SST3005

Fundamentals of Soil
Science
Adibah Mohd. Amin, Ph.D
Department of Land Management
Faculty of Agriculture
adibahamin@upm.edu.my
 Lecture 8

SOIL AERATION AND

TEMPERATURE
Pictorial
Description of
Soil Air
 Soil aeration - PROCESSES
Excessive moisture
o fill pore with water, limit availability of O2
o soil saturated or inundated with water
o hydrophyte – wetland plant
o most plants need O2 from soil

Gas Exchange
o through mass flow and diffusion
o Mostly diffusion because slope or differential
equivalent pressure
o slope for each individual gas

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 4

SOIL AERATION – CHARACTERISATION
METHODS
Composition of Soil Air
o O2 : ~19% to <5% (atmosphere : 21%)
- May be 0% in submerged soil
o CO2 : 0.35% - 10% (atmosphere : 0.035%)

o Other gas: vapor H2O – nearly saturated, H2S, CH4, C2H2

Porosity filled by air

o > 20% good for microbe growth
o Slower diffusion in water-filled pores

o When low, water fills pore and can result in anaerobic

condition 5
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005)
 SOIL AERATION –OXIDATION (REDOX)

Composition of Gas in soil air

2FeO + 2H2O  2FeOOH + 2H+ + 2e-
Fe2+ Fe3+
o can measure redox potential by Pt electrode

o oxidizing agent : receive electron

o reducing agent : donate electron

Function of O2
o strong oxidizing agent
0.5O2 + 2H+ + 2e-  H2O
2FeO + 2H2O  2FeOOH + 2H+ + 2e-
0.5O2 + 2H+ + 2e-  H2O 6

2FeO + 0.5O2 + H2O  2FeOOH Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005)

 Fig. Eh-pH

Effect of pH on
redox potential,
Eh

Eh decreases
when pH
increases

Other reaction
occur when Eh
decreases

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005)

VARIOUS FORMS OF ELEMENTS IN SOIL Eh

OXIDIZED REDUCED
FORMS FORMS Eh WHERE FORM CHANGE (V)

O2 H2O 0.38 to 0.32

NO3- N2 0.28 to 0.22

Mn+ 4
Mn+2 0.22 to 0.18

Fe+3 Fe+2 0.11 to 0.08

SO42- S-2 -0.14 to -0.17

CO2 CH4 -0.2 to -0.28

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 8

 Soil Aeration- INFLUENCING FACTORS

Excessive drainage
- Drainage from macro-pore supply soil air
- Texture, BD, aggregate stability, %OM, Bio-pore
formation determine shape of macro-pore
Rate of soil respiration

- Increase in respiration rate by microbe will change

gas composition
Top vs Sub soil
- normally, subsoil lesser O2 content that top soil

- Total pore and macro pore is lower in subsoil

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 9

 Soil Aeration- INFLUENCING FACTORS
Non-uniformity of soil
- profile : decreases O2 with depth
- plow : increases in a short duration; uniformity
depends on methods
- Macro pore : can be filled with water
- Plant roots : increase or decrease O2
Seasonal change
- wet : low gas exchange
- Dry : high gas exchange
Vegetation effect

- Root respiration
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 10
 Soil Aeration- INFLUENCING FACTORS

Decomposition of organic waste

o Organic compounds decompose through oxidation
process

Poor aeration slow down decomposition

Oxidation-reduction of elements

o level O2 determines forms

o nutrient elements : C, N, S, Fe, Mn
o toxic elements: As, Cr, Se
Soil color determined by Fe and Mn compounds
o light colors indicate oxidized condition
o darkFundamentals
or grayish color indicate reduced condition
of Soil Science (SST3005) 11
 SOIL TEMPERATURE
PROCESSES THAT ARE AFFECTED

Plant Processes

o Germination, Growth and Flowering

o Temperature range for various plant species

o Root functions

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 12

 SOIL TEMPERATURE
PROCESSES THAT ARE AFFECTED

Microbiological Processes

o “zero biology” at 5 oC

o rate > 2x for every 10 oC increase in

temperature until 35 – 40 oC

o can give NH3 in cold region, NO3- will not be formed

until temperature is 30 oC

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 13

 SOIL TEMPERATURE
PROCESSES THAT ARE AFFECTED

Freeze-Thaw

o Ice lens can destroy soil structure

o alternate freeze-thaw can uplift soil and plant

o Root functions

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 14

 SOIL TEMPERATURE
PROCESSES THAT ARE AFFECTED

Freezing
o approximately 25% of earth’s surface is covered by ice

o Can increase CO2 production

o Thawing ice can cause instability in soil

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 15

 SOIL TEMPERATURE
PROCESSES THAT ARE AFFECTED

Soil Temperature due to Fire

o Natural fire give minimal increase in soil temperature

o “shifting cultivation” can increase soil temperature

o Can produce hydrophobic compound, decreasing it

water adsorption capacity
o Many seeds need heat to germinate

o Burning plant waste can kill weed seeds.

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 16

 SOIL TEMPERATURE
THERMAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL

Specific heat of soil

o Is heat capacity per unit of mass

o water specific heat = 1.00 cal/g

o Specific heat of air dry soil = 0.2 cal/g

o Wet soil is heated much slower than dry soil

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 17

 SOIL TEMPERATURE
THERMAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL

Heat of vaporization

o Vaporizing water from soil needs 540 kcal/g heat

energy

o has potential to cool down soil

o Wet soil feel cold because of vaporization and high

specific heat

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 18

 SOIL TEMPERATURE
THERMAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL

Thermal conductivity of soil

o Rate of heat flow is determined by exerting force and
easiness of heat flow according to Fourier Law:

Qh = K * (T/x)
Qh = thermal flux
K = thermal conductivity
T/x = slope of temperature per distance as exerting
force

o Wet compacted soil has higher rate of heat flow

o Dry soil is a good insulator

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 19

 SOIL TEMPERATURE
THERMAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL

Fluctuation of soil temperature

o Changes seasonally and periodically

Vertical and seasonal soil temperature change

o High surface variation

o Low subsurface variation

o Changes in the subsurface is delayed from the

surface
o There is a change at 300 cm depth

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 20

 SOIL TEMPERATURE
THERMAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL

Daily variation

o Air temperature is at maximum at 2 pm

o Soil temperature maximum is at late afternoon

o A small variation in the subsoil

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 21

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 22