Renaud et al. (2026) Controls of bulk density and grain size on Stage 1 evaporation from packed sand columns

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Vadose Zone Journal
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-01
• Authors: Alberto de la Fuente, Francisco Suárez
• DOI: 10.1002/vzj2.70145

Research Groups

• Department of Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
• Institute of Hydrology and Meteorology, University of Hamburg

Short Summary

This study investigates the impact of bulk density on Stage 1 evaporation in sandy systems using controlled laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. The results show that evaporation dynamics are influenced by the interplay between capillary flow, water storage, and hydraulic connectivity across layers.

Objective

• Investigate the effect of bulk density changes and its vertical distribution on Stage 1 evaporation in sandy systems

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Laboratory scale (repacked columns)
• Temporal Scale: Short-term to medium-term (hours to days)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: HYDRUS-1D
• Data sources: Controlled laboratory experiments, numerical simulations

Main Results

• Increasing bulk density reduces the duration of Stage 1 evaporation (tS1) and associated cumulative evaporation (ES1) in homogeneous profiles
• Vertically heterogeneous profiles exhibit texture-dependent responses to surface compaction
• Surface compaction can prolong Stage 1 evaporation in finer sands by maintaining near-surface hydraulic connectivity

Contributions

• Provides a physically based framework for improving the representation of evaporation processes in vadose-zone models
• Highlights the limitations of characteristic length as a predictive tool under heterogeneous conditions

Funding

• National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant #1856077
• German Research Foundation (DFG) Grant #421895444

Citation

@article{Renaud2026Controls,
  author = {Renaud, Jorge and Fuente, Alberto de la and Suárez, Francisco},
  title = {Controls of bulk density and grain size on Stage 1 evaporation from packed sand columns},
  journal = {Vadose Zone Journal},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/vzj2.70145},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.70145}
}