Three-dimensional visualization of preferential flow patterns in two soils

Visualization techniques were used to examine the basis of moisture distribution patterns in a clay soil and a water-repellent sandy soil. In the clay soil, spatial distributions of moisture contents and macropore networks were investigated with computed tomography (CT) images. The macropore networks were determined from CT images from a dry soil core, and the moisture content patterns from CT images after which KI-enriched water was applied. Soil moisture and bulk density were investigated and measured in a water-repellent sandy soil by intensive sampling of an area 1.2 m long and 0.6 m wide. The measured parameters were visualized in three dimensions with an IRIS Explorer on SGI-Indigo and SGI-Onyx computers