100
Views
3
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Changes in Cationic composition of soil solution associated with changes of water content: A numerical study

&
Pages 237-244 | Received 17 Jul 1997, Accepted 26 Jan 1998, Published online: 04 Jan 2012
 

Abstract

We carried out a series of numerical simulations to evaluate the changes in ionic activity ratios, (Ca2+)/(K+)2, (Ca2+)/(Na+)2, (Mg2+)/(K+)2, and (Mg2+)/(Na+)2, associated with the changes of water content. We considered cation exchange reaction, complexation with sulfate, and gypsum precipitation as factors affecting the soil solution composition. All the ionic activity ratios decreased as water content decreased to a significant extent depending on the values of effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC), and cation exchange selectivity. Smaller ECEC values and lower selectivity for potassium resulted in a larger magnitude of change. Formation of calcium and magnesium sulfate complexes and gypsum precipitation exerted a small effect on the changes in the activity ratios. Based on the simulation, we concluded that these activity ratios should not be regarded as constants and are not reliable tools to predict the changes in cationic composition of soil solution at different water contents.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.