Influence of textural layering on field capacity of coarse soils

Zettl, Julie; Barbour, S. Lee; Huang, Mingbin; Cheng, Bing; Leskiw, L. A.

doi:10.4141/cjss09117

Cited by 74 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Past research indicates that layering soils with even minor contrast in soil texture could lead to increased WSC (Zettl et al 2011). However, it is difficult to find different soils in areas where soils are uniform in texture, without transporting soil from one location to another.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving water storage of reclamation soil covers by fractionation of coarse-textured soil

DobrovolskayaYekaterina

Chau

Cheng

2014

Can. J. Soil. Sci.

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. 2014. Improving water storage of reclamation soil covers by fractionation of coarse-textured soil. Can. J. Soil Sci. 94: 489Á501. Mining operations cause considerable land disturbance as well as the accumulation of large amounts of waste rock. Capping waste rock with a soil cover has proven to be a reliable, long-term reclamation technique. This study examines the question of whether it is possible to attain a considerable increase in water storage capacity (WSC) by separating coarse-textured soil into particle size fractions and layering them into a soil cover. Additionally, this study investigated whether preferential flow can be mitigated by increasing the number of layers and extending the interlayer transitions in fine-over-coarse-textured soil systems. Intermittent and constant infiltration experiments were conducted on homogeneous covers composed of natural sand, two-layered covers with abrupt and gradual interlayer transitions as well as on a four-layered cover under initially air-dry and field capacity (FC) conditions. Water storage capacities were determined from a sampling of soil covers' water content at FC. Infiltration experiments showed that all tested covers under all initial and boundary conditions had limited susceptibility to preferential flow. Increasing the number of layers and extending the interlayer transitions had a stabilizing effect on the wetting front. Water storage capacities and residence time increased with the increased number of layers. Overall, it has been shown that it is possible to improve the WSC of coarse-textured soil by fractionation and layering of it into a relatively fine-over-coarse soil system. La pre´sente e´tude de´termine si on peut augmenter de fac¸on appre´ciable la capacite´de stockage de l'eau par la se´paration du sol a`texture grossie`re en diverses granulome´tries, puis la superposition de strates pour cre´er une couverture. Les auteurs ont aussi examine´s'il est possible d'atte´nuer l'e´coulement pre´fe´rentiel en augmentant le nombre de strates et en permettant une plus grande transition entre elles, dans les syste`mes de sol fin sur sol grossier. Dans cette optique, ils ont re´alise´des expe´riences avec infiltration intermittente ou continue sur des couvertures homoge`nes compose´es de sable naturel, sur des couvertures de deux strates a`transition abrupte ou graduelle, et sur des couvertures de quatre couches a`capacite´de stockage initiale apre`s se´chage a`l'air ou correspondant aux conditions habituelles sur le terrain. La capacite´de stockage de l'eau a e´te´e´tablie a`partir de la teneur en eau d'un e´chantillon de couvertures de sol, dans les conditions sur le terrain normales. Les expe´riences d'infiltration indiquent que toutes les couvertures teste´es aux conditions initiales et limites re´agissent peu a`l'e´coulement pre´fe´rentiel. Quand on augmente le nombre de strates et la transition entre elles, le front d'humectation se stabilise. La capacite´de stockage de l'eau et le temps que celle-ci re´side dans le sol augmentent avec le nombre ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving water storage of reclamation soil covers by fractionation of coarse-textured soil

DobrovolskayaYekaterina

Chau

Cheng

2014

Can. J. Soil. Sci.

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“…Layering may also be a viable reclamation soil option because it concentrates the seed bank present in the FFMM to the surface layer rather than burying seeds and propagules at depth (MacKenzie and Quideau 2011). Layering also creates a break in the soil column which can result in a greater water holding capacity, an important factor in drier climates such as in northern Alberta (Li et al 2014;Zettl et al 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth and competition among understory plants varies with reclamation soil and fertilization

2018

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Introduction: Following oil sands mining in Alberta, Canada, the main land management goal is to establish a functioning boreal forest ecosystem, including the understory plant community. One of the challenges with restoring the understory is the presence of non-native species that compete with desirable native species for resources. In a greenhouse experiment, we studied the growth of two native understory species (Galium boreale and Vicia americana) and a non-native invasive species (Matricaria perforata) grown with either intra-or interspecific neighbors across three common land reclamation soils and a nitrogen fertilizer treatment. Results: When grown by itself, V. americana aboveground biomass did not differ among soil or fertilizer treatments, likely due to its ability to fix nitrogen. Growth of M. perforata was directly related to soil nitrogen, and it had the greatest increase in biomass with fertilization. Growth and biomass of G. boreale was less than the other species, and it had the highest mortality in the nitrogen-poor soil. When grown together, the proportional biomass of M. perforata and V. americana varied with soil treatment such that M. perforata was dominant in the high-nitrogen forest floormineral mix treatment while V. americana was dominant in the low-nitrogen peat-mineral mix. Conclusions: Operationally, care should be taken when applying fertilizer to reclamation areas, as it may have an unwanted positive effect on growth for undesirable non-native plants at the expense of native species. In terms of seed mixtures, V. americana may be a good option for low inorganic nitrogen resource soils and G. boreale for high nitrogen resource soils.

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“…The use of multiple amendments in the Demo plot was to test the influence of textural heterogeneity and multi-layered soil capping technique on hydrological processes. This soil capping approach has been demonstrated in several studies in the oil sands region (Barbour et al 2007;Zettl et al 2011). Both the lake sediment and LFH materials were dumped on the Demo plot and mounded using a loader to create a micro-hummocky surface that is intended to promote surface water infiltration and to create micro-sites for vegetation establishment.…”

Section: Description Of Soil Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This multi-layered soil cover configuration has been widely tested in soil capping prescriptions in the oil sands reclamation research (Barbour et al 2007;Zettl et al 2011). Based on infiltration tests on seven natural coarse-textured sites within the boreal forest in northeastern Alberta, Zettl et al (2011) showed that field capacity moisture contents of topsoils increased with textural heterogeneity, and were directly associated with ecosite productivity.…”

Section: Soil Water Dynamics and Solute Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of soil reclamation techniques at the Key Lake uranium mine

OlatuyiS.¹,

LeskiwL.²

2015

Can. J. Soil. Sci.

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Olatuyi, S. O. and Leskiw, L. A. 2015. Evaluation of soil reclamation techniques at the Key Lake uranium mine. Can. J. Soil Sci. 95: 153–176. Adequate soil nutrients and water supply are critical to vegetation establishment and creation of sustainable ecosystems in post-disturbed mining sites. This study investigated effects of various amendments and capping techniques on soil quality and moisture distribution on a reclaimed waste rock pile at the Key Lake uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Soil profiles were reconstructed in 2010 using locally available sandy glacial materials to create soil covers of 1 m thickness. The reclamation treatments consisted of a Control plot, commercial peat (Peat), a local lake sediment (Sediment), underlying flax straw (Straw), mulched forest floor and Ae (LFH), fertilizer (NPK), manure pellets (Pellets), and a demonstration plot (Demo) comprised of Sediment, LFH and Pellets. Soil amendments were applied by various techniques as broadcast, surface incorporation, below the surface or surface mounding. Annual plot monitoring was conducted from 2011 to 2013 and soil samples were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), available nutrients, cation exchange capacity (CEC), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and regulated metals. Volumetric moisture contents were measured periodically to examine soil moisture response to growing-season precipitation. In 2013, the topsoil of the Control plot was slightly acidic (pH of 6.3) while the Sediment and Demo plots had the lowest pH of 4.0. The EC and SAR values were below 1.0 in all treatment plots. The highest levels of available N, TN, TOC and CEC were in the Sediment and Demo plots, followed by the Peat. The concentration of arsenic exceeded the regulatory limit by 3.4- and 2.6-fold in the Sediment and Demo topsoil, respectively, while concentrations of other metals were below the limits in all treatment plots. The Sediment and Demo treatments were most effective in retaining water in the topsoil, while application of soil amendment by mounding enhanced infiltration and water transmission in the profile. In terms of soil fertility and moisture storage, the combination of organic amendments in multi-layers plus surface mounding, as in the Demo plot, is the most promising capping technique for restoring soil health, vegetative cover and ecosystem functions on the waste rock pile.

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Influence of textural layering on field capacity of coarse soils

Cited by 74 publications

References 20 publications

Improving water storage of reclamation soil covers by fractionation of coarse-textured soil

Improving water storage of reclamation soil covers by fractionation of coarse-textured soil

Growth and competition among understory plants varies with reclamation soil and fertilization

Evaluation of soil reclamation techniques at the Key Lake uranium mine

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