Imaggeo on Mondays: Scorching the soil

This photo was taken while planning some field experiments: in the image, several water drops are resting on a surface soil layer without infiltrating. This process is known as water repellency. Water repellency is a property of soils which, until recently, has not received much attention despite its geomorphological consequences (limiting water infiltration in soils, increasing runoff rates and enhancing the risk of soil erosion). Vegetation, including tree species such as pines or eucalyptus, or shrubs, such as heather, fungi and other soil microorganisms are the main sources of hydrophobic organic substances in soils. Climate, soil texture and structure may also modulate the degree of hydrophobicity.

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