Premium
Quantimet image analysis of soil pore geometry: Comparison with tracer breakthrough curves
Author(s) -
Walker P. J. C.,
Trudgill S. T.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/esp.3290080507
Subject(s) - macropore , tracer , loam , image (mathematics) , geology , mineralogy , geometry , soil science , mathematics , soil water , chemistry , computer science , artificial intelligence , physics , mesoporous material , biochemistry , nuclear physics , catalysis
Abstract The relationships between two‐dimensional image analysis of soil thin‐sections and tracer breakthrough curves has been studied for a silty clay loam brown earth soil under saturated conditions. Initial tracer breakthrough is well in advance of one pore volume. Discrepancies between Quantimet image analysis and breakthrough curve characterization were related by inference to the role of infrequently occurring macropores not necessarily sampled on the two‐dimensional images. A fundamental difficulty found in the use of image analysis is the uncertain nature of the relationship between the two‐dimensional image and the three‐dimensional pore system. Caution is needed in using Quantimet image analysis to describe gross properties of the three‐dimensional pore system.