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Water Diffusivity of a Field Soil¹

ABSTRACT

The shapes of absorption profiles of water content in both undisturbed and repacked Bungendore fine sand are compared. As expected the repacked sand has a near-rectangular profile of absorption so that the diffusivity is strongly dependent upon the water content. However, the undisturbed sand has a flatter absorption profile and hence a diffusivity that does not vary as strongly with respect to water content. Thin-section micrographs show that repacking, although not altering the total porosity, had destroyed the continuous, biologically produced mesopores of the undisturbed soil. These mesopores are a possible cause of the different diffusivities in the undisturbed and repacked soil.

Key Words: biopores • thin-section micrographs • effects of repacking.

¹ Contribution from CSIRO, Australia.

² Research Scientist and Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Division of Environmental Mechanics, P.O. Box 821, Canberra City, ACT 2601, Australia. B. E. Clothier was on leave from DSIR, Plant Physiology Division, New Zealand.

Received for publication April 29, 1981. Accepted for publication September 2, 1981.