ARS | Publication request: THE EFFECTS OF A HYDROPHOBIC SOIL SURFACE LAYER ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNSTABLE FLOW

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: June 5, 1995
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: The transport of chemicals through soil to the groundwater can be accelerated by preferential or unstable water flow. A hydrophobic layer located at the soil surface could induce preferential water flow by either an unstable wetting front or spatial wettability of the hydrophobic layer. This research investigates the mechanisms of preferential water flow through these systems. The main variables that affect preferential water flow are the water drop penetration time (WDPT), the ninety degree surface tension (NDST) and the hydrophobic layer thickness at the soil surface. A specially built Plexiglas chamber is used to observe water flow through a cross section of soil.