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SOIL PHYSICS NOTE

Infiltration Rate vs. Gas Composition and Pressure in Soil Columns

Department of Soil Science, North Dakota State Univ., P.O. Box 5638, Fargo, ND 58105

^* Corresponding author (lyle.prunty{at}ndsu.edu).

Infiltration is influenced by soil gases. Studies have found that CO₂ has a large impact on infiltration. Since CO₂ is highly soluble, soil flooded with it before infiltration has greater saturation and a greater infiltration rate. Our objective was to compare infiltration rates when soil pore gas consisted of (i) CO₂ at atmospheric pressure, (ii) air at atmospheric pressure, and (iii) air at various vacuum levels. A vacuum should, similar to CO₂, reduce encapsulated gas and increase the infiltration rate. Results were that infiltration under 1- to 2-mm constant-head conditions tended to be more rapid at low air pressures. Falling-head infiltration, from 67.8- to 13.8-cm water head, was fastest with CO₂, intermediate with a vacuum that removed all dry air gases, and slowest with air at atmospheric pressure. The final falling-head infiltration rates with CO₂ and vacuum were 1.9 and 1.6 times faster, respectively, than with atmospheric air.

Abbreviations: A, atmospheric air treatment • C, carbon dioxide treatment • V, vacuum treatment