Soil moisture and evaporation:

cracks in earth-atmosphere interactions

Do you think you really need this snorkel ?

Uri Nachshon Yonatan Ganot Noam Weisbrod Maria Dragila

Evaporation rates and consequent salt accumulation in natural surface exposed fracture were found to be few orders of magnitude higher than the computed pure diffusive evaporation.

Weisbrod, N., Nativ, R., Adar, E. and Ronen, D., 2000: Salt accumulation and flushing in unsaturated fractures in an arid environment. Ground Water 38 (3), 452-461.

Weisbrod, N. and Dragila, M. I., 2006: Potential impact of convective fracture venting on salt-crust buildup and groundwater salinization in arid environments. Journal of Arid Environments 65, 386-399.

During day time; stable thermal conditions.

During night time; unstable thermal conditions.

Will thermal convection occur?

How much wind will affect Fractures ventilation.

Materials & Methods

50cm

50cm

Ra=10000 Aperture 2cm, T=5C

Ra=30000 Aperture 2cm, T=13C

TgkL Buoyancy Ra v Viscosity

Mass transfer rates and Max. velocity

Convection / Diffusion

Materials & Methods

2m
A

Thermal convection average duration

Ventilation depth for various winds

Wind vs. no wind (sealed) conditions

Hele-Shaw ventilation by wind

Ventilation depth as function of fracture aperture and wind velocity

No limitations for fractures; Animal burrows

Similar patterns in vertical and inclined boreholes

No limitations for fractures; Tilled ground

No limitations for fractures; Large ancient well

~5m

* karst cavities

Summary:
Thermal convection and wind pumping may increase ground ventilation by more than two orders of magnitude compare to pure diffusion. You really
dont need this snorkel !

These mechanisms should not be ignored when dealing with Earth-atmosphere interactions!

Evaporation ! CO2, CH4 and other gasses emission !

Thank you !