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Agregado del Suelo. Fuente: University of Abertay Dundee (Escocia)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/strong>La realidad de campo supera en complejidad a lo que los cient\u00edficos podemos especificar, modelar\u00a0\u00a0e introducir en las simulaciones num\u00e9ricas<\/strong>. Como corolario, los resultados\u00a0 que ofrecen tales\u00a0modelos matem\u00e1ticos deben valorarse con suma precauci\u00f3n<\/strong><\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Ya os he contado en alguna ocasi\u00f3n la frase de un afamado matem\u00e1tico que, m\u00e1s o menos, ven\u00eda a decir \u201cel problema no estriba en que los cient\u00edficos hagan uso de modelos matem\u00e1ticos, ya que son importantes para testar sus hip\u00f3tesis, sino que muchos finalmente terminan por creerse sus resultados\u201d.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>El estudio que analizamos hoy ha sido llevado a cabo por investigadores de la Universidad de\u00a0Southampton. En \u00e9l se \u201cpretende\u201d <\/span>modelar la importancia de la estructura del suelo en el comportamiento hidrol\u00f3gico y la captaci\u00f3n del agua por las ra\u00edces de las plantas<\/strong><\/span>. Con<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>tal motivo los autores dicen haber detectado\u00a0diversos <\/span>rasgos geom\u00e9tricos del medio ed\u00e1fico<\/strong><\/span> (tomograf\u00eda, RX). <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>En primer lugar, <\/span>estudiaron la repercusi\u00f3n de\u00a0la textura\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>(<\/span>fracciones granulom\u00e9tricas<\/strong><\/span>). Los resultados no debieron ser satisfactorios, por cuanto la nota de prensa no menta nada m\u00e1s al respecto, como tampoco el abstract del art\u00edculo de investigaci\u00f3n. Seguidamente pasaron a indagar el <\/span>comportamiento de los agregados del suelo<\/strong><\/span> (conjunto de part\u00edculas de diferente tama\u00f1o agrupadas\/cementadas entre s\u00ed por diversas fuerzas).<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Seg\u00fan su modelo, el flujo del agua cerca de los agregados ed\u00e1ficos resultaba ser clave con vistas a cuantificar adecuadamente las propiedades hidrol\u00f3gicas.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>De acuerdo a la nota de prensa (m\u00e1s bien confusa)\u00a0<\/span>los poros interiores de los agregados son demasiado peque\u00f1os<\/strong><\/span>, por lo que parecen <\/span>\u201cpr\u00e1cticamente impermeables\u201d a su humectaci\u00f3n<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, no ocurriendo lo mismo cerca de su superficie, en donde las cavidades resultaban ser de mayor tama\u00f1o. Francamente no me qued\u00f3 claro si \u201ccerca\u201d implicaba a los poros mayores de las cavidades agregacionales m\u00e1s pr\u00f3ximas a la superficie de estos aglomerados, o si se encontraban fuera de los agregados aunque borde\u00e1ndolos (en sus fronteras). Por lo tanto, consult\u00e9 el resumen del trabajo (que tambi\u00e9n os a\u00f1ado abajo) que result\u00f3 ser mucho m\u00e1s expl\u00edcito<\/span>:<\/span> \u201c<\/span><\/span>Los resultados muestran que la rugosidad de la superficie de los agregado tiene un efecto significativamente mayor en el flujo que la microestructura dentro del agregado. Por lo tanto, esta es la regi\u00f3n en la que la resoluci\u00f3n de la TC de rayos X para el modelado basado en im\u00e1genes tiene el mayor impacto<\/span><\/em><\/strong>\u201d. Dicho de otro modo<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>es la rugosidad de la superficie del agregado la que parec\u00eda afectar en mayor medida al\u00a0comportamiento hidr\u00e1ulico de los suelos<\/strong><\/span>. \u00a1Ahora si!. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Ya os coment\u00e9 en algunos post anteriores como en los siguientes: \u201c<\/span>Propiedades de la Materia: Composici\u00f3n, Tama\u00f1o, Abundancia, Forma y Superficie<\/span><\/a>\u201d; \u201c<\/span>Secuestro de Carbono y Rugosidad de las part\u00edculas minerales del Suelo<\/span><\/a>\u201d; <\/span>El Microcosmos del Suelo: La revoluci\u00f3n de las Im\u00e1genes<\/span><\/a>\u201d; <\/span>Peso, masa, densidad, rigidez y otras caracter\u00edsticas del microcosmos que albergan los suelos<\/span><\/a>;\u201d <\/span>\u201c\u00bfCuanto Mide un Metro Cuadrado de Suelo?<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>La rugosidad es una variable poco estudiada en muchos \u00e1mbitos de la ciencia a pesar que hoy sabemos que\u00a0afecta seriamente al comportamiento de la materia<\/span><\/strong><\/span>, y m\u00e1s a\u00fan en\u00a0 los <\/span>medios porosos heterog\u00e9neos<\/span><\/a>. En consecuencia estos resultados vuelven a corroborar nuestras tesis.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n Sin embargo, volvemos a reiterar que en la naturaleza los suelos atesoran<\/strong><\/span> grietas que se contraen y expanden, cavidades elaboradas por animales de todos los tama\u00f1os, como nidos o refugios, canales para el tr\u00e1nsito de invertebrados del tipo de las lombrices de tierra o las formadas por las propias ra\u00edces de la vegetaci\u00f3n, enormes estructuras de gran porosidad creadas por los termiteros y hormigueros, etc. <\/span>En consecuencia los resultados obtenidos por estos autores se me antojan que atesoran mucho menos valor del que\u00a0ellos <\/strong><\/span>alegan, por cuanto\u00a0pasan por alto esta \u201crealidad de campo<\/span><\/strong>\u201d, centr\u00e1ndose expulsivamente en los miopes inputs de sus \u201cavanzados modelitos\u201d. Eso s\u00ed, de corroborarse la importancia de la rugosidad de los agregados, algo habr\u00edamos avanzado en la comprensi\u00f3n de la hidrolog\u00eda del suelo. <\/span>Pero de aqu\u00ed intentar modelizar con eficacia el comportamiento hidrol\u00f3gico de los suelos<\/strong><\/span> en la naturaleza (sin tener en cuenta lo anteriormente aludido) existe un abismo<\/strong><\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Juan Jos\u00e9 Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n New study highlights key role soil structure plays in water uptake by crops<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Date: <\/em><\/strong>December 10, 2013; Source: <\/em><\/strong>University of Southampton<\/p>\n Summary: <\/em><\/strong>The increased global consumption of food means that there is an increasing yield gap between crop production and crop usage. To help tackle this issue, a team of scientists has used advanced mathematical modelling techniques<\/strong> to understand the precise role soil structure plays in water uptake.<\/p>\n The attached image shows the boundary of the soil aggregate (left), the bulk soil geometry comprising of a collection of aggregates (middle) and the internal pore structure of the soil aggregate, which is composed of a selection of soil particles (right). The soil particles are shown in brown, the water in blue and the air bubbles in white.<\/strong><\/p>\n Credit: Image courtesy of University of Southampton<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n The increased global consumption of food means that there is an increasing yield gap between crop production and crop usage<\/strong>. To help tackle this issue, a team of scientists from the University of Southampton has used advanced mathematical modelling techniques to understand the precise role soil structure plays in water uptake<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Modelling of flow in soil and uptake of water by plants is essential both for understanding and optimising agricultural processes which, in turn, provides the means to maximise crop yield. The team used the University’s IRIDIS High Performance Computing Facility to study the effect of different geometrical features within the soil and used these models to measure how these features affect the overall hydraulic properties<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In order to <\/strong>measure the flow of water <\/strong>through soil, they first <\/strong>had to examine the flow of water around a single soil particle<\/strong>. Next they looked<\/strong> at the flow properties of a collection of soil particles, known as <\/strong>a soil aggregate<\/strong>. This multi-scale approach captured the underlying geometry through a series of targeted <\/strong>computer simulations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The researchers found that<\/span> the flow properties near the surface of the aggregates are a key factor which determines the overall flow properties in soil. The flow properties of the soil aggregates are effectively determined by the intra-aggregate pore. The relatively small size of these pores renders the aggregates as almost completely impermeable. However, near the aggregate surface these pores act to increase the size of the (much larger) inter-aggregate pores and results in a much larger flow throughout the bulk soil<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Co-author Dr Keith Daly, a Research Fellow in Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton, says:<\/p>\n \u00abThe models developed in this work will be used to develop an understanding of flow in different<\/strong> soil types<\/strong>. This, in turn, will be used to develop optimal soil treatments to increase plant-water uptake and, hence, crop yield. This will be of particular importance for the 30 per cent of UK wheat which is grown on drought prone land.\u00bb<\/p>\n The study, which was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Royal Society University Research Fellowship, is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A.<\/em><\/p>\n Story Source: <\/strong>The above story is based on materials<\/a> provided by University of Southampton<\/strong><\/a>. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.<\/em><\/p>\n Cite This Page<\/strong>: MLA<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>APA<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>Chicago<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n University of Southampton. \u00abNew study highlights key role soil structure plays in water uptake by crops.\u00bb ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 December 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2013\/12\/<\/p>\n Abstract del trabajo original<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ABSTRACT Flow in both saturated and non-saturated vuggy porous media, i.e. soil, is inherently multiscale. The complex microporous structure of the soil aggregates and the wider vugs provides a multitude of flow pathways and has received significant attention from <\/span>the X-ray computed tomography (CT)<\/span><\/strong> community <\/span>with a constant drive to image at higher resolution<\/span><\/strong>. <\/span>Using multiscale homogenization, we derive averaged equations to study the effects of the microscale structure on the macroscopic flow<\/span><\/strong>. The averaged model captures the underlying geometry through a series of cell problems and <\/span>is verified through direct comparison to numerical simulations of the full structure<\/span><\/strong>. These methods offer significant reductions in computation time and <\/span>allow us to perform three-dimensional calculations with complex geometries<\/span><\/strong> on a desktop PC. The results show that <\/span>the surface roughness of the aggregate has a significantly greater effect on the flow than the microstructure within the aggregate<\/span><\/strong>. Hence, this is the region in which the resolution of X-ray CT for image-based modelling has the greatest impact.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Agregado del Suelo. Fuente: University of Abertay Dundee (Escocia) \u00a0La realidad de campo supera en complejidad a lo que los cient\u00edficos podemos especificar, modelar\u00a0\u00a0e introducir en las simulaciones num\u00e9ricas. Como corolario, los resultados\u00a0 que ofrecen tales\u00a0modelos matem\u00e1ticos deben valorarse con suma precauci\u00f3n.\u00a0\u00a0 Ya os he contado en alguna ocasi\u00f3n la frase de un afamado matem\u00e1tico que, m\u00e1s o menos, ven\u00eda a decir \u201cel problema no estriba en que los cient\u00edficos hagan uso de modelos matem\u00e1ticos, ya que son importantes para testar sus hip\u00f3tesis, sino que muchos finalmente terminan por creerse sus resultados\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 El estudio que analizamos hoy ha sido llevado\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[590,613,589],"tags":[28204,47111,15536,28203,28205,47127],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":4}},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146363"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146363"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":147475,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146363\/revisions\/147475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.madrimasd.org\/blogs\/universo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}