Soil Surface-Seal Measurement Using High- Resolution X-Ray Computed
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SOIL SURFACE-SEAL MEASUREMENT USING HIGH- RESOLUTION X-RAY COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (HRCT) A Thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School University of Missouri-Columbia In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science by SANG SOO LEE Dr. Clark J. Gantzer, Thesis Supervisor DECEMBER 2006 The undersigned, appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled SOIL SURFACE-SEAL MEASUREMENT USING HIGH- RESOLUTION X-RAY COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (HRCT) Presented by Sang Soo Lee A candidate for the degree of Master of Science And hereby certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance Clark J. Gantzer Clark J. Gantzer Stephen H. Anderson Stephen H. Anderson Allen L. Thompson Allen L. Thompson ACKNOWLEGEMENTS I extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation to many people who made this master’s thesis possible. Special thanks goes out to Dr. Clark J. Gantzer, my advisor, for his guidance and support not only throughout the course of this research but also during the two years of my study at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Also, I would like to thank my committee members; Dr. Stephen H. Anderson for his advice, his teachings, and for listening to my worries; and Dr. Allen Thompson for his thoughtful comments and enthusiasm throughout my research. I wish to thank all my friends and professors I’ve met during my study for they have inspired me and pushed me. My sincere thanks also go to Brian, Nazifi, Christina, and Cliff for their help with my experiments, Sung Jin for always being there for me even though I missed his wedding, and Yeon Kyeong for believing in me and supporting me and making me see the positive side of everything around me. My thanks also go out to my relatives in Los Angeles for their support. I wouldn’t have made it through the two years away from home without them. Finally, grateful thanks go out to my dad, mom, sister, and my grandmother for their faith, love, and support. Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank God for His love. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEGEMENTS................................................................................................... ii ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................viii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION TO SOIL SURFACE-SEAL MEASUREMENT USING HIGH-RESOLUTION X-RAY COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (HRCT)................... 1 THE DEFINITION OF SURFACE SEAL ............................................................ 1 IMPORTANCE OF SEALING.............................................................................. 1 Soil and Water................................................................................................ 1 The Cost of Soil Erosion ................................................................................ 2 PROCESS OF SOIL SURFACE SEALING.......................................................... 2 Rainfall Impact on Sealing under Simulated and Natural Conditions .......... 3 Solute (Irrigation) Electrolyte Concentration on Sealing.............................. 4 The Influence of Soil Texture and Structure on Sealing ................................. 5 Density Profiles in Seals ................................................................................ 5 MEASUREMENT OF SOIL SURFACE SEALING............................................. 6 Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity (Ksat)........................................................ 6 Density (ρ) ..................................................................................................... 7 High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography (HRCT) for Micromorphological Analysis of Seals .......................................................... 8 MANAGEMENT OF SOIL SURFACE SEALING .............................................. 9 Background .................................................................................................... 9 Environmental Considerations of PAM.......................................................... 9 Use of PAM to Stabilize Soil ........................................................................ 10 STUDY OBJECTIVES.........................................................................................11 References .................................................................................................... 12 iii CHAPTER II: REDUCTION OF SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY (Ksat) FROM SOIL SURFACE SEALING........................................................................... 17 ABSTRACT......................................................................................................... 17 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 17 MATERIALS AND METHODS ......................................................................... 21 Experimental Design.................................................................................... 21 Sample Preparation ..................................................................................... 21 Application of Anionic Polyacrylamide (PAM)............................................ 22 Simulation of Rainfall .................................................................................. 23 Measurement of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity (Ksat) ........................... 23 Statistical Analysis ....................................................................................... 24 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION........................................................................... 24 Summary ...................................................................................................... 29 References .................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER III: SOIL SURFACE-SEAL CHARACTERIZATION BY IMAGE ANALYSIS................................................................................................................. 35 ABSTRACT......................................................................................................... 35 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 36 MATERIALS AND METHODS ......................................................................... 38 Experimental Design.................................................................................... 38 Sample Preparation for Rainfall Simulation ............................................... 38 Preparation and Scanning of HRCT-Images............................................... 39 HRCT-Image Analysis.................................................................................. 40 HRCT-measured Porosity, Pore-size Distribution, and Density.................. 42 Statistical Analysis ....................................................................................... 43 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION........................................................................... 44 Total Porosity and Pore-Size Distribution of Soil Seals .............................. 44 Summary ...................................................................................................... 50 References .................................................................................................... 52 iv CHAPTER IV: HIGH-RESOLUTION X-RAY COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (HRCT) DENSITY OF SURFACE SEALING: STRUCTURAL SURFACE SEALING MODELS .................................................................................................................... 55 ABSTRACT......................................................................................................... 55 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 56 MATERIALS AND METHODS ......................................................................... 58 Experiment Design....................................................................................... 58 Preparation of Soil....................................................................................... 58 Collection of HRCT- images ........................................................................ 59 HRCT-Image Analysis.................................................................................. 60 Models of ρ Profile ...................................................................................... 62 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION........................................................................... 64 Fitting HRCT-ρ Profile to Seal Models ....................................................... 64 Summary ...................................................................................................... 70 References .................................................................................................... 71 CHAPTER V: SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS ............................................................. 73 CHAPTER VI: FUTURE RESEARCH............................................................................ 75 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................. 76 VITA ..............................................................................................................................