HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wang, Z. Articles by Jury, W. A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Wang, Z. Articles by Jury, W. A. GeoRef GeoRef Citation Agricola Articles by Wang, Z. Articles by Jury, W. A. Related Collections Soil Physics Vadose Zone Processes and Chemical Transport Ground Water Quality

DIVISION S-1—SOIL PHYSICS

Visualizing Preferential Flow Paths using Ammonium Carbonate and a pH Indicator

^a Dep. of Environmental Sciences, Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521
^b Dep. of Land, Air, and Water Resources, Univ. of California, Davis, CA 95616

* Corresponding author(wangz{at}mail.cr.edu)

Despite their negative charge, anionic dyes are less-than-ideal tracers of water flow in soil. A new method is presented here for detecting flow patterns faithfully representing the movement of water flow paths in structured and nonstructured soils. The method is based on application of ammonium carbonate during infiltration, which displays a unique color signature when sprayed with a pH indicator after excavation and exposure of the soil profile along a trench face. We compare its performance with that of the popular Brilliant Blue in a laboratory study, and show that it is a more conservative tracer of the water front. We also illustrate its use in a field experiment to detect preferential flow. In contrast to other methods, ammonium carbonate is inexpensive, nontoxic, and leaves negligible residue.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				I. Lebron, I. Lebron, and D. A. Robinson Particle Size Segregation during Hand Packing of Coarse Granular Materials and Impacts on Local Pore-Scale Structure Vadose Zone J., August 1, 2003; 2(3): 330 - 337. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Lu and L. Wu Visualizing Bromide and Iodide Water Tracer in Soil Profiles by Spray Methods J. Environ. Qual., January 1, 2003; 32(1): 363 - 367. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]