Hydrophobic soil

Definition & Entomology

The term “hydrophobic” stems from the Greek prefix- hudōr, ‘water’ and the Latin and Greek suffix- -φοβία, ‘-phobía’. It is biologically defined as tending to repel or mix with water. Hydrophobicity is introduced as a property of soils when waxy, organic substances coat the surface area of soil particles, essentially making the soil impenetrable by any precipitation or other liquids. This water repellent layer is highly variable in effects depending on where the given site is.

Consequences

 Loss of Agriculture

 Increased Erosion

 Sudden wildfires

Treatment and Sampling

The most commonly documented treatment of hydrophobic soil is done by adding moisturizing clay agents in a process referred to simply as “claying”. Because the most vulnerable soils tend to be sand-based, clay mixtures aid the current soil in retaining more water and allowing precipitation to seep through a To determine if a soil site must undergo treatment, a few things must be determined regarding the sample. The first and most straight-forward method of testing for hydrophobicity is the water droplet method, where 1-2 droplets are put directly onto the soil. Initial water intake of wettable soil occurs rapidly because of the strong attraction between the water molecules and dry soil aggregates. (DeBano 5). However, the water infiltration rate of repellent soils is either very slow or non-existent. Therefore, repellent soil will cause naturally occurring precipitation and the experimental water droplet to bead on top of the sample, if or until it is completely absorbed.