From above the forest into the soil – How wind affects soil gas transport through air pressure fluctuations

[en] Molecular diffusion is commonly assumed as main physical process of gas transport in soils. However, non-diffusive gas transport processes like the so-called pressure-pumping effect can affect soil gas transport significantly. The pressure-pumping effect has only been detected indirectly and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Using a novel in situ method the soil gas transport at a conifer forest site was monitored over a seven-week period. Airflow and air pressure were simultaneously measured above and below the forest canopy and air pressure was also measured in the soil. During episodes of high above-canopy wind speed, the effective soil gas diffusivity temporarily increased due to pressure-pumping. The enhancement of the gas transport rate in the topsoil reached up to 30%. We found that the best meteorological proxy explaining this effect was related to air pressure fluctuations measured at soil surface and not the mean wind speed directly above ground. While sub-canopy wind speeds continuously decreased from the bottom of the tree crown to the soil surface, amplitudes of the air pressure fluctuations were nearly constant in the whole sub-canopy profile and in the soil. We hypothesize that the air pressure fluctuations responsible for pressure-pumping are related to characteristics of above-canopy airflow rather than to airflow directly above the soil surface. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.

Disciplines :

Environmental sciences & ecology

Author, co-author :

Laemmel, T.; Soil Ecology, University of Freiburg, Bertoldstrasse 17, Freiburg, 79098, Germany

Mohr, M.; Environmental Meteorology, University of Freiburg, Werthmannstrasse 10, Freiburg, 79085, Germany

Longdoz, Bernard ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Ingénierie des biosystèmes (Biose) > Biosystems Dynamics and Exchanges

Schack-Kirchner, H.; Soil Ecology, University of Freiburg, Bertoldstrasse 17, Freiburg, 79098, Germany

Lang, F.; Soil Ecology, University of Freiburg, Bertoldstrasse 17, Freiburg, 79098, Germany

Schindler, D.; Environmental Meteorology, University of Freiburg, Werthmannstrasse 10, Freiburg, 79085, Germany

Maier, M.; Soil Ecology, University of Freiburg, Bertoldstrasse 17, Freiburg, 79098, Germany, Forest Research Institute Baden Wuerttemberg (FVA), Wohnhaldestrasse 4, Freiburg, 79100, Germany

Language :

English

Title :

From above the forest into the soil – How wind affects soil gas transport through air pressure fluctuations

Publication date :

2019

Journal title :

Agricultural and Forest Meteorology

ISSN :

0168-1923

eISSN :

1873-2240

Publisher :

Elsevier B.V.

Volume :

265

Pages :

424-434

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Name of the research project :

SCHI 868/3-1; SCHA 1528/1-1

Funders :

DFG - Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [DE]

Available on ORBi :

since 02 February 2019

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