Drying Front and Vaporization Plane Dynamics during Evaporation from Homogeneous Soil Profiles

Abstract

Global warming has caused many lands to degrade, making them vulnerable to desertification. Therefore, finding innovative solutions is essential to prevent such phenomena from exacerbating. However, this requires a comprehensive understanding of the unsaturated layer formed due to the high-water loss from soil profiles by evaporation. In the present study, a new technique to trace the unsaturated layer from drying soil profiles was developed, and its accuracy and reliability were confirmed. Consequently, the spatial and temporal development of the drying front, vaporization plane, and film region were investigated for two soil profiles of different pore structures. It was found that soil profiles with broader pore distribution lose water from deeper drying fronts during Stage 1, while diffusion during Stage 2 occurs from shallower depths. Moreover, the film region’s thickness increased at early drying stages, followed by a slight drop associated with the onset of Stage 2. During Stage 2, the thickness slightly fluctuated until reaching the same thickness at the end of Stage 1, where a second significant drop in the thickness was observed.