Mercury Wetting and Non-wetting Condensing Research

Mercury wetting and non-wetting condensatio

Potential of natural language processing for metadata extraction fromenvironmental scientific publications

Summarizing information from large bodies of scientific literature is anessential but work-intensive task. This is especially true in environmentalstudies where multiple factors (e.g., soil, climate, vegetation) cancontribute to the effects observed. Meta-analyses, studies thatquantitatively summarize findings of a large body of literature, rely onmanually curated databases built upon primary publications. However, giventhe increasing amount of literature, this manual work is likely to requiremore and more effort in the future. Natural language processing (NLP)facilitates this task, but it is not clear yet to which extent theextraction process is reliable or complete. In this work, we explore threeNLP techniques that can help support this task: topic modeling, tailoredregular expressions and the shortest dependency path method. We apply thesetechniques in a practical and reproducible workflow on two corpora ofdocuments: the Open Tension-diskInfiltrometer Meta-database (OTIM) and the Meta corpus. The OTIM corpus contains the sourcepublications of the entries of the OTIM database of near-saturated hydraulicconductivity from tension-disk infiltrometer measurements(https://github.com/climasoma/otim-db, last access: 1 March 2023). The Meta corpus is constituted ofall primary studies from 36 selected meta-analyses on the impact ofagricultural practices on sustainable water management in Europe. As a firststep of our practical workflow, we identified different topics from theindividual source publications of the Meta corpus using topic modeling.This enabled us to distinguish well-researched topics (e.g., conventionaltillage, cover crops), where meta-analysis would be useful, from neglectedtopics (e.g., effect of irrigation on soil properties), showing potentialknowledge gaps. Then, we used tailored regular expressions to extractcoordinates, soil texture, soil type, rainfall, disk diameter and tensionsfrom the OTIM corpus to build a quantitative database. We were able toretrieve the respective information with 56 % up to 100 % of allrelevant information (recall) and with a precision between 83 % and100 %. Finally, we extracted relationships between a set of driverscorresponding to different soil management practices or amendments (e.g.,"biochar", "zero tillage") and target variables (e.g., "soilaggregate", "hydraulic conductivity", "crop yield") from thesource publications' abstracts of the Meta corpus using the shortestdependency path between them. These relationships were further classifiedaccording to positive, negative or absent correlations between the driverand the target variable. This quickly provided an overview of the differentdriver-variable relationships and their abundance for an entire body ofliterature. Overall, we found that all three tested NLP techniques were ableto support evidence synthesis tasks. While human supervision remainsessential, NLP methods have the potential to support automated evidencesynthesis which can be continuously updated as new publications becomeavailable

Three-dimensional X-ray imaging of macropore flow

Macropores are known to be important pathways for the rapid transport of water, solutes and colloids in soil. Nevertheless, we still know very little about how the topology and geometry of macropore networks govern water flow configurations and velocities in natural soil. In this study, we aimed at gaining more insight into macropore flow by using X-ray tomography to quantify air-water distributions in the macropore networks of undisturbed topsoil and subsoil columns of a clay soil at varying steady-state flow rates. We observed that while large fractions of the macropore network remained air-filled, the air phase only became entrapped when the irrigation rate was very close to the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil. The data enabled us to parameterize a kinematic wave model for water flow following the approach proposed in Jarvis et al. (2017a). Follow-up experiments would be required to evaluate whether these kinematic wave parameters derived by Xray imaging match with those obtained from outflow measurements. We found that quantitative X-ray imaging of macropore flow through soils still remains a challenging task. We recommend that future experiments are conducted on smaller soil samples to improve image resolution and minimize experimental time spans as well as X-ray image noise and illumination bias. Such experiments could also include 3-D tracer imaging to identify the imaged macropore networks transporting most of the water (i.e. the backbone) at varying steady irrigation rates

Macropore flow in relation to the geometry and topology of soil macropore networks: Re-visiting the kinematic wave equation

The rapid flow of water through soil macropores significantly affects the partitioning of precipitation between surface runoff and infiltration and also the rate of solute transport in soil, both of which have an impact on the risk of contamination of surface water and groundwater. The kinematic wave equation is often employed as a model of gravity-driven water flow through soil macropores. The exponent in this simple model influences the pore water velocity attained in the macropores at any given input rate and is usually estimated by inverse modelling against measured flow rates or water contents. In theory, the exponent in the kinematic wave equation should depend on the geometry and topology of the conducting macropore networks, although these relationships have not so far been investigated. In this study, we related metrics of soil structure derived from X-ray images to values of the kinematic exponent estimated from drainage experiments on twenty-two columns sampled at three different field sites under two contrasting land uses and at three different depths. We found that smaller values of the exponent in the kinematic wave equation, which would equate to more rapid flow of water through soil macropores, were found in plough pan and subsoil columns of smaller macroporosity, for which biopores comprised a significant fraction. The macroporosity in these columns was more vertically oriented and poorly inter-connected, though still continuous across the sample. In contrast, topsoil columns from both arable land and grassland had better connected, denser and more isotropically-distributed macropore networks and larger values of the kinematic exponent. Our results suggest that for predictive modelling at large scales, it may be feasible to estimate the kinematic exponent using class pedotransfer functions based on pedological information such as land use and horizon type

Impacts of soil management and climate on saturated and near-saturated hydraulic conductivity: analyses of the Open Tension-disk Infiltrometer Meta-database (OTIM)

Saturated and near-saturated soil hydraulic conductivities Kh (mm h−1) determine the partitioning of precipitation into surface runoff and infiltration and are fundamental to soils' susceptibility to preferential flow. Recent studies found indications that climate factors influence Kh, which is highly relevant in the face of climate change. In this study, we investigated relationships between pedoclimatic factors and Kh and also evaluated effects of land use and soil management. To this end, we collated the Open Tension-disk Infiltrometer Meta-database (OTIM), which contains 1297 individual data entries from 172 different publication sources. We analysed a spectrum of saturated and near-saturated hydraulic conductivities at matric potentials between 0 and 100 mm. We found that methodological details like the direction of the wetting sequence or the choice of method for calculating infiltration rates to hydraulic conductivities had a large impact on the results. We therefore restricted ourselves to a subset of 466 of the 1297 data entries with similar methodological approaches. Correlations between Ks and Kh at higher supply tensions decreased especially close to saturation, indicating a different flow mechanism at and very close to saturation than towards the dry end of the investigated tension range. Climate factors were better correlated with topsoil near-saturated hydraulic conductivities at supply tensions ≥ 30 mm than soil texture, bulk density and organic carbon content. We find it most likely that the climate variables are proxies for soil macropore networks created by the respective biological activity, pedogenesis and climate-specific land use and management choices. Due to incomplete documentation in the source publications of OTIM, we were able to investigate only a few land use types and agricultural management practices. Land use, tillage system and soil compaction significantly influenced Kh, with effect sizes appearing comparable to the ones of soil texture and soil organic carbon. The data in OTIM show that experimental bias is present, introduced by the choice of measurement time relative to soil tillage, experimental design or data evaluation procedures. The establishment of best-practice rules for tension-disk infiltrometer measurements would therefore be helpful. Future studies are needed to investigate how climate shapes soil macropore networks and how land use and management can be adapted to improve soil hydraulic properties. Both tasks require large numbers of new measurement data with improved documentation on soil biology and land use and management history.</p

Meta-analysis of the effects of soil properties, site factors and experimental conditions on solute transport

Preferential flow is a widespread phenomenon that is known to strongly affect solute transport in soil, but our understanding and knowledge is still poor of the site factors and soil properties that promote it. To investigate these relationships, we assembled a database from the peer-reviewed literature containing information on 733 breakthrough curve experiments under steady-state flow conditions. Most of the collected experiments (585 of the 733 datasets) had been conducted on undisturbed soil columns, although some experiments on repacked soil, clean sands, and glass beads were also included. In addition to the apparent dispersivity, we focused our attention on three indicators of preferential solute transport: namely the 5%-arrival time, the holdback factor, and the ratio of piston-flow and average transport velocities. Our results suggest that, in contrast to the 5%-arrival time and the holdback factor, the piston-flow to transport velocity ratio is not related to preferential macropore transport but rather to the exclusion or retardation of the applied tracer. Confirming that the apparent longitudinal dispersivity is positively correlated with the travel distance of the tracer, our results also illustrate that this relationship is refined if the normalized 5%-tracer arrival time is also taken into account. In particular, we found that the degree of preferential solute transport increases with apparent dispersivity and decreases with travel distance. A similar but weaker relationship was observed between apparent dispersivity, 5%-tracer arrival time, and lateral observation scale, such that the degree of preferential transport increases with lateral observation scale. However, we also found that the travel distance and the lateral observation scale in the investigated dataset are correlated, which makes it difficult to distinguish their influence on these transport characteristics. We also found that the strength of preferential transport increased at larger flow rates and water saturations, which suggests that macropore flow was a more important flow mechanism than heterogeneous flow in the soil matrix. Nevertheless, our data show that heterogeneous flow in the soil matrix also occasionally leads to strong preferential transport. Furthermore, we show that preferential solute transport under steady-state flow depends on soil texture in a threshold-like manner: moderate to strong preferential transport was found to occur only for undisturbed soils that contain more than 8% clay. Preferential flow characteristics were also absent for columns filled with glass beads, clean sands, or sieved soil. No clear effect of land use on the pattern of solute transport could be discerned, probably because the available dataset was too small and too strongly affected by cross-correlations with experimental conditions. Our results suggest that, in developing pedotransfer functions for solute transport properties of soils, it is critically important to account for travel distance, lateral observation scale, and water flow rate and saturation

Relations between soil organic carbon content and the pore size distribution for an arable topsoil with large variations in soil properties

Soil organic carbon (SOC) in arable topsoil is known to have beneficial effects on soil physical properties that are important for soil fertility. The effects of SOC content on soil aggregate stability have been well documented; however, few studies have investigated its relationship with the soil pore structure, which has a strong influence on water dynamics and biogeochemical cycling. In the present study, we examined the relationships between SOC and clay contents and pore size distributions (PSDs) across an arable field with large spatial variations in topsoil SOC and clay contents by combining X-ray tomography and measurements of soil water retention. Additionally, we investigated the relationships between fractionated SOC, reactive Fe and Al oxide contents and soil pore structure. We found that porosities in the 0.2-720 mu m diameter class were positively correlated with SOC content. A unit increase of SOC content was associated with a relatively large increase in porosity in the 0.2-5 and 480-720 mu m diameter classes, which indicates that enhanced SOC content would increase plant available water content and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. On the other hand, macroporosities (1200-3120 mu m diameter classes) and bioporosity were positively correlated with clay content but not with SOC content. Due to strong correlations between soil texture, carbon-to-nitrogen ratios and reactive iron contents, we could not separate the relative importance of these soil properties for PSDs. Reactive aluminium and particulate organic carbon contents were poorer predictors for PSDs compared with clay and SOC contents. This study provides new insights on the relations between SOC and soil pore structure in an arable soil and may lead to improved estimations of the effects of enhanced SOC sequestration on soil water dynamics and soil water supply to crops. Highlights Relations between soil organic carbon (SOC) and pore size distribution (PSD) in an arable soil were explored. We used X-ray tomography and soil water retention to quantify a wide range of PSD. There were positive correlations between SOC and porosities in 0.2-720 mu m diameter classes. Porosities in 0.2-5 and 480-720 mu m diameter classes were more strongly correlated with SOC than clay. Our results have implications for improved estimates of effects of SOC sequestration on soil water dynamics

Morphology and temporal evolution of ground-nesting bee burrows created by solitary and social species quantified through X-ray imaging

Most research on wild bees has focused on their role as pollinators, while their importance as soil ecosystem engineers has been largely overlooked, despite the fact that most species nest in the soil. There is limited quantitative knowledge regarding the architecture of nests created by wild bees and the temporal evolution of bee burrows. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of repeatedly scanning ground-nesting bee nests using X-ray computed tomography to quantify the morphology and temporal evolution of burrow systems created by both solitary and social species. We installed eleven large cylinders at locations with ongoing nesting activity of ground-nesting bees, and repeatedly scanned these soil columns with a medical X-ray scanner over a period of 16 months. From the X-ray images, we extracted bee burrows to visualize and quantitatively characterize their morphology and temporal evolution. The architecture and temporal evolution of burrows strongly differed between the studied social and solitary ground-nesting bee species. Burrows created by the solitary species were simple, linear and unbranched burrows, which were not reused and decayed with time. The burrow systems created by the social species were more complex, with highly branched networks of horizontal and vertical burrows, which increased in complexity and size over time during the bee activity period. The persistence of burrows created by ground-nesting bees varied greatly, with some decaying within a few weeks and others remaining mostly intact for the entire 16-month study period. This study demonstrates the potential of X-ray imaging to provide new insights into the underground life of ground-nesting bees, and highlights the locally important role of ground-nesting bees as soil ecosystem engineers

Approaches to delineate aggregates in intact soil using X-ray imaging

Soil structure refers to the spatial arrangement of primary soil particles and pores, and is known to influence a variety of soil functions including carbon sequestration and water holding capacity. At present, research in this field is often divided, focusing either on pores where pore networks are investigated in undisturbed soil or on solids where isolated soil aggregates are commonly studied. The choice of approach depends on the needs and traditions in different disciplines of soil science. While there is much debate regarding how well these viewpoints relate to each other, there have been only marginal research efforts undertaken to compare them quantitatively. In this study, we presented and evaluated methods to identify 3-D subunits in X-ray images of eight undisturbed soil samples that we interpreted as macroaggregates, and compared these to to results from drop-shatter tests. Here, we exploited the cohesive forces of water that induces shrinkage cracks under drying. Despite promising trends, comparisons between image and drop-shatter test derived aggregate properties remained inconclusive. Nevertheless, our results encourage further investigations on larger sample sets and different observation scales. The here presented and discussed aggregate delineation methods illustrate an approach to harmonize soil structure characterization in terms of both pore-networks and soil aggregation. For example, respective extended approaches may be developed to evaluate the locations of microaggregates within macroaggregates

Quantitative imaging of the 3-D distribution of cation adsorption sites in undisturbed soil

Several studies have shown that the distribution of cation adsorption sites (CASs) is patchy at a millimetre to centimetre scale. Often, larger concentrations of CASs in biopores or aggregate coatings have been reported in the literature. This heterogeneity has implications on the accessibility of CASs and may influence the performance of soil system models that assume a spatially homogeneous distribution of CASs. In this study, we present a new method to quantify the abundance and 3-D distribution of CASs in undisturbed soil that allows for investigating CAS densities with distance to the soil macropores. We used X-ray imaging with Ba²⁺ as a contrast agent. Ba²⁺ has a high adsorption affinity to CASs and is widely used as an index cation to measure the cation exchange capacity (CEC). Eight soil cores (approx. 10 cm³) were sampled from three locations with contrasting texture and organic matter contents. The CASs of our samples were saturated with Ba²⁺ in the laboratory using BaCl₂ (0.3 mol L⁻¹). Afterwards, KCl (0.1 mol L⁻¹) was used to rinse out Ba²⁺ ions that were not bound to CASs. Before and after this process the samples were scanned using an industrial X-ray scanner. Ba²⁺ bound to CASs was then visualized in 3-D by the difference image technique. The resulting difference images were interpreted as depicting the Ba²⁺ bound to CASs only. The X-ray image-derived CEC correlated significantly with results of the commonly used ammonium acetate method to determine CEC in well-mixed samples. The CEC of organic-matter-rich samples seemed to be systematically overestimated and in the case of the clay-rich samples with less organic matter the CEC seemed to be systematically underestimated. The results showed that the distribution of the CASs varied spatially within most of our samples down to a millimetre scale. There was no systematic relation between the location of CASs and the soil macropore structure. We are convinced that the approach proposed here will strongly aid the development of more realistic soil system models