Cyclic freeze–thaw as a mechanism for water and salt migration in soil

• DOI: 10.1007/s12665-015-4072-9
• Publication Date: 2015-02-05T08:58:27Z
• Authors: Hui Bing; Ping He; Ying Zhang
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; 0211 other engineering and technologies; 02 engineering and technology; 15. Life on land

Freeze–thaw action acts as a controlling mechanism for redistributing soil water and salt. The paper focuses on the factors that influence soil water and salt migration and uses experimental results to analyze the mechanism of cyclic freeze–thaw in which the temperature gradient is the principal factor for water and salt transfer. Salt redistribution in soil occurs as a result of the integrated effects of convection, diffusion, and numerous chemical and physicochemical processes.