Abstract
Hydraulic parameters affect the behaviour of various ions in soils. The goal of this paper is to get a better understanding of the relationship between physical and chemical properties and soil permeability at the location of the case study soil profile Velika Gorica, based on physical and chemical data. The soil profile is situated in the Eutric Cambisol of the Zagreb aquifer, Croatia. The Zagreb aquifer represents the only source of potable water for inhabitants of the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb County. Based on the data obtained from particle size analysis, soil hydraulic parameters and measured water content, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity values were calculated for the estimation of soil profile permeability. Soil water retention curves and unsaturated hydraulic conductivities are very similar for all depths because soil texture does not change significantly through the depth. Determination of major anions and cations on soil samples was performed using the method of ion chromatography. The results showed a decrease of ions concentrations after a depth of 0.6 m. SAR distribution in the soil profile shows that SAR values are not significantly changing in the soil profile. The highest CEC and EC values are determined in the horizon Bw developed at a depth of 0.6 m which is consistent with the highest SAR value and ion concentrations. All results suggest that physical and chemical properties of the investigated profile are related to soil permeability.
Highlights
IntroductionGroundwater composition and quality can be affected by various contaminants
Due to human activity, groundwater composition and quality can be affected by various contaminants
Based on the data obtained from particle size analysis, soil hydraulic parameters and measured water content, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity values were calculated for the estimation of soil proƤle permeability
Summary
Groundwater composition and quality can be affected by various contaminants. The unsaturated zone mostly presents a barrier for many contaminants, in some cases, it can act as a medium for the transport of potential contaminants to groundwater bodies. Throughout history, numerous equations were suggested for the construction of soil water retention curves. Buckingham (1907) calculated the ¿rst equations and created SWRC. Analyses have shown that water Àow through soil is directly proportional to the hydraulic conductivity (Fredlund et al, 1994). Theoretical soil water retention curves (SWRC) and associated unsaturated hydraulic conductivities can be used for the estimation of soil permeability based on the variation of water content (Ružiþiü et al, 2017). Even though different values of hydraulic conductivity can be used as a boundary between permeable and impermeable materials, in this research, the
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