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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 45(4)

Relationship between dielectric permittivity and water content for vadose zone materials of volcanic origin

R. Stenger A C , T. Wöhling A , G. F. Barkle B and A. Wall A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Lincoln Environmental Research, Lincoln Ventures Ltd, Private Bag 3062, Hamilton, New Zealand.

B Aqualinc Research Ltd, PO Box 14-041, Enderley, Hamilton 3252, New Zealand.

C Corresponding author. Email: stenger@lvlham.lincoln.ac.nz

Australian Journal of Soil Research 45(4) 299-309 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR06172
Submitted: 8 December 2006  Accepted: 27 April 2007   Published: 28 June 2007

Abstract

Seven materials, encompassing a young volcanic soil, its parent material, two older buried soils (Palaeosols), and an underlying older volcanic deposit were investigated in a laboratory study to determine the relationship between dielectric permittivity (ϵc) and water content (θ). Empirical 3rd-order polynomial models generally fitted the data better than semi-physical 3-phase mixing models and normalised conversion functions. Based on their different dielectric response, which presumably is mainly due to their different bulk density (and thus porosity), the materials could be grouped into Ignimbrite materials and Palaeosol materials. Relative to the Ignimbrites, Palaeosols showed a particularly muted response at the low end of dielectric permittivity measurements, which could be due to a particularly high amount of bound water in these allophane-rich materials and/or to greater microstructural and phase configuration effects. Applying the Topp equation resulted in substantial underestimations of the water contents of both groups. A relationship previously developed on New Zealand sandy volcanic soils fitted our Ignimbrite materials well, but still underestimated the water contents of the Palaeosols substantially. Normalised conversion functions described both material groupings reasonably well, demonstrating that bulk density differences can explain a substantial part of the variation of ϵc–θ relationships between different materials.

Additional keywords: soil moisture, time domain reflectometry, pumice, allophane.


Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST) for funding this work as part of LVL’s Groundwater Quality Protection Programme (8137-ASXS-LVL). Thanks also to Karin Müller (AgResearch) for the loan of equipment. Useful comments by 3 anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged. This work forms part of the IRAP partnership and the Taupo Collaborative Study Group.


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