Fractals in Soil Science

by Baveye, P.; Parlange, J. Y.; Stewart, B. A.

• ISBN13: 9781566701051
• ISBN10: 1566701058
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-12-01
• Publisher: CRC Pr I Llc

Summary

This insightful and timely book was designed to provide detailed and comprehensive information on the current status of the application of fractal geometry in soil science, and on prospects for its future use. Applications of fractals in soil science are both relatively recent and in constant evolution. This book reflects accurately existing trends, by presenting sharp differences among the viewpoints expressed in contributed chapters.Features-- Practical applications include plotting water conductivity through different types of soil studying plant root systems, and charting the interactions of microbes with soil-- Contributions from more than 30 experts present diverse viewpoints-- Illustrations and tables make data easy to understand-- An introductory chapter reviews theoretical foundations of fractal geometry to present self-contained coverage suitable for textbook use

Table of Contents

Fractal Geometry, Fragmentation Processes and the Physics of Scale-Invariance: An Introduction	1	(54)
P. Baveye
C.W. Boast
Structural Hierarchy and Molecular Accessibility in Clayey Aggregates	55	(20)
H. Van Damme
Fractal Probes of Humic Aggregation: Scattering Techniques for Fractal Dimension Determinations	75	(38)
V. Homer
Fractal Geometry and the Description of Plant Root Systems: Current Perspectives and Future Applications	113	(40)
G. Berntson
J. Lynch
S. Snapp
Quantification of Soil Microtopography and Surface Roughness	153	(16)
C.-h. Huang
Fractal Models of Fragmented and Aggregated Soils	169	(34)
M. Rieu
E. Perrier
Fractals and Soil Structure	203	(30)
F. Bartoli
P. Dutartre
V. Gomendy
S. Niquet
M. Dubuit
H. Vivier
The Interactions between Soil Structure and Microbial Dynamics	233	(28)
J.W. Crawford
I.M. Young
Using Fractal Dimensions of Stained Flow Patterns in Clay Soils to Predict Bypass Flow	261	(32)
R. Hatano
H.W.G. Booltink
2-D and 3-D Fingering in Unsaturated Soils Investigated by Fractal Analysis, Invasion Percolation Modeling and Non-Destructive Image Processing	293	(40)
S. Crestana
A.N.D. Posadas
Soil-Water Conductivity of a Fractal Soil	333	(8)
C. Fuentes
M. Vauclin
J.-Y. Parlange
R. Haverkamp
A Pseudo-Fractal Model for Hydraulic Property Distributions in Porous Media	341	(32)
F.J. Molz
T.A. Hewett
G.K. Bowman
Index	373