title: Studies of soil-water transport by MRI.
abstract: Sequential spin-echo spin-warp MRI pulse sequences have been used to study soil-water transport processes including infiltration, redistribution, and drainage of water in soil columns. Those images provide a means for monitoring and quantifying spatial and temporal changes of soil-water distributions and the movement of wetting fronts. In addition, temporal-geometric changes of unstable wetting fronts during water redistribution were estimated from 2D images and the temporal development of the longest length of finger was described by a fractal relation t approximately L1.38. Bulk dispersion-time-dependent displacement and velocity spectra, as well as 2D maps of flow velocities and dispersion coefficients in soil macropores during saturated steady-state flow, were reconstructed from data obtained using the alternating-pulsed-field-gradient (APFG) pulse sequences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Amin
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Chorley
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Gibbs
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Carpenter
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D017709:Fractals; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D016062:Porosity; D012987:Soil; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D014867:Water