connection with the thermodynamic state of water in SAH, it is appropriate to consider one more question, i.e., their ability to accumulate water vapor contained in the atmosphere and in the space of soil pores. It is clear that this possibility is determined by the chemical potential balance of water in the gel and in the gaseous phase. In particular, in the case of saturated water vapor, the equilibrium swelling degree of SAH in contact with vapor should be the same as that of the gel immersed in water. However, even at a relative humidity of 99%, which corresponds to pF 4.13, SAH practically do not swell (w 3-3.5 g g1). In any case, the absorbed water will be unavailable for plants. Therefore, the only real possibility for SAH to absorb water is its preliminary condensation which can be attained through the presence of temperature gradients. 

However, in most cases the AW(D) dependencies are distinctly nonlinear (Fig. 9), which gives impulse to further speculations. Clearly, dependencies of this type can result only from mutual suppression of the hydrogel particles because of their nonuniform distribution over the pores as well as from the presence of a distribution with respect to pore size which does not coincide with the size distribution of the SAH swollen particles. A considerable loss in swelling followed from the W(D) dependencies, as shown in Fig. 9, need a serious analysis which most probably would lead to the necessity of correlating the hydrogel particle sizes with those of the soil pores as well as choice of the technique of the SAH mixing with the soil. Attempts to create the appropriate mathematical model have failed, for they do not give adequate results. 

A shortage of any of some two dozen chemical elements that are essential for the growth of organisms can reduce ecosystem productivity, but phosphorus and nitrogen are often the most limiting nutrients, which is why these two elements are standard components of commercial fertilizers. Phosphorus is often limiting because it moves through soil pores and aquatic... 

The majority of trichloroethylene present on soil surfaces will volatilize to the atmosphere or leach into the subsurface. Once trichloroethylene leaches into the soil, it appears not to become chemically transformed or undergo covalent bonding with soil components. When trichloroethylene was absorbed onto kaolinite and bentonite, the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra showed no evidence of chemical reactions (Jurkiewicz and Maciel 1995). Because trichloroethylene is a dense nonaqueous phase liquid, it can move through the imsaturated zone into the saturated zone where it can displace soil pore water (Wershaw et al. 1994). 

Wershaw RL, Aiken GR, Imbrigiotta TE, et al. 1994. Displacement of soil pore water by trichloroethylene. J Environ Qual 23 792-798. 

As water moves through the soil pores in response to water potential gradients, it moves with it the solutes dissolved in soil solution. In a rhizosphere context, water moves radially toward the root to replace water taken up by the roots for transpiration. The flux of solute due to water movement (7 .) is simply the product of the rate of water flow at that point and the concentration in soil solution ... 

As more sensitive analytical methods for pesticides are developed, greater care must be taken to avoid sample contamination and misidentification of residues. For example, in pesticide leaching or field dissipation studies, small amounts of surface soil coming in contact with soil core or soil pore water samples taken from further below the ground surface can sometimes lead to wildly inaccurate analytical results. This is probably the cause of isolated, high-level detections of pesticides in the lower part of the vadose zone or in groundwater in samples taken soon after application when other data (weather, soil permeability determinations and other pesticide or tracer analytical results) imply that such results are highly improbable. 

An 02 flow must be maintained through the contaminated zone at a level sufficient for the aerobic biodegradation of contaminants. Note that during bioventing the main aim is the maximum utilization of 02 by the microbial cultures. For this reason, air flow rate is usually an order of magnitude lower than that applied in simple SVE systems. A simple empirical rule is that the mean residence time of air in the contaminated soil pore volume should be between 1 and 2 days. 

In order to effectively pump all contaminated water out of an aquifer (or soil) pore space, water injection is usually needed, and sometimes a chemical flushing agent. 

There is a potential for the clogging of soil pore spaces... 

For vapor to move in the unsaturated zone, the soil formations must be sufficiently dry to permit the interconnection of air passages among the soil pores. Vapor concentration and vapor flow govern its movement. Vapor can move by diffusion from areas of higher concentration to areas of lower concentration and ultimately to the atmosphere. Therefore, the transportation of the vapor phase of gasoline components in the unsaturated zone can pose a significant health and safety threat because of inhalation and explosion potential. 

In eight contaminated soils with pH 7.05-8.20 from eastern and southern Australia, soluble Zn, Cu and Cd concentrations in soil pore water are 0.19-422, 36-4840, and 7.2-4260 pM, respectively (Nolan et al., 2003). 

The dimensionless group Pep is essentially the ratio of the rate of convective transport to the rate of diffusive transport. Similarly, Nr describes the relative importance of radioactive decay to convective flow as a method of removing radon from the soil pores. In the case of Pep >>1/ diffusion can be neglected and the first term in equation (1) drops out. If in addition Nr >>1, then radioactive decay can be neglected as a removal term. If Pep 1, then diffusive radon migration dominates, and the second term in equation (1) can be neglected. 

Haswell, S.J., P. O Neill, and K. C Bancroft. 1985. Arsenic speciation in soil-pore waters from mineralized and unmineralized areas of south-west England. Talanta 32 69-72. 

A second approach is to obtain (extract) water as it naturally occurs in soil pores. Typically, a porous ceramic cup (other materials are available) is placed in an unsaturated soil, either in the field or laboratory. A vacuum is applied (slightly more negative pressure than the water in the soil pores see also Chapter 5) to the ceramic cup via tubing to move water into a receiving container. This water can be analyzed for all its constituents. A reason for obtaining this type of soil water sample is to analyze it for one specific constituent such as a herbicide, insecticide, or pollutant. Water extracted in this way may also better represent the concentration of the analyte of interest to which plant roots are exposed. 

Groundwater can be found in the traditional sense at the water table below which the soil pore spaces are essentially saturated and the water is free to move, and in the unsaturated zone (or vadose zone) above the water table. It is possible for water to migrate through both of these zones, transporting dissolved components (or contaminants). The interaction of the various forces involved will determine the direction and rate of migration. 

Actual migration of a wetting front is highly dependent on the nature and size of the soil pore spaces. If all of the pores are relatively similar, the migration rate of the wetted front is uniform. If the pore spaces become smaller, the capillary forces... 

Sorption — Attached to soil particles and trapped within soil pores (can be above or below the water table) ... 

---