TY - CHAP

T1 - Dynamics of soil macropore networks in response to hydraulic and mechanical stresses investigated by X-ray microtomography

AU - Peth, Stephan

AU - Nellesen, Jens

AU - Fischer, Gottfried

AU - Tillmann, Wolfgang

AU - Horn, Rainer

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2013 by Soil Science Society of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

PY - 2015/10/26

Y1 - 2015/10/26

N2 - Soil structure is associated with a complex organization of pore spaces playing a fundamental role for soil functioning by governing multiscale interactions of physical, chemical and biological processes. Studying soil processes and their interaction in structured soils is complicated since soil structure is dynamic leading to temporally variable soil functions depending on soil structure evolution or degradation. Investigating pore space dynamics and its relation to soil functions is a challenging task due to the fact that soil pores are organized in three-dimensional networks and the opaque solid soil constituents prevent direct observations of the pore space. This may be overcome by modern non-invasive techniques such as X-ray computed microtomography (XMCT) allowing a detailed description of the internal modification of pore networks upon changes in boundary conditions. This chapter demonstrates the potential use of XMCT in combination with quantitative image analysis procedures to study the effect of hydrologic/mechanical stresses on the evolution/degradation of soil structure in a loess soil as an example.

AB - Soil structure is associated with a complex organization of pore spaces playing a fundamental role for soil functioning by governing multiscale interactions of physical, chemical and biological processes. Studying soil processes and their interaction in structured soils is complicated since soil structure is dynamic leading to temporally variable soil functions depending on soil structure evolution or degradation. Investigating pore space dynamics and its relation to soil functions is a challenging task due to the fact that soil pores are organized in three-dimensional networks and the opaque solid soil constituents prevent direct observations of the pore space. This may be overcome by modern non-invasive techniques such as X-ray computed microtomography (XMCT) allowing a detailed description of the internal modification of pore networks upon changes in boundary conditions. This chapter demonstrates the potential use of XMCT in combination with quantitative image analysis procedures to study the effect of hydrologic/mechanical stresses on the evolution/degradation of soil structure in a loess soil as an example.

KW - Hydraulic stresses

KW - Image processing

KW - Mechanical loading test

KW - Mechanical stresses

KW - Quantitative image analysis

KW - Soil macropore network dynamics

KW - Soil structure formation

KW - X-ray microtomography

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85021034596&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.2134/advagricsystmodel3.c6

DO - 10.2134/advagricsystmodel3.c6

M3 - Contribution to book/anthology

AN - SCOPUS:85021034596

SN - 9780891189565

VL - 3

SP - 121

EP - 153

BT - Quantifying and Modeling Soil Structure Dynamics

PB - Wiley-Blackwell

ER -