Characteristics and the driving factors of vapor condensation in different soil textures
Description
Vapor condensation is important for dryland ecosystems. However, the effects of soil type and texture on vapor condensation are not well quantified. In this study, five typical soils were chosen to investigate the influence of soil texture on vapor condensation at a field site on the southern Loess Plateau in Shaanxi, China, using an array of on-site micro-observation cylinders and devices for meteorological measurements. Results showed that: (1) The average daily condensation on gravel, coarse sand, medium sand, loamy sand, and silty loam, showed an increasing trend with the fineness of the soil from 0.133, 0.176, 0.214, 0.309 to 0.609 mm∙d-1, respectively, with significant differences (p < 0.01); (2) The response of different textures to relative air humidity and ground temperature to dewpoint difference varied. With the increasing relative humidity and decreasing ground temperature to dewpoint difference, the condensation increased in different soils; (3) The ratio of condensation in a certain soil to that in the coarse sand (/) is positively and logarithmically related to the soil’s silt-to-sand ratio (Kf) (p < 0.05), with a general fitting equation being , which can be used to estimate the amount of vapor condensation in different soils and provide a reference for the evaluation of dew amount in a soil texture.