A physically based, variably saturated flow model was developed to predict soil water dynamics, evapotranspiration (ET) from the vadose zone, and recharge to (or exfiltration from) the saturated zone using mean daily atmospheric forcings and to identify the value of diurnal climate forcings on those predictions. The vadose zone flow is modelled using the Galerkin finite element technique to sol...

Clay mineral studies in the U.S.S.R., mainly since 1960, are summarized. Electron diffraction techniques especially have been developed and used extensively. Methods have been developed for simultaneous recording of DTA curves and other properties. Polytypism of phyllosilicates has been studied intensively by Zvyagin and others. Mucfi new information on the structure and morphology of halloysit...

Visible and near-infrared (VisNIR) spectroscopy is becoming recognised by soil scientists as a rapid and cost-effective measurement method for hydrocarbons in petroleum-contaminated soils. This study investigated the potential application of VisNIR spectroscopy (350-2500 nm) for the prediction of phenanthrene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), in soils. A total of 150 diesel-contaminated...

In this study, batch sorption and desorption experiments were conducted for testosterone using four agricultural soils and five clay minerals. Significant differences in sorption behavior were observed between abiotic and biotic systems. The Freundlich sorption coefficient Kf ðμg=gÞ=ðμg=mLÞn ranged from 8.53 to 74.46 for soils and from 35.28 to 1,243 for clays. The maximum sorption capacity (μg...

Temperature significantly affects the mechanical properties of geomaterials, particularly creep behavior soft clayey soils. Thus, an appropriate constitutive model to describe time-dependent stress-strain soils at various temperatures is necessary. This study performed temperature-controlled oedometer tests on two soils: Hong Kong marine deposit (HKMD) and kaolinite clay (kaolin). The thermally...

Despite over three decades of progress, extraction of high molecular weight (HMW) DNA from high clay soils or iron oxide cemented clay has remained challenging. HMW DNA is desirable for next generation sequencing as it yields the most comprehensive coverage. Several DNA extraction procedures were compared from samples that exhibit strong nucleic acid adsorption. pH manipulation or use of altern...