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in the condensation of the water-vapour of the air on the cold surface of a glass; in the capillarity of hair, wool, cotton, wood shavings, etc.; in the imbibition of water from the air by gelatine; in the deliquescence of common salt; in the absorption of water from the air by concentrated sulphuric acid; in the behaviour of quicklime". [4]
Water moves in soil under the influence of gravity, osmosis and capillarity. [7] When water enters the soil, it displaces air from interconnected macropores by buoyancy, and breaks aggregates into which air is entrapped, a process called slaking. [8] The rate at which a soil can absorb water depends on the soil and its other conditions.
Infiltration is the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil. The water enters the soil through the pores by the forces of gravity and capillary action. The largest cracks and pores offer a great reservoir for the initial flush of water. This allows a rapid infiltration. The smaller pores take longer to fill and rely on ...
Assimilative capacity in hydrology is defined as the maximum amount of contaminating pollutants that a body of water can naturally absorb without exceeding the water quality guidelines and criteria. This determines the concentration of pollutants that can cause detrimental effects on aquatic life and humans that use it.
Pores (the spaces that exist between soil particles) provide for the passage and/or retention of gasses and moisture within the soil profile.The soil's ability to retain water is strongly related to particle size; water molecules hold more tightly to the fine particles of a clay soil than to coarser particles of a sandy soil, so clays generally retain more water. [2]
Although the pore air is relatively compressible, and hence takes little normal stress in most geotechnical problems, liquid water is relatively incompressible and if the voids are saturated with water, the pore water must be squeezed out in order to pack the particles closer together.
Water retention curve is the relationship between the water content, θ, and the soil water potential, ψ. The soil moisture curve is characteristic for different types of soil, and is also called the soil moisture characteristic. It is used to predict the soil water storage, water supply to the plants (field capacity) and soil aggregate stability.
The specific heat of pure water is ~ 1 calorie per gram, the specific heat of dry soil is ~ 0.2 calories per gram, hence, the specific heat of wet soil is ~ 0.2 to 1 calories per gram (0.8 to 4.2 kJ per kilogram). [90] Also, a tremendous energy (~584 cal/g or 2442 kJ/kg at 25 °C) is required to evaporate water (known as the heat of ...