DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Vesicular soil horizons - the fragile skin of desert soils: Their distribution, formation processes, and relation to surface hydrology in the western U.S.A.

在地球上干燥的地区，包括美国西部的大片地区发现的土壤，在土壤表面或其附近有一层独特的气泡状孔隙，被称为泡状土壤。这些层相对较薄，通常小于10厘米，但可以作为防水皮肤，决定水是否从土壤表面渗透、流失或蒸发。在西南沙漠建设太阳能和风力发电设施的计划引起了人们对以前未开发土地日益增加的土壤干扰的担忧。这些土壤的形成仍然是个谜。本项目将评价沙漠中囊泡层的形成，包括其分布、形成及其与土壤水分运动的关系。将使用一个指数来量化各层的相对发展。这项研究还考虑了解释水泡孔形成的新方法，比如用与气体温度和体积有关的基本化学原理来模拟它们的膨胀。这项研究将包括分析土壤数据库、实验室实验和实地研究。一种新的方法是使用高分辨率CAT扫描来观察土壤样本内部，在不破坏土壤结构的情况下检查孔隙的大小和形状。研究结果将在专业会议和高中课堂上展示。研究结果还将用于正式承认泡状土壤的建议。干旱土地的管理目前正处于关键时刻，大量能源设施的计划正在制定和审查中。由于水疱层是一种脆弱的表面，在受到干扰时极易受到风和水的侵蚀，采用这一术语将提高人们的认识，并突出干旱西部的管理选择。

Soils found in dry parts of the Earth, including large areas of the western United States, that have a layer of distinctive bubble like pores at or near the soil surface, are called vesicular soils. These layers are relatively thin, usually less than 10 cm, but can act as a water repellent skin that determines whether water infiltrates, runs off, or evaporates from the soil surface. Plans for solar and wind power facilities in the deserts of the southwest have raised concern about increased soil disturbance in previously undeveloped lands. The formation of these soils is still a mystery. This project will evaluate the formation of vesicular layers in deserts, including their distribution, formation and relation to soil water movement. An index will be used to quantify the relative development of the layers. The study also considers new ways to explain the formation of vesicular pores, such as modeling their expansion using basic chemical principals relating the temperature and volume of gases. The study will include analyses of soil data bases, laboratory experiments and field studies. One new approach will be to use high resolution CAT scans to look inside soil samples and examine the size and shape of the pores without disrupting soil structure. Results will be presented at professional meetings and in high school classes. Results will also be used in a proposal for the formal recognition of vesicular soils. Management of arid lands is at a critical moment right now, with plans for extensive energy facilities under development and review. Since the vesicular layer is a fragile surface that is highly susceptible to erosion by wind and water when it is disturbed, adoption of this terminology will increase awareness and highlight management options for the arid west.