Effects of gravel on the water absorption characteristics and hydraulic parameters of stony soil

The eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in China are a typical mountainous region of soil and gravel,where gravel could affect the water movement process in the soil.This study focused on the effects of different gravel contents on the water absorption characteristics and hydraulic parameters of stony soil.The stony soil samples were collected from the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in April 2023 and used as the experimental materials to conduct a one-dimensional horizontal soil column absorption experiment.Six experimental groups with gravel contents of 0%,10%,20%,30%,40%,and 50%were established to determine the saturated hydraulic conductivity(K_(s)),saturated water content(θ_(s)),initial water content(θ_(i)),and retention water content(θ_(r)),and explore the changes in the wetting front depth and cumulative absorption volume during the absorption experiment.The Philip model was used to fit the soil absorption process and determine the soil water absorption rate.Then the length of the characteristic wetting front depth,shape coefficient,empirical parameter,inverse intake suction and soil water suction were derived from the van Genuchten model.Finally,the hydraulic parameters mentioned above were used to fit the soil water characteristic curves,unsaturated hydraulic conductivity(K_(θ))and specific water capacity(C(h)).The results showed that the wetting front depth and cumulative absorption volume of each treatment gradually decreased with increasing gravel content.Compared with control check treatment with gravel content of 0%,soil water absorption rates in the treatments with gravel contents of 10%,20%,30%,40%,and 50%decreased by 11.47%,17.97%,25.24%,29.83%,and 42.45%,respectively.As the gravel content increased,inverse intake suction gradually increased,and shape coefficient,K_(s),θ_(s),andθ_(r)gradually decreased.For the same soil water content,soil water suction and K_(θ)gradually decreased with increasing gravel content.At the same soil water suction,C(h)decreased with increasing gravel content,and the water use efficiency worsened.Overall,the water holding capacity,hydraulic conductivity,and water use efficiency of stony soil in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains decreased with increasing gravel content.This study could provide data support for improving soil water use efficiency in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains and other similar rocky mountainous areas.

Prediction of compaction parameters for fine-grained soil: Critical comparison of the deep learning and standalone models

A comparison between deep learning and standalone models in predicting the compaction parameters of soil is presented in this research.One hundred and ninety and fifty-three soil samples were randomly picked up from two hundred and forty-three soil samples to create training and validation datasets,respectively.The performance and accuracy of the models were measured by root mean square error(RMSE),coefficient of determination(R2),Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient(r),mean absolute error(MAE),variance accounted for(VAF),mean absolute percentage error(MAPE),weighted mean absolute percentage error(WMAPE),a20-index,index of scatter(IOS),and index of agreement(IOA).Comparisons between standalone models demonstrate that the model MD 29 in Gaussian process regression(GPR)and model MD 101 in support vector machine(SVM)can achieve over 96%of accuracy in predicting the optimum moisture content(OMC)and maximum dry density(MDD)of soil,and outperformed other standalone models.The comparison between deep learning models shows that the models MD 46 and MD 146 in long short-term memory(LSTM)predict OMC and MDD with higher accuracy than ANN models.However,the LSTM models outperformed the GPR models in predicting the compaction parameters.The sensitivity analysis illustrates that fine content(FC),specific gravity(SG),and liquid limit(LL)highly influence the prediction of compaction parameters.

Runoff Modeling in Ungauged Catchments Using Machine Learning Algorithm-Based Model Parameters Regionalization Methodology

Model parameters estimation is a pivotal issue for runoff modeling in ungauged catchments.The nonlinear relationship between model parameters and catchment descriptors is a major obstacle for parameter regionalization,which is the most widely used approach.Runoff modeling was studied in 38 catchments located in the Yellow–Huai–Hai River Basin(YHHRB).The values of the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient(NSE),coefficient of determination(R2),and percent bias(PBIAS)indicated the acceptable performance of the soil and water assessment tool(SWAT)model in the YHHRB.Nine descriptors belonging to the categories of climate,soil,vegetation,and topography were used to express the catchment characteristics related to the hydrological processes.The quantitative relationships between the parameters of the SWAT model and the catchment descriptors were analyzed by six regression-based models,including linear regression(LR)equations,support vector regression(SVR),random forest(RF),k-nearest neighbor(kNN),decision tree(DT),and radial basis function(RBF).Each of the 38 catchments was assumed to be an ungauged catchment in turn.Then,the parameters in each target catchment were estimated by the constructed regression models based on the remaining 37 donor catchments.Furthermore,the similaritybased regionalization scheme was used for comparison with the regression-based approach.The results indicated that the runoff with the highest accuracy was modeled by the SVR-based scheme in ungauged catchments.Compared with the traditional LR-based approach,the accuracy of the runoff modeling in ungauged catchments was improved by the machine learning algorithms because of the outstanding capability to deal with nonlinear relationships.The performances of different approaches were similar in humid regions,while the advantages of the machine learning techniques were more evident in arid regions.When the study area contained nested catchments,the best result was calculated with the similarity-based parameter regionalization scheme because of the high catchment density and short spatial distance.The new findings could improve flood forecasting and water resources planning in regions that lack observed data.

Soil Components Affecting Phosphate Sorption Parameters of Acid Paddy Soils in Guangdong Province

Soil components affecting phosphate sorption parameters were studied using acid paddy soils derived from basalt, granite, sand-shale and the Pearl River Delta sediments, respectively, in Guangdong Province. For each soil, seven 2.50 g subsamples were equilibrated with 50 mL 0.02 mol L-1 (pH=7.0) of KCI containing 0, 5, 10, 15, 25, 50 and 100 mg P kg-1, respectively, in order to derive P sorption parameters (P sorption maximum, P sorption intensity factor and maximum buffer capacity) by Langmuir isotherm equation. It was shown that the main soil components influencing phosphate sorption maximum (Xm) included soil clay, PH, amorphous iron oxide (Feo) and amorphous aluminum oxide (Alo), with their effects in the order of Alo > Feo > pH > clay. Among these components, pH had a negative effect, and the others had a positive effect. Organic matter (OM) was the only soil component influencing P sorption intensity factor (K). The main components influencing maximum phosphate buffer capacity (MBC) consisted of soil clay, OM,pH, Feo and Alo, with their effects in the order of Alo > OM > pH > Feo > clay. Path analysis indicated that among the components with positive effects on maximum phosphate buffer capacity (MBC), the effect was in the order of Alo > Feo > Clay, while among the components with negative effects, OM > pH. OM played an important role in mobilizing phosphate in acid paddy soils mainly through decreasing the sorption immensity of phosphate by soil particles.

Effects of sediment load on the abrasion of soil aggregate and hydraulic parameters in experimental overland flow

The breakdown of soil aggregates under rainfall and their abrasion in overland flow are important processes in water erosion due to the production of more fine and transportable particles and,the subsequent significant effect on the erosion intensity.Currently,little is known about the effects of sediment load on the soil aggregate abrasion and the relationship of this abrasion with some related hydraulic parameters.Here,the potential effects of sediment load on soil aggregate abrasion and hydraulic parameters in overland flow were investigated through a series of experiments in a 3.8-m-long hydraulic flume at the slope gradients of 8.7 and 26.8%,unit flow discharges from 2×10^-3 to 6×10^-3 m^2 s^-1,and the sediment concentration from 0 to 110 kg m-3.All the aggregates from Ultisols developed Quaternary red clay,Central China.The results indicated that discharge had the most significant(P<0.01)effect on the aggregates abrasion with the contributions of 58.76 and 60.34%,followed by sediment feed rate,with contributions of 39.66 and 34.12%at the slope gradients of 8.7 and 26.8%,respectively.The abrasion degree of aggregates was found to increase as a power function of the sediment concentration.Meanwhile,the flow depth,friction factor,and shear stress increased as a power function along with the increase of sediment concentration at different slope gradients and discharges.Reynolds number was obviously affected by sediment concentration and it decreased as sediment concentration increased.The ratio of the residual weight to the initial weight of soil aggregates(Wr/Wi)was found to increase as the linear function with an increasing flow depth(P=0.008)or Reynolds number(P=0.002)in the sediment-laden flow.The Wr/Wi values followed a power function decrease with increasing friction factor or shear stress in the sediment-laden flow,indicating that friction factor is the best hydraulic parameter for prediction of soil aggregate abrasion under different sediment load conditions.The information regarding the soil aggregate abrasion under various sediment load conditions can facilitate soil process-based erosion modeling.

Effects of land uses on soil physic-chemical properties and erodibility in collapsing-gully alluvial fan of Anxi County,China

the National Key Technologies R＆D Program of China during the 12th Five-Year Plan period （2011BAD31B00）

Effects of shrub-grass patterns on soil detachment and hydraulic parameters of slope in the Pisha sandstone area of Inner Mongolia,China

The characteristics of soil holding capacity for different shrub-grass patterns are important to research the mechanisms regulating vegetation on slopes.The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics and mecha-nisms of soil erosion and hydraulic parameters under differ-ent vegetation patterns in the Pisha sandstone area of Inner Mongolia on lands of 8°slope gradient.We carried out field scouring experiments on five different shrub-grass patterns as treatments,viz no shrubs(GL),shrubs on the upper part of the slope(SU),middle part of the slope(SM)and lower part of the slope(SL).We designated bare slope(BL)as the control.We employed three different water flow rates(15,20,30 L·min^(−1)).Our results showed that the contribution of plant root systems to slope sediment reduction ranged from 64 to 84%.The root systems proved to be the main contributing factor to reduction of erosion by vegetation.The relationship between soil detachment rate,stream flow power,and flow unit stream power under different scouring discharge rates showed that soil detachment declined in rank order as:BL>GL>SU>SM>SL.The SL pat-tern had the lowest soil detachment rate(0.098 g·m^(−2)·s^(−1)),flow stream power(2.371 W·m^(−2)),flow unit stream power(0.165 m·s^(−1))and flow shear stress(16.986 Pa),and proved to be the best erosion combating pattern.The results of decision coefficient and path analysis showed that stream power was the most important hydraulic parameter for describing soil detachment rate.The combination of stream power and shear stress,namely Dr=0.1ω−0.03τ−0.56(R^(2)=0.924),most accurately simulated the soil detachment characteristics on slopes.Our study suggests that the risk of soil ero-sion can be reduced by planting shrub-grass mixes on these slopes.Under the conditions of limited water resources and economy,the benefit of sediment reduction can be maxi-mized by planting shrubbery on the lower parts of slopes.

Influence of environmental,root,and stand parameters on soil surface CO_2 efflux in a Populus euphratica of desert forest in extreme arid region

Spatial variation in soil surface CO2 efflux was measured in a stand of Populus euphratica in the Ejina Oasis of desert riparian forest in the extreme arid region in northwestern China from April 2007 through October 2007.Measurements were taken with a gas-exchange analyzer linked to a soil-respiration chamber.The mean soil CO2 efflux in the stand was 2.71 μmol/(m2·s) during the growing season and 1.38 μmol/(m2·s) in the nongrowing season.The seasonal maximum (end of May through early June) andminimum (October) CO2 efflux were 3.38 and 0.69 μmol/(m2·s),respectively.The diurnal fluctuation of CO2 efflux was relatively small (< 20 percent),with theminimum appearing around 05:00 and the maximum around 15:00.Linear regression analysis showed soil-surface CO2 efflux to be most highly correlated with soil temperature (R2=0.435) and soil moisture (R2=0.213).When all variables were considered simultaneously,only soil temperature (R2=0.378),soil moisture (R2=0.147),and root volume density (R2=0.021) explained a significant amount of variance in soil surface CO2 efflux.Stand volumes were not correlated with soil CO2 efflux on our sites.

Factor Analysis of the Parameters of Samples of the Steppe Soil and Grass Of Mongolia and Inland Mongolia of China on the Eastern Transsect of the Eurasian Steppe

Regularities of rank distributions and binary relations between nine parameters are given.The most active are the geographical coordinates of 48 test sites.This proves that the geomorphology of the steppes in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia is becoming decisive.Factor analysis showed that the first four places for influencing variables and dependent indicators are the same:in the first place is the northern latitude,the second is the east longitude,the third is the average annual precipitation,and the fourth is the intensity of sheep grazing.The rest of the factors are located in different ways.The density of organic carbon was only in ninth place as an influencing variable,and in seventh place as a dependent indicator.This is based on the fact that organic carbon is an accumulative(cumulative)parameter over many years.The productivity of the biomass of steppe grass as an influencing variable is in sixth place,and as a dependent indicator(criterion)only in ninth place.This parameter is seasonal,therefore,in comparison with organic carbon,it is highly dynamic.The average annual temperature as an influencing variable is in fifth place,but as a dependent indicator only in eighth place.This was influenced by the strong averaging of the parameter(average value for the year).Plants are strongly influenced by the temperature dynamics during the growing season,and even more by the sum of temperatures during the growing season.With the productivity of steppe grass less than 75 g/m^(2),the intensity of sheep grazing is zero.According to the second term of the trend,an optimum of 270 g/m^(2) appears with the maximum intensity of sheep grazing on average 65 pcs/km^(2).The first fluctuation shows that with an increase in grass biomass,there is a loss of stability of the grass cover with an exponential growth of the amplitude.The second oscillation is dangerous in that with an increase in the biomass of the grass,the half-period of the oscillation sharply decreases and this will also lead to the collapse of the steppe grass.From the remnants of the effect of sheep grazing on grass biomass,it can be seen that there are three clusters:(1)from 0 to 30;(2)from 30 to 95;(3)more than 95 pcs/km^(2).In this case,the variability of the productivity of the grass decreases.

Shear creep parameters of simulative soil for deep-sea sediment

Based on mineral component and in-situ vane shear strength of deep-sea sediment, four kinds of simulative soils were prepared by mixing different bentonites with water in order to find the best simulative soil for the deep-sea sediment collected from the Pacific C-C area. Shear creep characteristics of the simulative soil were studied by shear creep test and shear creep parameters were determined by Burgers creep model. Research results show that the shear creep curves of the simulative soil can be divided into transient creep, unstable creep and stable creep, where the unstable creep stage is very short due to its high water content. The shear creep parameters increase with compressive stress and change slightly or fluctuate to approach a constant value with shear stress, and thus average creep parameters under the same compressive stress are used as the creep parameters of the simulative soil. Traction of the deep-sea mining machine walking at a constant velocity can be calculated by the shear creep constitutive equation of the deep-sea simulative soil, which provides a theoretical basis for safe operation and optimal design of the deep-sea mining machine.

Microstructure Characterization of Bubbles in Gassy Soil Based on the Fractal Theory

The microscopic characterization of isolated bubbles in gassy soil plays an important role in the macroscopic physical properties of sediments and is a key factor in the study of geological hazards in gas-bearing strata.Based on the box-counting method and the pore fractal features in porous media,a fractal model of bubble microstructure parameters in gassy soil under different gas con-tents and vertical load conditions is established by using an industrial X-ray CT scanning system.The results show that the fractal di-mension of bubbles in the sample is correlated with the volume fraction of bubbles,and it is also restricted by the vertical load.The three-dimensional fractal dimension of the sample is about 1 larger than the average two-dimensional fractal dimension of all the slices from the same sample.The uniform porous media fractal model is used to test the equivalent diameter,and the results show that the variation of the measured pore diameter ratio is jointly restricted by the volume fraction and the vertical load.In addition,the measured self-similarity interval of the bubble area distribution is tested by the porous media fractal capillary bundle model,and the fitting curve of measured pore area ratio in a small loading range is obtained in this paper.

Global sensitivity analysis for choosing the main soil parameters of a crop model to be determined

The use of a crop model like STICS for appropriate management decision support requires a good knowledge of all the parameters of the model. Among them, the soil parameters are difficult to know at each point of interest and costly techniques may be used to measure them. It is therefore important to know which soil parameters need to be determined. It can be stated that those which affect significantly the output variable deserve an accurate determination while those which slightly affect the model output variable do not. This paper demonstrates how a global sensitivity analysis method based on variance decomposition can be applied on soil parameters in order to divide them in the two categories. The Extended FAST method applied to the crop model STICS and a set of 13 soil parameters first allows to calculate the part of variance explained by each soil parameter (giving global sensitivity indices of the soil parameters) and the coefficient of variation of the output variables (measuring the effect of the parameter uncertainty on each variable). These metrics are therefore used for deciding on the importance of the parameter value measurement. Different output variables (Leaf Area Index and chlorophyll content) are evaluated at different stages of interest while others (crop yield, grain protein content, soil mineral nitrogen) are evaluated at harvest. The analysis is applied on two different annual crops (wheat and sugar beet), two contrasted weather and two types of soil depth. When the uncertainty of the output generated by the soil parameters is large (coefficient of variation > 1/3), only the parameters having a significant global sensitivity indices (higher than 10%) are retained. The results show that the number of soil parameters which deserve an accurate determination can be significantly reduced by the use of this relevant method for appropriate management decision support.

Estimating Soil Hydraulic Parameters Characterizing Rainwater Infiltration and Runoff Properties of Dryland Floodplains

The two-layered (0 - 50 and 50 - 250 mm) surface horizon hydraulic parameters of three dryland floodplain soil-types under aquafer water management in Postmasburg, Northern Cape Province of South Africa were estimated with HYDRUS-1D model. Time dependent water infiltration measurements at 30 and 230 mm depths from simulated rainfalls on undisturbed 1 m2 small plots with intensities of 1.61 (high), 0.52 (medium) and 0.27 (low) mm·min-1, were minimised using a two-step inversion. Firstly, separate optimisation of the van Genuchten-Mualem model parameters for the two surface-horizon layers and secondly, simultaneous optimisation for the joint two-layered horizon with first step optimal parameters entered as initial values. The model reproduced transient water-infiltration data very well with the Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient (NSE) of 0.99 and overestimated runoff (NSE;0.27 to 0.98). The upper surface horizon had highly optimised and variable parameters especially θs and Ks. Optimal Ks values from higher soil surface bulk-density (≥1.69 g·cm-3) were lower by at least one order of magnitude to double ring infiltrometers and water infiltration properties were different (P < 0.05) for the high rainstorm due to raindrop impact and surface crusting. Optimal α and n parameter values corresponded well with texture of the Addo (Greysols), Augrabies (Ferralsols) and Brandvlei (Cambisols) soil types. However, θs and Ksshowed greater sensitivity to model output and exerted greater influence on dryland floodplain water-infiltration and runoff characteristics. Increasing rainfall simulation period to attain near-surface saturated conditions and inclusion of surface ponding data in the inverse problem could considerable improve model prediction of hydro-physical parameters controlling surface-subsurface water distribution in fluvial environments.

Comparison of Soil Samples from Selected Anthropogenic Sites within Enugu Metropolis for Physicochemical Parameters and Heavy Metal Levels Determination

This study compared the physicochemical parameters and heavy metal levels in soil samples from selected anthropogenic sites within Enugu metropolis, Enugu State, Nigeria using standard analytical methods. Soil samples at depths (0 - 20 cm) and (20 - 40 cm) were collected from waste dump sites, metal scrap dumps, fuel filling stations and auto-mechanic workshops and analyzed for physicochemical characteristics and heavy metal levels. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used for heavy metal determination while conventional analytical methods were employed for physicochemical parameters evaluation of the soil samples. At soil depths 0 - 20 cm and 20 - 40 cm the respective mean range of pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter and organic carbon contents in the soil samples were, 6.33 - 6.74, 101.46 - 123.21 μS/cm, 6.41% - 8.35% and 13.73% - 16.14% for auto-mechanic workshops;6.92 - 7.43, 56.46 - 60.02 μS/cm, 1.53% - 2.20% and 11.93% - 12.60% for fuel filling stations;7.14 - 7.84, 70.81 - 77.71 μS/cm, 3.81% - 4.12% and 8.57% - 9.24% for metal scrap dumps;6.54 - 6.81, 94.40 - 100.71 μS/cm, 8.83% - 10.75% and 18.26% - 20.81% for waste dump sites. The pH of the top soil samples from auto-mechanical workshop was below the WHO recommended limits for agricultural purposes. The physic-chemical characteristics of the soil samples decreased with soil depths indicating therefore that anthropogenic activities greatly influence the soil characteristics at the top soils than the sub-soils. The electrical conductivity values of top and sub-soil samples from the studied auto-mechanical workshops were above the recommended limits. At soil depths 0 - 20 cm and 20 - 40 cm, the respective mean range of Zn, Pb and Cd in the soil samples were 17.29 - 19.16 μg/g, 0.704 - 0.96 μg/g and 0.26 - 0.33 μg/g for auto-mechanic workshops;4.13 - 4.88 μg/g, 0.21 - 0.32 μg/g and 0.03 - 0.11 μg/g for fuel filling stations;30.02 - 36.11 μg/g, 0.43 - 0.48 μg/g and 0.15 - 0.19 μg/g for metal scrap dumps;9.30 - 10.84 μg/g, 0.53 - 0.60 μg/g and 0.38 - 0.45 μg/g for waste dump sites. The mean levels of Pb in soil samples from mechanic workshops and waste dump sites were above the recommended permissible limits for agricultural purposes. The study therefore indicated that these sites (auto-mechanic workshops and waste dump sites) could be major sources of Pb pollution to nearby farmlands, streams and the general environment. Plants grown on or around these sites may not produce high yields and could be severely contaminated with heavy metals which portend health danger to food consumers within the environment.

Research on Dynamic Parameters of Soil Site in the Tianjin Coastal Area

The Tianjin coastal area is a typical soft soil region,where the soil is a marine deposit of the late Quaternary.The soil dynamic parameters from seismic risk assessment reports are collected,and drilling of 15 holes was carried out to sample the soils and measure their dynamic characteristics.The data was divided into 7 types based on lithology,namely,muddy clay,muddy silty clay,silt,silty clay,clay,silty sand and fine sand.Statistics of the dynamic parameters of these soils are collected to obtain the mean values of dynamic shear modulus ratio and damping ratio at different depths.Then,two typical drill holes are selected to establish the soil dynamic models to investigate the seismic response in different cases.The dynamic seismic responses of soil are calculated using the statistical values of this paper,and the values of Code(1994) and those recommended by Yuan Xiaoming et al.(2000),respectively.The applicability and pertinence of the statistical value obtained in this paper are demonstrated by the response spectrum shape,peak ground acceleration and response spectral characteristics.The results can be taken as a reference of the soil dynamic value in this area and can be used in the seismic risk assessment of engineering projects.

Research on Dynamic Parameters of Soil Sites in the Dalian Area

In this paper, dynamic soil parameters derived from Dalian area seismic risk assessment reports are collected. In this study, the measurement data is divided into 7 types, i.e. silty clay, muddy silty clay, clay, medium sand, rock fragments, backfill soil and fully-weathered slate. Statistics of the dynamic parameters of these soils are carried out to obtain the mean values of dynamic shear modulus ratio and damping ratio. Typical drill holes are selected to establish dynamic soil models to investigate the seismic response for various cases. The dynamic parameters of the models are taken from the statistical values of this study, the standard values of code 94 (i.e. the dynamic soil parameters for Dalian seismic microzonation), and the recommended values by Yuan Xiaoming et al. (2000) respectively. The calculated results of peak ground acceleration are compared with the response spectral characteristics. The results show that the statistical values are approximate to the values recommended by Yuan Xiaoming, et al. (2000), but different greatly with the standard values in code 94.

Effect of metal fractions on rice grain metal uptake and biological parameters in mica mines waste contaminated soils

Heavy metals from mica waste not only deteriorate the soil quality but also results in the uptake of metals in the crop.The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the effects of different fractions of metals on the uptake in rice,soil microbial and biochemical properties in mica waste-contaminated soils of Jharkhand,India.From each active mine,soil samples were randomly collected at distances of<50 m(zone 1),50–100 m(zone 2),and>100 m(zone 3).Sequential metal extraction was used to determine the fractions of different metals(nickel(Ni),cadmium(Cd),chromium(Cr)and lead(Pb))including water-soluble(Ws)and exchangeable metals(Ex),carbonate-bound metals(CBD),Fe/Mn oxide(OXD)bound metals,organically bound metals(ORG),and residues(RS).The Ni,Cr,Cd and Pb in rice grain were 0.83±0.41,0.41±0.19,0.21±0.14 and 0.17±0.08 mg/kg respectively.From the variable importance plot of the random forest(RF)algorithm,the Ws fraction of Ni,Cr and Cd and Ex fraction of Pb was the most important predictor for rice grain metal content.Further,the partial dependence plots(PDP)give us an insight into the role of the two most important metal fractions on rice grain metal content.The microbial and enzyme activity was significantly and negatively correlated with Ws and Ex metal fractions,indicating that water-soluble and exchangeable fractions exert a strong inhibitory effect on the soil microbiological parameters and enzyme activities.

Observation and Study of Land Surface Parameters over Gobi in Typical Arid Region

According to the need of popular land surface process models, characteristics and rules of some key land surface process and soil parameters over Gobi in typical arid region of Northwest China are analyzed by using the data observed during the intensive observation period of the Dunhuang Land–Surface Process Field Experiment (DLSPFE) (May–June 2000). Using the relative reflection as weighting factor, the weighted mean of the surface albedo over Dunhuang Gobi in typical arid region is calculated and its values are 0.255 ± 0.021. After canceling the interference of the buildings, the mean values of the roughness length averaged with logarithm is 0.0019 ± 0.00071 m. After removing the influence of the oasis, the soil wetness factor computed with data under condition of no precipitation is 0.0045. After removing the influence of the precipitation , the mean values of the soil heat capacity over Dunhuang Gobi in typical arid region is 1.12 × 106 J m−3K−1, a bit smaller than the values observed in HEIFE. But the soil heat diffusivity and conductivity are about one of those observed in HEIFE. The soil water content over Dunhuang Gobi in typical synoptic condition is very little and does not exceed 1% basically.

Soil Parameter Identification for Wheel-terrain Interaction Dynamics and Traversability Prediction

This paper presents a novel technique for identifying soil parameters for a wheeled vehicle traversing unknown terrain. The identified soil parameters are required for predicting vehicle drawbar pull and wheel drive torque, which in turn can be used for traversability prediction, traction control, and performance optimization of a wheeled vehicle on unknown terrain. The proposed technique is based on the Newton Raphson method. An approximated form of a wheel-soil interaction model based on Composite Simpson＇s Rule is employed for this purpose. The key soil parameters to be identified are internal friction angle, shear deformation modulus, and lumped pressure-sinkage coefficient. The fourth parameter, cohesion, is not too relevant to vehicle drawbar pull, and is assigned an average value during the identification process. Identified parameters are compared with known values, and shown to be in agreement. The identification method is relatively fast and robust. The identified soil parameters can effectively be used to predict drawbar pull and wheel drive torque with good accuracy. The use of identified soil parameters to design a traversability criterion for wheeled vehicles traversing unknown terrain is presented.

An experimental study on the relationship between acoustic parameters and mechanical properties of frozen silty clay

To study the influence of temperature and water content on ultrasonic wave velocity and to establish the relationship between ultrasonic wave velocity and frozen silty clay strength, ultrasonic tests were conducted to frozen silty clay by using RSM-SY5（T） nonmetal supersonic test meter, and the tensile strength and compressive strength of silty clay were measured under various negative temperatures. Test and analysis results indicate that, ultrasonic wave velocity rapidly changes in the temperature range of-1 ℃ to -5 ℃. Ultrasonic wave velocity increased with an increase of water content until the water content reached the critical water content, while decreased with an increase of water content after the water content exceeded the critical water content. This study showed that there was strong positive correlation between the ul- trasonic wave velocity and the frozen soil strength. As ultrasonic wave velocity increased, either tensile strength or com- pressive strength increased. Based on the experimental data, the relationship between ultrasonic wave velocity and frozen silty clay strength was obtained through regression analysis. It was found that the ultrasonic test technique can be used to test frozen soils and lay the foundation for the determination of frozen soil strength.