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Distribution of bromide and microspheres along macropores in and between drain trenches

Marie H. Nielsen, Merete Styczen, Vibeke Ernstsen, Carsten T. Petersen and Soren Hansen
Distribution of bromide and microspheres along macropores in and between drain trenches
Vadose Zone Journal (February 2011) 10 (1): 345-353

Abstract

Transport and retention of colloids are important issues when addressing the risk of contamination of the aquatic environment. A field study tracer experiment was performed allowing a quantification of solutes and colloids along macropores in a sandy loam soil with a tile drain located at 1.2 m depth. Using a field sprayer, a 6-m (super 2) plot was irrigated with 50 mm of water containing a mixture of 1-mu m fluorescent microspheres (1.34X10 (super 10) melamine-resin microspheres [MS] L (super -1) ), bromide (0.14 g Br L (super -1) ), and the dye Brilliant Blue (2.2 g BB L (super -1) ) during a 4-h period. Before irrigation, the groundwater table was more than 0.7 m below drain depth. The tracer concentrations were measured in drain water and in soil collected along 15 stained preferential flow paths located in the drain trench and the adjacent till. It was found that the tracer concentration along biopores do not necessarily reflect the concentration of tracers transported through the biopore. Furthermore, it was recognized that at drain depth the proportion of soil samples from the drain trench with concentrations of Br and MS greater than two times the detection limit was significantly higher than in samples from the till. This implies that substances can accumulate along the drain pipe during heavy precipitation events. Finally, water transported through a few biopores well connected to the drain pipe resulted in drainage. Compared with the concentrations in the added tracer solution, the sampled drain water showed undiluted concentrations of BB and Br, whereas MS was reduced 150 times.


ISSN: 1539-1663
Serial Title: Vadose Zone Journal
Serial Volume: 10
Serial Issue: 1
Title: Distribution of bromide and microspheres along macropores in and between drain trenches
Affiliation: University of Copenhagen, Department of Basic Sciences and Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
Pages: 345-353
Published: 201102
Text Language: English
Publisher: Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI, United States
References: 43
Accession Number: 2011-031251
Categories: Soils
Document Type: Serial
Bibliographic Level: Analytic
Illustration Description: illus. incl. 2 tables
N55°40'47" - N55°40'47", E12°17'37" - E12°17'37"
Secondary Affiliation: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, DNK, Denmark
Country of Publication: United States
Secondary Affiliation: GeoRef, Copyright 2017, American Geosciences Institute. Abstract, Copyright, Soil Science Society of America. Reference includes data from GeoScienceWorld, Alexandria, VA, United States
Update Code: 201118
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