Effects of seasonal water-level fluctuation on soil pore structure in the Three Gorges Res

Effects of seasonal water-level fluctuation on soil pore structure in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

ZHANG Shu-juan;TANG Qiang;BAO Yu-hai;HE Xiu-bin;TIAN Feng-xia;L(U) Fa-you;WANG Ming-feng;Raheel ANJUM

【期刊名称】《山地科学学报（英文版）》 【年(卷),期】2018(015)010

【摘要】Inundation of the Three Gorges Reservoir has created a 30-m water-level fluctuation zone with seasonal hydrological alternations of submergence and exposure,which may greatly affect soil properties and bank stability.The aim of this study was to investigate the response of soil pore structure to seasonal water-level fluctuation in the reservoir,and particularly,the hydrological change of wetting and drying cycles.Soil pore structure was visualized with industrial X-ray computed tomography and digital image analysis techniques.The results showed that soil total porosity (＞ 100 μm),total pore number,total throat number,and mean throat surface area increased significantly under wetting and drying cycles.Soil porosity,pore number and throat number within each size class increased in the course of wetting and drying cycles.The coordination number,degree of anisotropy and fractal dimension were indicating an increase.In contrast,the mean shape factor,pore-throat ratio,and Euler-Poincaré number decreased due to wetting and drying cycles.These illustrated that the wetting and drying