Soil Water Repellency

Soil Water Repellency
Author: C.J. Ritsema
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 359
Release: 2012-12-02
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0080523218

It has become clear that soil water repellency is much more wide-spread than formerly thought. Water repellency has been reported in most continents of the world for varying land uses and climatic conditions. Soil water repellency often leads to severe runoff and erosion, rapid leaching of surface-applied agrichemicals, and losses of water and nutrient availability for crops. At present, no optimum management strategies exist for water repellent soils, focusing on minimizing environmental risks while maintaining crop production. The book starts with a historical overview of water repellency research, followed by seven thematic sections covering 26 research chapters. The first section discusses the origin, the second the assessment, and the third the occurrence and hydrological implications of soil water repellency. The fourth section is devoted to the effect of fire on water repellency, section five deals with the physics and modeling of flow and transport in water repellent soils, section six presents amelioration techniques and farming strategies to combat soil water repellency, and section seven concludes the book with an extensive bibliography on soil water repellency.

Conceptual Models of Flow and Transport in the Fractured Vadose Zone

Conceptual Models of Flow and Transport in the Fractured Vadose Zone
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 398
Release: 2001-05-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309170990

Fluid flow and solute transport within the vadose zone, the unsaturated zone between the land surface and the water table, can be the cause of expanded plumes arising from localized contaminant sources. An understanding of vadose zone processes is, therefore, an essential prerequisite for cost-effective contaminant remediation efforts. In addition, because such features are potential avenues for rapid transport of chemicals from contamination sources to the water table, the presence of fractures and other channel-like openings in the vadose zone poses a particularly significant problem, Conceptual Models of Flow and Transport in the Fractured Vadose Zone is based on the work of a panel established under the auspices of the U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics. It emphasizes the importance of conceptual models and goes on to review the conceptual model development, testing, and refinement processes. The book examines fluid flow and transport mechanisms, noting the difficulty of modeling solute transport, and identifies geochemical and environmental tracer data as important components of the modeling process. Finally, the book recommends several areas for continued research.

Encyclopedia of Agrophysics

Encyclopedia of Agrophysics
Author: Jan GliƄski
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 1075
Release: 2011-06-07
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9048135842

This Encyclopedia of Agrophysics will provide up-to-date information on the physical properties and processes affecting the quality of the environment and plant production. It will be a "first-up" volume which will nicely complement the recently published Encyclopedia of Soil Science, (November 2007) which was published in the same series. In a single authoritative volume a collection of about 250 informative articles and ca 400 glossary terms covering all aspects of agrophysics will be presented. The authors will be renowned specialists in various aspects in agrophysics from a wide variety of countries. Agrophysics is important both for research and practical use not only in agriculture, but also in areas like environmental science, land reclamation, food processing etc. Agrophysics is a relatively new interdisciplinary field closely related to Agrochemistry, Agrobiology, Agroclimatology and Agroecology. Nowadays it has been fully accepted as an agricultural and environmental discipline. As such this Encyclopedia volume will be an indispensable working tool for scientists and practitioners from different disciplines, like agriculture, soil science, geosciences, environmental science, geography, and engineering.

Soil Science

Soil Science
Author: Sally D. Logsdon
Publisher: ASA-CSSA-SSSA
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2008
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780891188490

Percolation Theory for Flow in Porous Media

Percolation Theory for Flow in Porous Media
Author: Allen Hunt
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 466
Release: 2014-02-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319037714

This monograph presents, for the first time, a unified and comprehensive introduction to some of the basic transport properties of porous media, such as electrical and hydraulic conductivity, air permeability and diffusion. The approach is based on critical path analysis and the scaling of transport properties, which are individually described as functions of saturation. At the same time, the book supplies a tutorial on percolation theory for hydrologists, providing them with the tools for solving actual problems. In turn, a separate chapter serves to introduce physicists to some of the language and complications of groundwater hydrology necessary for successful modeling. The end-of-chapter problems often indicate open questions, which young researchers entering the field can readily start working on. This significantly revised and expanded third edition includes in particular two new chapters: one on advanced fractal-based models, and one devoted to the discussion of various open issues such as the role of diffusion vs. advection, preferential flow vs. critical path, universal vs. non-universal exponents for conduction, and last but not least, the overall influence of the experimental apparatus in data collection and theory validation. "The book is suitable for advanced graduate courses, with selected problems and questions appearing at the end of each chapter. [...] I think the book is an important work that will guide soil scientists, hydrologists, and physicists to gain a better qualitative and quantitative understanding of multitransport properties of soils." (Marcel G. Schaap, Soil Science Society of America Journal, May-June, 2006)

Recharge of Phreatic Aquifers in (Semi-)Arid Areas

Recharge of Phreatic Aquifers in (Semi-)Arid Areas
Author: Ian Simmers
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2017-10-19
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1351419560

Groundwater use is of fundamental importance to meet the rapidly expanding urban, industrial and agricultural water requirements in (semi) arid areas. Quantifying the current rate of groundwater recharge and define its variability in space and time are thus prerequesites for efficient groundwater resource managment in these regions, where such resources are often the key to economic development. Attention focuses on recharge of phreatic aquifers, often the most readily-available and affordable source of water in (semi) arid regions. These aquifers are also the most susceptible to contamination, with the recharge rate determining their level of vulnerability. (Semi) arid zone recharge can be highly variable, the greater the aridity, the smaller and potentially more variable the natural flux. Its determination is an iterative process, involving progressive data collection and resource evaluation; there is also a need to use more than one technique to verify results. Direct, localised and indirect recharge mechanisms from a spectrum of known sources are addressed in the framework of recharge from precipitation, intermittant flow and permanent water bodies. The approach taken for each of these reflects the nature and current understanding of the processes involved. The volume also reviews current recharge estimation challenges, outlines recent developments and offers guidance for potential solutions.