Aaron Guerra’s Post

The #hydrological_cycle is strongly affected by #climate_changes, #modelling is an essential tool to estimate the consequences on #water_resources and to test the #sustainability of the different land uses. 📢 We are excited to share with you our latest article in Land MDPI journal, #Special_Issue #Advances #in #Hydro-#Sedimentological #Modeling #for #Simulating #LULC where this study aimed to determine #Soil_physical_properties describing #water_flow which are essential to feed the #models. #Physically based and #statistical #pedotransfer_functions based on #PSD were compared to test their potential use for different types of #TUNISIAN_soils. The functional sensitivity of these parameters was assessed by employing the #Hydrus_1D software for #water_balance computations. The results highlight the importance of studying the determination sensitivity at small and large scale of soil hydraulic parameters, and the #data_weather collection as a crucial inputs for #modeling. These results provide valuable information for decision-making processes linked to #watershed_modeling, and the implementation of more effective #water_management_strategies. #IRD #Laboratoire #d'étude #des #Interactions #Sol - #Agrosystème - #Hydrosystème #LISAH #PRIMA_Altos #INAT I would like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to this article. For further details: https://lnkd.in/dC3qQwbR

🌟 Automatic Calibration of Soil Constitutive Models 🌟 #AutomaticCalibration of soil #ConstitutiveModels can be particularly challenging for optimisation algorithms - especially for cyclic loading. To tackle these challenges, we introduce #DEEM (Differential Evolution with Elitism and Multi-populations), a novel Differential Evolution algorithm that incorporates elitism and multi-population strategies. In our paper, we demonstrate that DEEM outperforms state-of-the-art DE algorithms in convergence and accuracy on CEC 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2022 benchmarks. Its application to the #AutomaticCalibration of soil #ConstitutiveModels highlights its practical impact. 📄 Check out the paper here: https://lnkd.in/eVKu-asg This research was co-authored with Simon Siegel and Hauke Zachert - all based at Technische Universität Darmstadt. #Optimisation #DifferentialEvolution #HeuristicOptimisation #AutomaticCalibration #GeotechnicalEngineering #ConstitutiveModels #DEEM

A new publication from our group demonstrates, for the first time, the real-time flow exchange between earthworm burrows and the surrounding soil. In addition to practical micrometric scale quantifications at drilosphere, this type of experiment will propel a breakthrough in mathematical modelling that integrates water movement and soil structural dynamics to a level of plot scale. https://lnkd.in/eQak7d47

Understanding the soil and its fertility is vital for every farmer.

I am excited to share a new publication from my PhD student, Saeed Nikghalb, which represents a significant step forward in our understanding of hydraulic conductivity in sandy soils. The journey to this research began over 10 years ago while I was working at Lincoln Agritech with Roland Stenger and Greg Barkle. Back then, we struggled to achieve consistent measurements of hydraulic conductivity, with each test producing different results. This challenge became the foundation of Saeed’s PhD work, where he approached the problem with precision and persistence under controlled lab conditions. In this study, we discovered that even under strictly controlled conditions, hydraulic conductivity changes due to the laboratory test itself. This raises important questions about existing standards for measuring hydraulic conductivities and the long-term behaviour of these parameters. The publication, "Examining the Mid to Long-Term Variability in Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity of Sandy Soils and Its Influencing Factors Under Constant Head Test in the Laboratory," offers critical insights into how saturated hydraulic conductivity can vary and the factors that drive these changes, challenging long-standing assumptions in the field. Special thanks to Vicki Moon and Adrian Pittari for their valuable contributions to this study. You can read more about the research here: DOI: 10.1029/2023WR036164 #hydrology #research #science #soilscience #PhD #HydraulicConductivity #SaturatedSoils #ConstantHeadTest

A new Open access paper from our team: Using MIR and XRF spectroscopy to develop a heavy metal leaching potential model in Irish top soils The European Union aim to have all soils healthy by 2050. However, a major challenge to soil health monitoring is identifying key metrics for soil health indicators. Moreover, how to analyse numerous soil properties which are time-consuming, labour intensive and expensive. MIR spectroscopy is a rapid, non-destructive cheaper alternative to wet chemical methods. Here, we combined known soil properties that limit transport of heavy metals (i.e. drainage class, depth, organic matter, particle size/texture, bulk density and cation-exchange-capacity) to develop a topsoil (≤50 cm) leaching potential model. More details at: https://lnkd.in/eYFSKTjN

Exciting news! 🌊🦠 My team's paper, "Perspective of Hydrodynamics in Microbial-Induced Carbonate Precipitation: A Bibliometric Analysis and Review of Research Evolution," has been published in the Hydrology journal. Microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) shows promise in soil improvement, bioremediation, and concrete repair, but there's a lack of comprehensive bibliometric analyses in hydrodynamics. Our study analyzed 1098 articles from Scopus (1999–2024) using VOSviewer and R Studio, revealing insights into publications, citations, authors, countries, journals, keywords, and research terms. We found global participation from 66 countries, with China and the US leading. Top-cited papers discussed ureolytic microorganisms for soil enhancement, MICP mechanisms, concrete repair, and soil hydraulic properties. Keywords like calcium carbonate, permeability, and Sporosarcina pasteurii were pivotal. Co-occurrence analysis identified clusters like microbial cementation and geological properties, advancing our understanding of MICP's interdisciplinary nature and its environmental role. The full copy is available at https://lnkd.in/de-kUggy

The ERW team at Yale has been publishing some cool "thought experiment" papers on both empirical measurement of EW and numerical simulation of EW. This one out friday joins the list! Nestled in among the mathematical development, the geochemical data, and analytical chemistry is a key mental construct that made me do a double-take: The application rates for rock dust to fields in Figure 4 include 11 categories: 0-10 t/ha 10-20 t/ha 20-30 t/ha 30-40 t/ha 40-60 t/ha 60-80 t/ha 80-100 t/ha 100-125 t/ha 125-150 t/ha 150-200 t/ha 200+ t/ha The range of application rates that farmers currently put liming material on their farm is only one of those: 0-10 t/ha Now, I know (too well) the important point the authors are making: it is hard to resolve signal under many combinations of soil, feedstock, application rate, and dissolution rate. But, I think the actual challenge is how to do this under the more restrictive condition of realistic application rates. That's my only ish. But don't take mine as the last word -- read the paper yourself! 👏

Soil structure and soil aggregates 🔬🟤 💡 A well-structured soil is vital for supporting plant growth, enhancing carbon sequestration, regulating water movement, and providing a habitat for macro- and microorganisms.  🛠️ The functionality of pores is controlled by their architecture (size, shape, and localization in the solid phase), which determines their basic functions: - permeability (transport), - storage, - habitat formation. 🪨 Aggregates are classified into the following types, possessing their specific functions: ✔️ ELEMENTARY SOIL PARTICLES (ESPs) - solid-phase products consisting of chemically and chemically interacting elements such as rocks, mineral debris, particulate organic matter, and SOM particles, - important for chemical buffering, nutrient and carbon storage. ✔️ MICROAGGREGATES - more complex soil structures than elementary soil particles, consisting predominantly of ESPs and organic residues, - important for water storage properties and microbiota habitat formation, - responsible for storing the energy accumulated in pedogenesis. ✔️ WATER-STABLE AGGREGATES - complex soil structures that are strong enough to withstand the pressure of air trapped in the capillaries or the pressure created by swelling, - important for soil physical stability and water infiltration. ✔️ MACROAGGREGATES (field aggregates) - soil structural units that are formed when air-dried soils are broken down by mechanical impact, - important to ensure physical stability that supports root growth, habitat for microorganisms and soil animals. Video: soil aggregate modeling using a neural network to analyze X-ray CT data. Gray components are mineral solids, connected pores are uniquely colored, and particulate organic matter is brown, 650 nm resolution (credits: Devin Rippner, PhD). #soil #biology

In this new paper led by research scientist Jicai Zeng, we studied how groundwater table fluctuations (GWT) change the leaching dynamics of PFAS in source zones. - GWT fluctuations enhance source-zone PFAS leaching, but the enhanced leaching is significantly reduced in heterogeneous source zones. - GWT fluctuations and lateral migration above the GWT lead to a downgradient persistent secondary source zone for longer-chain PFAS. - We develop simplified modeling strategies to estimate the lower- and upper-bounds of PFAS source-zone leaching under GWT fluctuations. https://lnkd.in/ggYFjFhD