Water Vapor Sorption Behavior of Wildfire-Burnt Soil
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 11
Abstract
Wildfires and associated wetting-induced slope stability issues (i.e., erosion, shallow landslides, and debris flows) are common problems all around the world. The water-retention mechanism of the burnt soil after a severe wildfire is adsorption followed by capillary condensation as saturation increases. During this time, soil is more susceptible to runoff-dominated erosion and associated debris flows. The water vapor sorption behavior of wildfire-burnt soil and wildfire ash is not fully known. This study investigates the evolution of water vapor sorption behavior of wildfire-burnt soil over a year and the impact of wildfire ash on the sorption behavior of burnt soil. Soil samples were collected from the surface and from 50-cm depth, and ash samples were collected from the surface at varying times after the 2019 Williams Flats Wildfire in Colville Indian Reservation, Washington State. Soil water retention curves of the surface soil and 50-cm soil were measured using a potentiometer. Hysteretic water vapor sorption isotherms were obtained along adsorption and desorption paths using a dynamic water vapor sorption analyzer. Several different parameters including maximum adsorbed water content, degree of hysteresis, specific surface area, and transition relative humidity were calculated from water vapor sorption isotherms and used to evaluate the sorption behavior of wildfire-burnt soil and wildfire ash. The results indicate that (1) wildfire ash is hydrophilic, has an active surface, and contributes to water retention; and (2) spatial redistribution of ash may result in fluctuations in the water retention of burnt soil over time.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that supports the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant CMMI 1932129. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF. We would like to thank Colville Indian Reservation for providing access to the site and Dr. Peter R. Robichaud and Robert E. Brown for their help with site selection and field work.
References
Adamson, A. W. 1968. “An adsorption model for contact angle and spreading.” J. Colloid Interface Sci. 27 (2): 180–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9797(68)90025-8.
Akin, I. D., and W. J. Likos. 2014. “Specific surface area of clay using water vapor and EGME sorption methods.” Geotech. Test. J. 37 (6): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ20140064.
Akin, I. D., and W. J. Likos. 2016. “Water vapor sorption of polymer-modified bentonites.” In Proc., Geo-Chicago 2016 Technical Papers. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Akin, I. D., and W. J. Likos. 2017a. “Evaluation of isotherm models for water vapor sorption behavior of expansive clays.” J. Perform. Constr. Facil. 31 (1): D4016001. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000899.
Akin, I. D., and W. J. Likos. 2017b. “Implications of surface hydration and capillary condensation for strength and stiffness of compacted clay.” J. Eng. Mech. 143 (8): 04017054. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EM.1943-7889.0001265.
Akin, I. D., and W. J. Likos. 2020. “Relationship between water vapor sorption kinetics and clay surface properties.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 146 (9): 06020015. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002337.
ASTM. 2017. Standard practice for classification of soils for engineering purposes (unified soil classification system). ASTM D2487-11. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Badmann, R., N. Stockhausen, and M. J. Setzer. 1981. “The statistical thickness and the chemical potential of adsorbed water films.” J. Colloid Interface Sci. 82 (2): 534–542. https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9797(81)90395-7.
Bodi, M. B., D. A. Martin, V. N. Balfour, C. Santin, S. H. Doerr, A. Cerda, and J. Mataix-Solera. 2014. “Wildland fire ash: Production, composition and eco-hydro-geomorphic effects.” Earth Sci. Rev. 130 (Mar): 103–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.12.007.
Bodi, M. B., J. Mataix-Solera, S. H. Doerr, and A. Cerda. 2011. “The wettability of ash from burned vegetation and its relationship to Mediterranean plant species type, burn severity and total organic carbon content.” Geoderma 160 (3–4): 599–607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2010.11.009.
Brunauer, S. 1945. “The adsorption of gases and vapors,.” In Physical adsorption Vol. 1. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Brunauer, S., P. H. Emmett, and E. Teller. 1938. “Adsorption of gases in multimolecular layers.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 60 (2): 309–319. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja01269a023.
Campbell, G. S., D. M. Smith, and B. L. Teare. 2007. “Application of a dew point method to obtain the soil water characteristic.” In Experimental unsaturated soil mechanics, edited by T. Schanz, 71–77. Berlin: Springer.
Cannon, S. H., J. E. Gartner, C. Parrett, and M. Parise. 2003. “Wildfire-related debris-flow generation through episodic progressive sediment-bulking processes, western USA.” In Proc., 3rd Int. Conf. on Debris-Flow Hazards Mitigation—Mechanics, Prediction, and Assessment, edited by D. Rickenmann and C. L. Chen, 71–82. Washington, DC: USGS.
Cerdà, A., and S. H. Doerr. 2008. “The effect of ash and needle cover on surface runoff and erosion in the immediate post-fire period.” Catena 74 (3): 256–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2008.03.010.
Chen, J., C. Shang, M. J. Eick, and R. D. Stewart. 2018. “Water repellency decreases vapor sorption of clay minerals.” Water Resour. Res. 54 (9): 6114–6125. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR023352.
Chenu, C., Y. Le Bissonnais, and D. Arrouays. 2000. “Organic matter influence on clay wettability and soil aggregate stability.” Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 64 (4): 1479–1486. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2000.6441479x.
Cohen, Y., O. Ramon, I. J. Kopelman, and S. Mizrahi. 1992. “Characterization of inhomogeneous polyacrylamide hydrogels.” J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 30 (9): 1055–1067. https://doi.org/10.1002/polb.1992.090300913.
DeBano, L. F. 1981. Water repellent soils: A state-of-the-art. Berkeley, CA: USDA, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station.
DeBano, L. F. 2000. “The role of fire and soil heating on water repellency in wildland environments: A review.” J. Hydrol. 231–232 (May): 195–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(00)00194-3.
DeBano, L. F., S. M. Savage, and D. A. Hamilton. 1976. “The transfer of heat and hydrophobic substances during burning.” Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 40 (5): 779–782. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1976.03615995004000050043x.
De Graff, J. V. 2018. “A rationale for effective post-fire debris flow mitigation within forested terrain.” Geoenviron. Disasters 5 (1): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40677-018-0099-z.
Dekker, L. W., S. H. Doerr, K. Oostindie, A. K. Ziogas, and C. J. Ritsema. 2001. “Water repellency and critical soil water content in a dune sand.” Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 65 (6): 1667–1674. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2001.1667.
Dekker, L. W., and C. J. Ritsema. 1996. “Variation in water content and wetting patterns in Dutch water repellent peaty clay and clayey peat soils.” Catena 28 (1–2): 89–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(96)00047-1.
Dennison, P. E., S. C. Brewer, J. D. Arnold, and M. A. Moritz. 2014. “Large wildfire trends in the western United States, 1984-2011.” Geophys. Res. Lett. 41 (8): 2928–2933. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL059576.
Doerr, S. H., R. A. Shakesby, and R. P. D. Walsh. 2000. “Soil water repellency: Its causes, characteristics and hydrogeomorphological significance.” Earth Sci. Rev. 51 (1–4): 33–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-8252(00)00011-8.
Doerr, S. H., and A. D. Thomas. 2000. “The role of soil moisture in controlling water repellency: New evidence from forest soils in Portugal.” J. Hydrol. 231–232 (May): 134–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(00)00190-6.
Ebel, B. A. 2012. “Wildfire impacts on soil–water retention in the Colorado Front Range, USA.” Water Resour. Res. 48 (12): W12515. https://doi.org/10.1029/2012WR012362.
Ebel, B. A., and J. A. Moody. 2013. “Rethinking infiltration in wildfire-affected soils.” Hydrol. Processes 27 (10): 1510–1514. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9696.
Ebel, B. A., J. A. Moody, and D. A. Martin. 2012. “Hydrologic conditions controlling runoff generation immediately after wildfire.” Water Resour. Res. 48 (3): W03529. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011WR011470.
Frenkel, J. 1955. Kinetic theory of liquids. New York: Dover.
Frydman, S., and R. Baker. 2009. “Theoretical soil-water characteristic curves based on adsorption, cavitation, and a double porosity model.” Int. J. Geomech. 9 (6): 250–257. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1532-3641(2009)9:6(250).
Goforth, B. R., R. C. Graham, K. R. Hubbert, C. W. Zanner, and R. A. Minnich. 2005. “Spatial distribution and properties of ash and thermally altered soils after high-severity forest fire, southern California.” Int. J. Wildland Fire 14 (4): 343–354. https://doi.org/10.1071/WF05038.
Halsey, G. 1948. “Physical adsorption on non-uniform surfaces.” J. Chem. Phys. 16 (10): 931–937. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1746689.
Hill, T. L. 1952. “Theory of physical adsorption.” In Vol. 4 of Advances in catalysis, 211–258. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press.
Holz, A., and T. Veblen. 2011. “Variability in the Southern Annular Mode determines wildfire activity in Patagonia.” Geophys. Res. Lett. 38 (14): 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL047674.
King, P. M. 1981. “Comparison of methods for measuring severity of water repellence of sandy soils and assessment of some factors that affect its measurement.” Aust. J. Soil Res. 19 (3): 275–285.
Klopatek, C. C., C. F. Freise, M. F. Allen, and J. M. Klopatek. 1994. “Comparisons of laboratory and field burning experiments on mycorrhizae distribution, density and diversity.” J. Soc. Am. For. 94 (1): 762–776.
Leão, T. P., and M. Tuller. 2014. “Relating soil specific surface area, water film thickness, and water vapor adsorption.” Water Resour. Res. 50 (10): 7873–7885. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013WR014941.
Leong, E. C., S. Tripathy, and H. Rahardjo. 2003. “Total suction measurement of unsaturated soils with a device using the chilled-mirror dew-point technique.” Géotechnique 53 (2): 173–182. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2003.53.2.173.
Likos, W. J., and N. Lu. 2003. “Automated humidity system for measuring total suction characteristics of clay.” Geotech. Test. J. 26 (2): 178–189. https://doi.org/10.1520/GTJ11321J.
Lu, N., and M. Khorshidi. 2015. “Mechanisms for soil-water retention and hysteresis at high suction range.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 141 (8): 04015032. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0001325.
May, C. L., and R. E. Gresswell. 2003. “Processes and rates of sediment and wood accumulation in headwater streams of the Oregon Coast Range, USA.” Earth Surf. Processes Landforms 28 (4): 409–424. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.450.
Meyer, G. A., J. L. S. H. PierceWood, S. H. Wood, and A. J. T. Jull. 2001. “Fire, storms, and erosional events in the Idaho batholith.” Hydrol. Processes 15 (15): 3025–3038. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.389.
Miyamoto, S., J. Letey, and J. Osborn. 1972. “Water vapor adsorption by water-repellent soils at equilibrium.” Soil Sci. 114 (3): 180–184. https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-197209000-00004.
Moody, J. A., and B. A. Ebel. 2012. “Hyper-dry conditions provide new insights into the cause of extreme floods after wildfire.” Catena 93 (Jun): 58–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2012.01.006.
Parsons A., P. Robichaud, S. Lewis, C. Napper, and J. Clark. 2010. Field guide for mapping post-fire soil burn severity. Berkeley, CA: USDA, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station.
Pereira, P., A. Cerdà, X. Úbeda, J. Mataix-Solera, V. Arcenegui, and L. M. Zavala. 2013. “Modelling the impacts of wildfire on ash thickness in a short-term period.” Land Degrad. Dev. 26 (2): 180–192. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2195.
Philip, J. R. 1977. “Unitary approach to capillary condensation and adsorption.” J. Chem. Phys. 66 (11): 5069–5075. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.433814.
Pierce, C. 1960. “The Frenkel-Halsey-Hill adsorption isotherm and capillary condensation.” J. Phys. Chem. 64 (9): 1184–1187. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100838a018.
Prost, R., A. Benchara, and E. Huard. 1998. “State and location of water adsorbed on clay minerals: Consequences of the hydration and swelling-shrinkage phenomena.” Clays Clay Miner. 46 (2): 117–131. https://doi.org/10.1346/CCMN.1998.0460201.
Robichaud, P. R., S. A. Lewis, L. E. Wagenbrenner, L. E. Ashmun, and R. E. Brown. 2013. “Post-fire mulching for runoff and erosion mitigation. Part I: Effectiveness at reducing hillslope erosion rates.” Catena 105 (Jun): 75–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2012.11.015.
Robichaud, P. R., J. W. Wagenbrenner, F. B. Pierson, K. E. Spaeth, L. E. Ashmun, and C. A. Moffet. 2016. “Infiltration and interrill erosion rates after a wildfire in western Montana, USA.” Catena 142 (Jul): 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2016.01.027.
Rossi, C., and J. R. Nimmo. 1994. “Modeling of soil water retention from saturation to oven dryness.” Water Resour. Res. 30 (3): 701–708. https://doi.org/10.1029/93WR03238.
Shariq, A. F., H. Beyenal, and I. D. Akin. 2021. “Biofilm addition improves sand strength over a wide range of saturations.” Biofilm 3 (Dec): 100050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioflm.2021.100050.
Silva, O., and J. Grifoll. 2007. “A soil-water retention function that includes the hyper-dry region through the BET adsorption isotherm.” Water Resour. Res. 43 (11): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR005325.
Staley, D. M., J. A. Negri, J. W. Kean, J. M. Laber, A. C. Tillery, and A. M. Youberg. 2017. “Prediction of spatially explicit rainfall intensity-duration thresholds for post-fire debris flow generation in the western United States.” Geomorphology 278 (Feb): 149–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.10.019.
Topoliantz, S., J. F. Ponge, and P. Lavelle. 2006. “Humus components and biogenic structures under tropical slash-and-burn.” Eur. J. Soil Sci. 57 (2): 269–278. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2005.00736.x.
Tuller, M., D. Or, and L. M. Dudley. 1999. “Adsorption and capillary condensation in porous media: Liquid retention and interfacial configurations in angular pores.” Water Resour. Res. 35 (7): 1949–1964. https://doi.org/10.1029/1999WR900098.
Ulery, A. L., R. C. Graham, and C. Amrhein. 1993. “Wood-ash composition and soil pH following intense burning.” Soil Sci. 156 (5): 358–364. https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-199311000-00008.
Van’t Woudt, B. D. 1959. “Particle coatings affecting the wettability of soils.” J. Geophys. Res. 64 (2): 263–267. https://doi.org/10.1029/JZ064i002p00263.
Vassilev, S. V., D. Baxter, L. K. Andersen, and C. G. Vassileva. 2010. “An overview of the chemical composition of biomass.” Fuel 89 (5): 913–933. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2009.10.022.
Westerling, A. L. 2016. “Increasing western US forest wildfire activity: Sensitivity to changes in the timing of spring.” Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London, Ser. B 371 (1696): 20150178. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0178.
Woods, S. W., and V. N. Balfour. 2008. “The effect of ash on runoff and erosion after a severe forest fire, Montana, USA.” Int. J. Wildland Fire 17 (5): 535–548. https://doi.org/10.1071/WF07040.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 11 • November 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 1, 2021
Accepted: Jun 21, 2021
Published online: Aug 20, 2021
Published in print: Nov 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Jan 20, 2022
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Idil Deniz Akin, Taiwo O. Akinleye, Peter R. Robichaud, Changes in Soil Properties over Time after a Wildfire and Implications to Slope Stability, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 10.1061/JGGEFK.GTENG-11348, 149, 7, (2023).
- Alishan Ahmed, Peter R. Robichaud, Idil Deniz Akin, Evaluation of Water Vapor Sorption Isotherms to Quantify Wildfire Ash in Soil, Geo-Congress 2023, 10.1061/9780784484654.061, (619-629), (2023).