Search results for "soil water"
showing 10 items of 840 documents
Ring diameter effects on determination of field-saturated hydraulic conductivity of different loam soils
2017
Abstract Establishing ring diameter effects on the field-saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Kfs, determined with ponding infiltrometer methods can help to find a compromise between the need to sample a large area with an individual measurement and the impracticality of using large rings in the field. Five ring sizes (diameter, D = 5.5, 10.9, 16.0, 27.8 and 31.8 cm) were used to determine Kfs by the simplified falling head (SFH) technique in four loamy soils with different salinity (electrical conductivity of saturated extract, ECe = 0.9–29.4 dS/m) and sodicity (exchangeable sodium percentage, ESP = 2.7–81.3%) levels. According to USDA classification, two soils were non-saline, non-sodic…
FeMnOx-1: A new microanalytical reference material for the investigation of Mn–Fe rich geological samples
2016
Suitable Mn-Fe rich microanalytical reference materials (MRMs) as calibration material for laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) have not been available. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry has prepared a synthetic MRM, FeMnOx-1, with elevated mass fractions of MnO (25 g/100 g), Fe2O3 (8.5 g/100 g) and high mass fractions of 25 trace elements varying between 200 and 5000 mg/kg. This new MRM has been designed as calibration material for a wide range of different Mn-Fe deposits, such as desert/rock varnish, ocean crusts and nodules as well as Mn accumulations in soils and lakes. Small-scale an…
EDXRF and TXRF analysis of elemental size distributions and environmental mobility of airborne particles in the city of Riga, Latvia
2004
Airborne particles were investigated in the central part of Riga during October 2000. Mass, black carbon and elemental concentrations of airborne particles were measured on Teflon filters from a dichotomous impactor, which samples fine (<2.5 µm) and coarse (2.5‐10 µm) fractions of particles. In order to obtain more detailed information on the size distributions of different elements, a seven-stage Batelle cascade impactor was used, in which quartz plates treated with silicone grease were utilized as backing for the different stages. Total reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF) and energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry were used for elemental analysis on the quartz plates a…
Changes of humic substances characteristics from forested to cultivated soils in Ethiopia
2006
The dynamics of the stable fractions of soil organic matter (SOM), the humic substances, has been rarely studied in tropical soils. We evaluated extraction yields, elemental composition, isotopic d 13 C abundance and solid-state 13 C NMR spectra of humic fractions isolated from five forested and cultivated soils in Ethiopia in order to assess the influence of deforestation and subsequent cultivation on the composition of humic fractions. In all locations, humic (HA) and fulvic (FA) acids, humin (HU) and a humic hydrophobic fraction extracted with an acetone–HCl solution (HE) were decreased as a result of deforestation and cultivation, but the magnitude of decrease was site-specific. While t…
Determination of Platinum-Group Elements (PGE) from catalytic converters in soil by means of docimasy and INAA.
1996
The nickelsulfide fire assay (docimasy) for the enrichment of platinum-group elements (PGEs) has been modified for the use with small samples and combined with instrumental neutron-activation analysis (INAA). This procedure has been applied to the determination of PGEs exhausted from catalytic converters and deposited in soil near the Wiesbadener Kreuz (highway A3, Frankfurt-Koln). Our results show a considerable enhancement of the Pt (up to 330 ng/g), Pd (6.6 ng/g) and Rh (7.5 ng/g) contents close to the highway.
Influence of Initial Water Content on the Wettability of Autoclaved Soils
2010
Autoclaving is a commonly used practice to destroy microbial activity in soils but is thought to have a limited effect on other soil properties. Small changes in chemical composition have been reported, but there have been no previous reports of any alteration of physical properties. This study, however, showed that autoclaving can cause a major change in soil hydraulic properties. For samples with intermediate water contents (10-35% v/v), it caused severe or extreme water repellency in three of four soil types tested, although no effect for initially low or high water contents was found. These findings have important implications for any experimental work involving soil autoclaving as a pr…
CPMAS 13C NMR Characterization of Leaves and Litters from the Reafforestated Area of Mustigarufi in Sicily (Italy)
2010
Reafforestation is generally based on the planting of exotic fast growing tree species suitable for adapting to even harsh environments. Once the introduced plants ameliorate soil conditions, they can be progressively replaced by au- tochthonous plant species. Reafforestation is applied worldwide. However, only few studies on the effect of reafforesta- tion on lands from Mediterranean regions are available. This paper reports the characterization by cross polarization 13C NMR spectroscopy of fresh leaves and superficial litters from a reafforestated area in central Sicily (Italy). NMR assign- ment is attempted. A differentiation among the molecular systems within leaves and litters is also …
Contrasting evolution of iron phase composition in soils exposed to redox fluctuations
2018
Abstract Ferric iron (FeIII) solid phases serve many functions in soils and sediments, which include providing sorption sites for soil organic matter, nutrients, and pollutants. The reactivity of Fe solid phases depends on the mineral structure, including the overall crystallinity. In redox-active soils and sediments, repeated reductive dissolution with subsequent exposure to aqueous ferrous iron (Fe2+) and oxidative re-precipitation can alter Fe phase crystallinity and reactivity. However, the trajectory of Fe mineral transformation under redox fluctuations is unclear and has been reported to result in both increases and decreases in Fe phase crystallinity. Several factors such as water bu…
Tracing anthropogenic thallium in soil using stable isotope compositions.
2014
Thallium stable isotope data are used in this study, for the first time, to apportion Tl contamination in soils. In the late 1970s, a cement plant near Lengerich, Germany, emitted cement kiln dust (CKD) with high Tl contents, due to cocombustion of Tl-enriched pyrite roasting waste. Locally contaminated soil profiles were obtained down to 1 m depth and the samples are in accord with a binary mixing relationship in a diagram of Tl isotope compositions (expressed as e(205)Tl, the deviation of the (205)Tl/(203)Tl ratio of a sample from the NIST SRM 997 Tl isotope standard in parts per 10(4)) versus 1/[Tl]. The inferred mixing endmembers are the geogenic background, as defined by isotopically l…
Hard cap espresso extraction-stir bar preconcentration of polychlorinated biphenyls in soil and sediments.
2017
Abstract A Nespresso © hard cap espresso machine has been employed for the quantitative extraction of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from sediments and soils. Sample extraction was performed from five grams of sample in less than 40 s, with 200 mL ethanol 40% (v/v) in water and PCBs were concentrated using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and determined by thermal desorption-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS-MS). Eleven PCB congeners (28, 52, 77, 80, 81, 101, 118, 138, 153,169, and 180) were determined in soils and sediments with limits of quantification in the 0.03–0.08 ng g −1 range. Extraction efficiency was established by the analysis of soil samples spiked with…