The Percolation of Rainwater Through Soil Demonstrated by Fluorescent Dyes

Abstract

Twelve fluorescent dyes were tested in the laboratory for their stability under conditions of alternate wetting and drying, and persistence of fluorescence in the presence of an acid soil. The strongly fluorescing Pyranine conc. was most suitable for tracing water percolating through soils. In the field this dye could be detected in the soil after several months and could be photographed in ultraviolet light. The greater percolation of water against tree trunks and lateral movement in the humus layer were demonstrated.

Sorption of four triarylmethane dyes in a sandy soil determined by batch and column experiments

“…18050) (Corey, 1968), Pyranine (C.I. 59040) (Reynolds, 1966), Lissamine Yellow FF (C.I. 56205) (Smettem and Trudgill, 1983), and Brilliant Blue FCF (C.I.…”

Quantifying preferential flows in porous soils: An original imaging and image processing procedure

“…Applying dye tracers and visualizing 978 − 1 − 4244 − 9631 − 0/10/$26.00 @2010 IEEE their path through soil pore networks is one of the popular method used to quantify the static (by estimating were the dye is located in soils) and dynamic (by estimating the dye concentration at a given location) aspects of flow. Soil scientists have been applying dye tracers to reveal active flow paths for 40 years [4]. More recently, visualizing dye patterns linked with image analysis allowed to automatically differentiate between stained and unstained soil [5].…”

An evaluation of some fluorescent and non‐fluorescent dyes in the identification of water transmission routes in soils

“…The use of fluorescein and pyranine dyes for the identification ofwater flow routes in soil is well documented (Reynolds, 1966;Aubertin, 1971; Ritchie et d., 1972;…”

“…The use of fluorescein and pyranine dyes for the identification ofwater flow routes in soil is well documented (Reynolds, 1966;Aubertin, 1971;Ritchie et d., 1972;Omoti & Wild, 1979). The adoption of these dyes results from a combination of desirable properties: high solubility in water, high intensity of fluorescence and low adsorption by soil due to an anionic nature when ionized.…”