Managing soil biophysical properties for environmental protection

doi:10.1016/S0167-8809(01)00255-9

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

Volume 88, Issue 2, February 2002, Pages 175-181

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(01)00255-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to show a possibility of management of soil physical properties for environmental protection. In order to do this a proposal for classification of soil properties into such groups as: physical, chemical, biological, physicochemical, biochemical, and biophysical has been presented. A special emphasis was placed on the physical and biophysical properties. The physical properties were subdivided into capacity and intensity parameters. The capacity parameters cannot be used for the definition of any soil or site specific process since they only define, e.g. the amount of soil mass per volume as the bulk density, but not the arrangement of the mass in the volume.

Biophysical soil properties are related to the links between physical and biological fluxes. These fluxes are the consequence of gradients caused by biological sources/sinks and by the transport parameters (conductivity, permeability, diffusivity). In addition, it is also necessary to consider the various phases existing in the soil. Thus, in the gas phase, the biophysical fluxes concern CH₄, CO₂, O₂, N₂, N₂O, etc. They are described by the Fick’s law, in which the driving force of the flux is the concentration change in space and time (δC/δx, t) and by the Darcy’s law, where the driving force is the pressure change in space and time (δp/δx, t). In the liquid phase, there are such flux phenomena as advection and diffusion, described by Darcy’s and Fick’s laws with pressure (δp/δx, t) and concentration (δC/δx, t) gradients as the driving forces. The biophysical phenomena in the solid phase are related, e.g. migration of organic matter, clay particles, sesquioxides, solubility and re-precipitation of minerals, etc. A special group of biophysical phenomena is related to the heat transfer driven by the temperature gradient variable in time (δT/δx, t) and described by the Fourier’s law.

The biophysical soil properties are important from the environmental point of view, as they are decisive for absorption/emission of oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, NO_x, etc. in the soil. Biophysical processes are also essential for functioning of a soil as a biofilter for solids, liquids, and gases. A general example of the role of soil biophysical processes in determination of efficiency of methane oxidation in soil layers, usually, covering re-cultivated municipal landfills, is presented. The example shows a great potential for management of these properties for the protection of the environment.

Introduction

There is an urgent need to possess better knowledge on the soil system in order to practice sustainable and healthy management, to protect the soil itself as well as the entire environment including hydrosphere, atmosphere and biota (Doran and Jones, 1996). One such possibility is through management of soil biophysical properties. Translation of such a complex system as soil processes into practical recommendations is not a simple task and a precise recognition of soil properties is necessary.

The aim of this paper was to present a possibility of management of soil biophysical properties for environmental protection. In order to do it, a classification of soil properties and processes from the physical, chemical and biological point of view was proposed. An example of the effect of soil biophysical properties on the efficiency of biological methane oxidation in the landfill re-cultivation soil layer constituting a methanotrophic biofilter reducing the amount of methane emitted to the atmosphere was presented. Such soil layers usually cover closed municipal landfills in numerous countries.

Section snippets

Definition of processes and functions in soils as the basis for further soil management strategies

In order to define biophysical aspects of soil processes more precisely and to discuss in more detail various consequences of soil management, it is necessary to determine strict categories of data and dimensions related to the soil. The word/meaning of “capacity” is strictly used only with respect to properties of the volume of any composition while “intensity” describes the site conditions. The capacity properties are related to the soil volume, e.g. they define the amount of soil mass per

Examples of particular biophysical soil properties related to gas phase in soil and their environmental consequences

The group of biophysical soil properties related to gas phase in soil is comprised of many gases, such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, ethylene, etc. Due to the scarcity of space, they will be presented only briefly here.

Example of managing biophysical soil properties for reduction of methane emission from landfills (soil as a biofilter of gases)

The functioning of soil as a biofilter of gases is illustrated on the example of soil layer used for re-cultivation of landfills. As it is known, the landfill is a kind of a biochemical reactor generating biogas containing different amounts of methane and other gases.

The gas flux through the soil can be described by the first Fick’s law: $F=−D δC δx$ where F is the diffusion rate of the gas under consideration (m s⁻¹), D the gas diffusion coefficient in the soil (m² s⁻¹), C the gas concentration in

Summary and conclusions

There is a strong link between soil biological and physical properties. In fact, most fluxes in soil are of biophysical character (e.g. emission of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, …). They are connected with the purity of atmospheric air and of water quality. Better understanding of the inter-relations among biophysical properties in soils offers a possibility of their management towards environmental protection. A possibility of mitigation of methane emission from landfills to the

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^☆: Paper submitted to Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment for consideration as a special issue for publication of the Proceedings of the International Conference on “Soil Health as an Indicator of Sustainable Land Management” held 24–25 June 1999 at the Gaia Environmental Research and Education Center, Kifissia, Athens, Greece (submitted, September 2000. Final Draft — 30 May 2001).

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Managing soil biophysical properties for environmental protection☆