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Oxygen Uptake and Transport in Soils: Analysis of the Air‐water Interfacial Area
Author(s) -
Skopp J.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1985.03615995004900060001x
Subject(s) - soil water , porosity , aeration , diffusion , water content , moisture , oxygen , chemistry , solubility , porous medium , airflow , flux (metallurgy) , soil science , environmental chemistry , thermodynamics , environmental science , geotechnical engineering , geology , physics , organic chemistry
Aeration of soil influences root activity, microbial processes, and chemical reactions. Descriptions of this process have relied on macroscopic concepts which do not allow the incorporation of detailed theories of gas movement. The present study presents a microscopic approach to this problem. Equations are presented to describe the movement of gas. The following parameters are of importance in this theory: gas phase diffusion coefficient, air‐water interfacial area, air‐water transfer coefficient, volumetric water content, gas solubility in water, and gas concentration in solution. These parameters are indirectly dependent on total porosity, air‐filled porosity, temperature, solute composition, or microbial activity. The solution to the governing equations suggests that air‐water interfacial area is an important soil physical property which has a controlling influence on oxygen transport. The dependence upon soil moisture of air‐water interfacial area and flux of gas through the soil surface is examined. The qualitative influence of soil texture on this dependence is also examined.