Iranian Water Researches Journal

Parametric study of the relationship between soil specific surface area with soil moisture characteristic curve

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Amir Bahrami
Hosseinali Bahrami
Shahrokh Zandparsa
Mohammad Mahmoudian Shoushtari
Mohammad Bybori
Abstract
The total specific surface area is a factor that can relate micro-scale properties to macro-scale physical and chemical properties of a porous medium. Soil moisture characteristic curve (SMCC) is a fundamental and hydraulic feature of the soil; it is a very important quantitative expression in modeling water flow, water uptake by plants root, and transported salt at run off in the unsaturated soils. In this study, the effects of soil specific surface area (SSSA) on soil characteristic curve was evaluated in 30 soil samples. The SSSA was measured by using the BET method and also pressure plate apparatus was used to measure the soil moisture characteristic curve. Analysis of data showed positive significant correlation between SSSA with measured soil moisture values corresponding to pressures exerted by pressure plates.

Keywords

Soil moisture
Hydraulic properties
Characteristic curve
Specific surface area

  • Receive Date 07 June 2012
  • Revise Date 14 June 2012
  • Accept Date 16 June 2012