Soil moisture and groundwater recharge Flashcards
The uppermost layer of the earth may contain a three-phase system of ____, ____, and _____ material
solid, liquid, and gaseous
the layer that contains the three-phase system is called the
zone of aeration, unsaturated zone or the vadose zone
the solid phase of vadose zone may consist of:
soil formed by in-situ weathering
sediments weathered and transported
unweathered bedrock
smaller grains may also be bounded by organic matter to form larger units called
aggregates or peds
the soil texture is determined by the:
distribution of the size fractions of mineral grains present
scientists break soils down into how many textural classes
12
scientists classify soils based on the percentages of ____, _____, and ____ paticles
clay, silt, and sand-sized particles
helps determine the drainage and fertility characteristics of a soil
soil texture
size ranges for sand, silt, and clay for soil scientists
clay - <0.002mm
silt - 0.002 - 0.05 mm
sand - 0.05 to 2 mm
is the mass of the soil water content divided by the mass of the solid particles (dry mass of the soil)
gravimetric water content
formula for gravimetric water content
gwc = Ww / Ws
mass of water in the soil / dry mass of the soil
the volume of the soil water divided by the volume of the soil
volumetric water content
formula for volumetric water content
vwc = Vw / V
volume of soil water divided by volume of the soil
formula for saturation ratio
Rs = Vw / Vv
volume of soil water divided by the volume of the voids of the soil
formula for dry bulk density
Pb = Ws / V
dry mass of the soil divided by the volume of the soil
formula for particle density
Pd = Ws / Vs
mass of the mineral particles divided by the volume of soil particles
soil moisture can be measured indirectly by
non-destructible means
one method of measuring soil moisture involves burying of ____ called _____, in which _____ are embedded and electric currents are passed through wires
small blocks
resistance cells
electrodes
small blocks that are buried in which electrodes are embedded to
resistance cells
is the depression or the rise of a liquid in a small capillary passage tube
capillarity
t or f: openings in the porous materials exhibit capillarity
T
this is the subsurface layer in which groundwater seeps up from a water table by capillary action to fill pores
capillary fringe
groundwater seeps up from a water table through
capillary action
pores at the base of the capillary fringe are filled with water because of
tension saturation
capillarity results from 2 force, what are these forces?
mutual attraction among water molecules (cohesion)
attraction of water molecules into different soil materials (adhesion)
t or f: because of capillarity, water level will rise in a small glass tube above the water level in a large container
T