An extensive amount of natural gas trapped in the subsurface is found as methane hydrate. A fundamental understanding of natural hydrate-bearing sediments is required to engineer production strategies and to assess the risks hydrates pose to global climate change and large-scale seafloor destabilization. This thesis reports fundamental studies on hydrate nucleation, morphology and the evolution of unsaturation during dissociation, followed by additional studies on sampling and pressure core testing. Hydrate nucleation is favored on mineral surfaces and it is often triggered by mechanical vibration. Continued hydrate crystal growth within sediments is governed by capillary and skeletal forces; hence, the characteristic particle size d10 and the sediment burial depth determine hydrate morphologies in natural sediments. In aged hydrate-bearing sand, Ostwald ripening leads to patchy hydrate formation; the stiffness approaches to the lower bound at low hydrate saturation and the upper bound at high hydrate saturation. Hydrate saturation and pore habit alter the pore size variability and interconnectivity, and change the water retention curve in hydrate-bearing sediments. The physical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments are determined by the state of stress, porosity, and hydrate saturation. Furthermore, hydrate stability requires sampling, handling, and testing under in situ pressure, temperature, and stress conditions. Therefore, the laboratory characterization of natural hydrate-bearing sediments faces inherent sampling disturbances caused by changes in stress and strain as well as transient pressure and temperature changes that affect hydrate stability. While pressure core technology offers unprecedented opportunities for the study of hydrate-bearing sediments, careful data interpretation must recognize its inherent limitations.

[Truncated abstract] Self-filtration is here defined as particle detachment and re-deposition causing re-arrangement of the particles and therefore pore space which affects water flow in soil by decreasing hydraulic conductivity. This is of particular important in soils which are susceptible to structural breakdown. The objective of this thesis was to examine the dynamics of the self-filtration process in sodic sandy soils as affected by ionic strength and soil solution composition. The temporal changes of hydraulic conductivity and the elution of fine particles from soil columns were used as the main criteria to assess selffiltration. Two porous media exhibiting significantly different structural cohesion were examined, one a loamy sand (Balkuling soil) from agricultural land use and the second a mining residue from mineral sands operations . . . The effects of the composition of mixed calcium (Ca) and sodium (Na) ions in solution (sodium adsorption ratio (SAR)) on the exchange behaviour and saturated hydraulic conductivity were examined by carrying out batch binary exchange and saturated column transport experiments. A strong preference for Ca2+ ions in the exchange complex was observed for both soils. Generally K/Ko was found to decrease with increasing sodium adsorption ratio with the more structured Balkuling soil maintaining K/Ko for SARs 3 and 5 at an electrolyte concentration of 100 mmol/L. However measurements at the critical threshold and turbidity concentrations at a SAR of 15 revealed structural breakdown of the pore matrix system attributed to various extents of slaking, swelling, dispersion and decreases of pore radii as a result of selffiltration during leaching. These experiments illustrate the wide range of complex interactions involving clay mineralogy, solution composition and structural factors which can influence the extent of mobilization, transport and re-deposition of colloidal particles during the leaching process in soil profiles.

The Swedish municipalities of Gävle and Älvkarleby need new sources of drinking water as the population grows. Gästrike vatten AB has employed the consultant firm Midvatten AB to assess the possibility of a new groundwater extraction site on the Uppsala esker between Älvkarleby and Skutskär in northern Uppland county. It has been observed that the natural recharge to the aquifer in the Uppsala esker might be too low to compensate for a future groundwater extraction and that there is a risk of induced infiltration from the river Dalälven if the water table is lowered. River water might bring organic contaminants into the aquifer and negatively affect the groundwater quality.A solution proposed by Midvatten is to infiltrate the esker with river water free from organic contaminants at infiltration sites. This artificial infiltration is estimated to create new groundwater to compensate for the extraction and stop river water from reaching the extraction wells. There is however, a need to estimate the magnitude of infiltrating river water when the infiltration sites are active.The aim of this study was to estimate the flow of water between the river and a section of the Uppsala esker for a test period during 2017, specifically, the infiltration from the river. In addition to this, changes in flow depending on proposed pumping and infiltration scenarios were modelled.A MODFLOW model was developed in the graphical user interface Groundwater Modeling System (GMS) and its performance was validated against observed aquifer head. The model could accurately represent the head close to the river but was less accurate with increasing distance from the river. Average infiltration from the river varied from 3 to 25 l s-1. The calculated infiltration depended on which extraction well or artificial infiltration site was active and the rate of flow.It was concluded that the distribution of hydraulic conductivity in the aquifer was not sufficiently detailed. A solution could have been to use stratigraphic data from borehole logs instead of a general quaternary deposits map as basis for the distribution of hydraulic conductivity. Artificial infiltration close to the river prevented large volumes of induced infiltration. The accuracy of the model could have been improved if the results were compared to other methods such as particle-tracking, tracer tests and with measurements of the streambed such as seepage meters. / Gävle och Älvkarlebys kommuner är i behov av nya grundvattentäkter för att kunna försörja invånarna med dricksvatten i framtiden. Ett område som är av intresse för de två kommunerna är ett grundvattenmagasin i Uppsalaåsen intill Dalälven mellan Älvkarleby och Skutskär. Vid ett dricksvattenuttag kan vattenbalansen i magasinet ändras. I magasinet uppskattas grundvattenbildningen vara för låg för att pumpa upp nog mycket vatten och bibehålla en stabil dricksvattenförsörjning. När uttaget av grundvatten är högre än grundvattenbildningen sänks grundvattenytan och vatten flödar från andra delar av magasinet eller älven för att kompensera. Älvvattnet bedöms ha en stark hydraulisk koppling med grundvattnet, vilket innebär att det finns en risk att älvvattnet infiltrerar i magasinet och sänker kvalitén på framtida dricksvatten.Konsultföretaget Midvatten AB har i uppdrag att bedöma möjligheten till ett framtida dricksvattenuttag. Midvatten har som lösning anlagt stationer med sprinklerinfiltration för att i framtiden kunna infiltrera avhumifierat älvvatten som på sikt omvandlas till grundvatten. Denna konstgjorda infiltration är också tänkt att hindra älvvatten från att ta sig in i magasinet genom att förse magasinet med den mängd vatten som går förlorad av dricksvattenuttag. Hur mycket älvvatten som tar sig in till grundvattenmagasinet och når brunnarna vid ett framtida uttag och konstgjord infiltration, är dock oklart.Syftet med denna studie var att uppskatta flödet mellan åsens grundvattenmagasin och Dalälven och specifikt infiltrationen av älvvatten. Detta gjordes genom att utveckla en digital MODFLOW-flödesmodell i programmet GMS. Modellen kunde, med hjälp av uppmätta vattennivåer i grundvattenmagasinet och älven, räkna ut hur mycket vatten som flödade in från älven (infiltrerade). Den uträknade infiltrationen låg i genomsnitt på 3-25 l s-1. Infiltrationsmängden berodde på vilken brunn som vattnet pumpades ur, hur mycket som pumpades ut och hur mycket artificiell infiltration som tillfördes i de tre infiltrationsområdena under en period av 2017. Modellen användes även till att uppskatta flödet från älven för 28 tilltänkta scenarier under 2017 med konstant pumpning och konstgjord infiltration i de olika brunnarna och infiltrationsstationerna.Resultaten visade att modellen kunde uppskatta grundvattenmagasinets vattennivåer nära älven men inte på längre avstånd ifrån älven. Detta berodde på att magasinets hydrauliska parametrar inte var korrekt fördelade. Fördelningen kunde ha förbättrats om de baserats på jordarter från borrprotokoll istället för en jordartskarta. Modellen visade att mycket lite älvvatten flödar in i akviferen om vatten artificiellt infiltreras nära älven. För att resultaten av den här studien ska bli tillförlitliga krävs det att resultaten jämförs med andra metoder som använder sig av förslagsvis partikelspårningsmodeller, spårämnesstudier eller flödesmätningar av flodbädden.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Soil structure is defined by form and arrangement of soil particles and pores. As a consequence of time increase of no-tillage use the soil structure has been modified by repetition of traffic caused by agricultural operations throughout years, which, in turn, has been identified as compaction implying in lost of soil quality. In this study, the S index sensibility was tested as related to other soil physical properties and was evaluated also the alterations of pore diameters and its implications on saturated hydraulic conductivity and air conductivity caused by soil use. Its was used six Oxisols, classified by brazilian soil classification system as: Latossolo Vermelho eutrófico, Latossolo Vermelho aluminoférrico, Nitossolo Vermelho distrófico, Latossolo Bruno alumínico, Latossolo Vermelho distrófico de textura média, Latossolo Vermelho distrófico de textura argilosa e Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico. The soil uses studied were: a) natural condition represented by native forest or grass field and; b) no-tillage. The S index was not associated to total clay content neither to dispersed clay content. However, for clayey soils the S index had an exponential decreased as the bulk density increased and an exponential increase as organic matter increased. The available water had a log increase with S increase and pre-consolidation pressure reduced exponentially as S index increased. These results imply sensibility to S index to evaluate soil quality of clayey soils. The soil use effects on water and air flow was detected by alterations caused by notillage on increasing bulk density, reducing total porosity, changing pore size distribution with increase in micropores as macropores reduced causing, in turn, reduction on saturated hydraulic conductivity and air conductivity. The high aggregation state of soils under native forest favored to presence of big pores and smaller amount of intermediate pores. In more compacted layer of soils under no-tillage was detected reduction of intermediate pore class and increase in micropores. / A estrutura do solo é definida pela sua condição física, expressa pela dimensão, forma e arranjo das partículas sólidas e dos poros a elas associados. Com o tempo de uso do sistema plantio direto, a estrutura do solo é modificada pela repetitividade das operações agrícolas realizadas ao longo dos anos. A alteração da estrutura pela compactação tem causado perdas na qualidade física dos solos. Neste trabalho, testou-se a sensibilidade do índice S, em relação a algumas propriedades físicas dos solos e avaliaram-se as alterações impostas pelo uso do solo no diâmetro dos poros, na condutividade hidráulica saturada e na condutividade do ar. Os solos avaliados foram: Latossolo Vermelho eutrófico, Latossolo Vermelho aluminoférrico, Nitossolo Vermelho distrófico, Latossolo Bruno alumínico, Latossolo Vermelho distrófico de textura média, Latossolo Vermelho distrófico de textura argilosa e Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico. Os sistemas de uso foram: condição natural, representada pela mata nativa ou campo nativo; e condição de lavoura, sob plantio direto. O índice S não se relacionou com o teor de argila total ou argila dispersa. Para o os solos argilosos e muito argilosos, o índice S apresentou um decréscimo exponencial com o aumento da densidade do solo e um crescimento exponencial com o aumento da matéria orgânica do solo. A água disponível as plantas aumentou de forma logarítmica com o aumento do S enquanto a pressão de préconsolidação reduziu exponencialmente com o aumento do S. Conclui-se que o índice S apresentou sensibilidade para determinar a qualidade física dos solos de textura argilosa e muito argilosa. Quanto ao impacto do uso do solo sobre os fluxos de água e ar, constatou-se que o solo sob cultivo apresentou aumento na densidade e redução na porosidade total, ocorreu alteração na distribuição do diâmetro de poros com aumento da quantidade de poros pequenos em detrimento dos poros maiores, o que provocou a redução da condutividade hidráulica saturada e da condutividade do ar no solo. A alta estruturação do solo na mata nativa favoreceu a presença de poros grandes e menor quantidade de poros de tamanho intermediário. Nas camadas mais compactadas do plantio direto verificou-se a redução da classe de poros de tamanho intermediário e o aumento da quantidade de poros pequenos.

O descarte do lodo de ETA em corpos de água, como rios, tem sido ainda uma prática comum no Brasil. Alternativas frequentes de destinação têm sido a disposição do lodo em aterros sanitários ou industriais e na rede de esgoto. Porém, os padrões ambientais cada vez mais rígidos têm levado à procura de soluções mais econômicas e benéficas, com o aproveitamento do lodo de ETA como material para diversos usos. Uma das opções promissoras é a utilização do lodo de ETA misturado a solos naturais em obras geotécnicas, como revestimento de fundo e cobertura final de aterros sanitários e industriais, e na construção de aterros em geral. Nessa perspectiva, foram estudadas as propriedades geotécnicas de misturas de um solo laterítico arenoso com um lodo de ETA em três proporções solo:lodo (3:1, 4:1, e 5:1) em massa úmida. Foi realizada a caracterização química e mineralógica do solo e do lodo por meio de ensaios de difração de raios X, fluorescência de raios X, microscopia eletrônica de varredura, determinação de perda ao fogo, pH, capacidade de troca catiônica, soma de bases trocáveis, carbono orgânico, matéria orgânica, entre outros. Foram determinados a curva granulométrica, a massa específica dos grãos e os limites de consistência do solo, do lodo e das misturas. Ensaios de adensamento, permeabilidade e compressão triaxial foram realizados em corpos de prova compactados do solo e das misturas. A caracterização geotécnica das misturas mostrou que a adição de lodo não altera significativamente a granulometria, a massa específica dos grãos e os limites de consistência do solo. Por outro lado, a secagem prévia ao ar das misturas alterou os parâmetros de compactação: a massa específica seca máxima aumentou e o teor de umidade ótimo diminuiu com a redução do teor de umidade inicial no ensaio de compactação. Os índices de compressão das misturas apresentaram-se maiores que o do solo, enquanto as condutividades hidráulicas das misturas foram menores que a do solo. O ângulo de atrito efetivo das misturas apresentou aumento e a coesão efetiva diminuição a medida que a proporção de lodo acrescentado ao solo aumentou. As características e propriedades das misturas apresentaram valores aceitáveis para solos utilizáveis em aterros, o que possibilita o aproveitamento de lodo de ETA em misturas com solo a serem empregadas em obras geotécnicas. / In Brazil, WTS is mostly released in water bodies causing silting and deterioration of water quality, destined to treatment with sewage, or disposed of in sanitary landfills or disposal sites of sewage treatment plants mixed with sewage sludge after a partial dewatering process. An alternative for WTS destination is its application, in natura, treated or mixed with soil, as construction material for covers and bottom liners of sanitary and industrial landfills or in embankments in general. Addition of Water Treatment Sludge (WTS) to soils in earthworks may reduce land disposal of WTS and exploitation of natural soils. In this perspective, geotechnical properties of mixtures of a lateritic sandy soil with WTS in proportions 3:1, 4:1, and 5:1 (by wet weight) were evaluated. WTS and soil were subjected to chemical and mineralogical characterization by X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction tests, and determination of loss on ignition, pH, organic matter content, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable bases, and other chemical parameters. Particle-size distribution curve, specific gravity of solids, and Atterberg limits were obtained for WTS, soil and mixtures. One-dimensional consolidation, permeability and undrained triaxial compression tests were carried out on compacted specimens of the soil and the soil-WTS mixtures. Geotechnical characteristics of the mixtures resulted slightly different from those of the soil, on the other hand, previous air-drying affected the compaction parameters of the mixtures, the maximum dry unit weight increased and the optimum water content decreased for a decrease in the initial water content of the compaction test. Compression index of the mixtures were higher than the soil, whereas hydraulic conductivity decreased with WTS addition for different confining pressures and hydraulic gradients. Effective friction angle of the mixtures increased and effective cohesion decreased when increasing the proportion of WTS added in the mixture. Some of those geotechnical parameter values were acceptable for a compacted soil and indicate high possibility of reuse of this waste in geotechnical works.

A cama de semeadura é uma das principais condições físicas do solo para crescimento das plantas. A avaliação da qualidade física desse ambiente do solo, onde ocorre a germinação e emergência das culturas, é de fundamental importância para compreender os fatores que afetam o seu desenvolvimento. A presente pesquisa foi realizada, inicialmente, no Brasil, com o objetivo de avaliar a qualidade física da cama de semeadura do solo, pela determinação de propriedades estruturais e físico-hídricas do solo, e parâmetros de emergência das culturas milho e soja em sistema plantio direto de longa duração submetido à escarificação mecânica e biológica do solo. O trabalho foi desenvolvido em área pertencente à Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Paraná. Os tratamentos avaliados foram: sistema plantio direto por 16 anos, sistema plantio direto submetido à escarificação mecânica até 0,25 m de profundidade e sistema plantio direto submetido à escarificação biológica por meio do nabo forrageiro. As amostragens de solos foram realizadas aos seis e 18 meses após a implantação dos tratamentos, correspondentes às semeaduras das culturas do milho (Outubro de 2009) e da soja (Novembro de 2010) nas camadas 0-5 e 5-10 cm de profundidade. Para o experimento desenvolvido nos Estados Unidos, o objetivo foi avaliar a qualidade física da cama de semeadura do solo, pela determinação do intervalo hídrico ótimo, e parâmetros de emergência da cultura do trigo, em dois experimentos de longa duração que envolveu sistemas de cultivo e sistemas de preparo do solo. Esses experimentos foram conduzidos em área da Kansas State University, em Hays, Kansas, EUA. Os sistemas de preparo do solo envolveram a rotação trigo/sorgo/pousio sob o preparo convencional, reduzido e plantio direto implantados há 46 anos. Os sistemas de cultivo consistiram das sucessões trigo/pousio, trigo/sorgo/pousio e trigo/trigo manejadas sob preparo reduzido e plantio direto, implantados há 35 anos. A amostragem do solo foi realizada na cama de semeadura do trigo (Outubro/Novembro de 2011) nas camadas 0-5 e 5-10 cm de profundidade. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância e, quando significativos, as médias dos tratamentos foram comparadas pelo teste Tukey. Os resultados do estudo feito no Brasil demonstraram que a escarificação mecânica apresentou um baixo efeito residual sobre as propriedades físicas do solo, indicando ser desnecessária sua aplicação com vistas a melhorar a qualidade física do solo. A cultura do nabo forrageiro, como alternativa de escarificação biológica, pode ser incluída no sistema de rotação de culturas, uma vez que se mostrou eficiente em melhorar algumas propriedades físicas do solo. No estudo realizado nos EUA, no experimento sobre sistemas de preparo, o preparo reduzido resultou em melhor condição física da cama de semeadura do solo. O preparo convencional foi o tratamento que apresentou uma condição física do solo menos favorável ao crescimento inicial das plantas. O sistema de cultivo trigo/trigo sob preparo reduzido apresentou o melhor IHO da cama de semeadura. O procedimento boundary line demonstrou que os parâmetros de emergência das culturas foram dependentes das propriedades físicas da cama de semeadura do solo. / The seedbed is one of the most important soil physical conditions for plant growth. The evaluation of the soil physical quality in such soil environment is essential to understand the factors that affect crop development, as it is where seed germination and plant emergence and establishment take place. The objective of the experiment carried out in Brazil was to evaluate: the physical quality of the soil seedbed by the determination of its structural and physical-hydric properties; and the emergence parameters of the corn and soybean crops under long-term no tillage submitted to mechanical and biological chiseling. This experiment was carried out in Ponta Grossa, Paraná State, Brazil, at the farm-school belonging to Ponta Grossa State University. The treatments were no-tillage for 16 years, no-tillage submitted to mechanical chiseling at 0.25 m soil depth and no-tillage submitted to biological chiseling by a forage radish crop. Soil samples were collected at six and 18 months after the treatments were implemented, corresponding to a maize seedbed (October 2009) and a soybean seedbed (November 2010), for the 0 to 5 and 5 to 10 cm soil depths. For the experiments developed in the United States, the objective was to evaluate: the physical quality of the soil seedbed by the least limiting water range determination; and the wheat emergence parameters from two longterm experiments involving different cropping systems (35 years) and soil tillage systems (46 years). These experiments were conducted in an area belonging to Kansas State University located in Hays, Kansas, USA. The tillage systems experiment consisted of a wheat/sorghum/fallow rotation under conventional, reduced and no tillage. The cropping systems experiment consisted of wheat/fallow, wheat/sorghum/fallow and wheat/wheat rotations cultivated under reduced and no tillage. Soil samples were collected from the wheat seedbed (October/November 2011) at the 0 to 5 and 5 to 10 cm soil depths. The data were submitted to the variance analysis and, when significant, the means were compared by the Tukey test. The results from the experiment performed in Brazil showed that the mechanical chiseling had a lower residual effect on the soil physical properties, indicating that it is unnecessary when the aim is to improve the soil physical quality. The forage radish cultivation, as an alternative of biological chiseling, can be included in the crop rotation system once it was efficient at improving some soil physical properties. For the tillage systems experiment, which was conducted in the United States, the reduced tillage treatment resulted in a better physical condition of the soil seedbed. The conventional tillage was the treatment that presented the least favorable soil physical condition for the initial plant growth. The wheat/wheat cropping system under reduced tillage showed the best least limiting water range of the soil seedbed. The boundary line approach demonstrated that the crop emergence parameters were dependent on the physical properties of the soil seedbed.

A primeira parte deste trabalho consistiu na instalação de pluviógrafos e linígrafos e levantamento de eventos hidrológicos com a obtenção de dados da distribuição espacial de precipitações observadas e hidrogramas resultantes. Experimentos de infiltração de água no solo foram realizados a partir de infiltrômetro de disco a fim de caracterizar a variabilidade espacial da condutividade hidráulica na bacia, obtendo-se dois conjuntos de dados que mostraram ser lognormalmente distribuídos com médias iguais a 15,8 mm/h e 5,47 mm/h. Estudo teórico foi conduzido na segunda parte do trabalho compreendendo o desenvolvimento de modelo hidrológico. A concepção do modelo parte da premissa de que toda a área da bacia possa ser representada por células derivadas de um modelo numérico de terreno (MNT), especificando-se em cada célula o equacionamento hidráulico-hidrológico. As heterogeneidades do solo e da precipitação foram estudadas através de simulação do modelo considerando-se distribuições espaciais diferentes para a condutividade hidráulica saturada e eventos de chuva. Os resultados mostraram que as diferenças entre as vazões de pico podem ser maiores que 100% , considerando-se graus de resolução máximo e mínimo quanto à precipitação, e reafirmaram o consenso de que o conhecimento da distribuição espacial da chuva é fundamental na calibração de modelos hidrológicos distribuídos. / In first part of this work consists on the installation of pluviographic, water-height graphs and surveying of hydrological events with obtained data from spatial distribution of precipitation observed and resultant hydrograms. Experiments of water infiltration in the soil were done by an infiltrometer disc to characterize the spatial variability of hydraulic conductivity and the losses of infiltration in the basin obtaining two sets of data that showed to be lognormally distributed in average equal to 15.8 mm/h and 5.47 mm/h. A theoric study was conduced in the second part of work comprehending the development of hydrologic model distributed. The conception of the model proceed from the premise that allbasin area can be represented by cells derived from a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) specifying in each cell the hydraulic equation - hydrologic. The soil heterogeneity and the precipitation were studied by model simulation considering spatial distributions different to the hydraulic conductivity satured of the soil and to pluvial events. The results pointed out the differences among peak outflow can be more than 100% considering minimum and maximumresolution degrees as the precipitation and affirmed the consensus that the acquaintance of the pluvial spatial distribution is fundamental in the adjustment of hydrologic models distributed.

Estimation of the variation in the integrated hydraulic conductivity around the Tunåsen infiltration facility - An investigation of the effects of uncertainties in existing information Almost half of Sweden’s drinking water volume is produced from groundwater. The main fraction of this is extracted from eskers, some of which allow for very large extraction rates. Despite this, the groundwater volume is not sufficient in some areas. This has led to an extensive use of artificial recharge. In Uppsala, the total volume added through artificial recharge is divided between four infiltration facilities. The largest of these facilities is Tunåsen basin infiltration facility, which is situated along the Uppsala esker. For Tunåsen as well as for other recharge facilities, it is of great importance that the infiltrated water is allowed a sufficient transport time before it is extracted further down the flow path. This is in order to ensure that the water obtains characteristics similar to those of natural groundwater. A way to estimate the transport time is to model the groundwater flow in the area between the infiltration facility and the extraction site. However, due to the fact that groundwater flow in eskers often is very complex, modeling such a system requires data of high quality and resolution. The aim of this master’s thesis was to document the variation in estimated values of integrated horizontal hydraulic conductivity and to investigate how the variation was affected by uncertainties connected to existing information for the area between the Tunåsen infiltration facility and the extraction sites in Storvad and Galgbacken. The thesis was done as a pilot study for Uppsala vatten och avfall AB’s upcoming construction of a high-resolution model of the Uppsala and Vattholma eskers. The investigation began with a literature review, from which existing information was compiled. An integrated horizontal hydraulic conductivity was calculated based on two types of information: descriptions of the layers in borehole profiles and information from sieve analyses. The obtained values were then compared to a rough estimate based on information about groundwater flow and hydraulic gradient. The compilation of existing material showed that the largest uncertainties were related to borehole profiles. This was due to the use of different ways to describe soil layers and to lack of information of a soil layer’s true grain size composition. The calculations of integrated hydraulic conductivity showed the largest variation when based on descriptions of borehole profiles. The calculations that were made based on sieve analyses as well as the rough estimate based on groundwater flow and hydraulic gradient showed a smaller variation. However, without the existence of measurements of the actual hydraulic conductivity, it is impossible to say for certain how the documented uncertainties affect the variation. In the upcoming work with the construction of the high-resolution model it is therefore of great importance that such information is obtained, for example by performing pumping tests. / Skattning av den integrerade hydrauliska konduktivitetens variation kring Tunåsens infiltrationsanläggning - En utredning av påverkan från möjliga osäkerheter i befintlig information I Sverige utgörs nästan hälften av den totala dricksvattenvolymen av grundvatten. Den största delen av grundvattnet utvinns ur rullstensåsar, vilka i vissa fall tillåter mycket stora uttag. Trots detta är grundvattenvolymen på vissa håll inte tillräcklig. Detta har lett till att den naturliga grundvattenmängden i sex procent av landets grundvattentäkter kompletteras genom konstgjord infiltration. I Uppsala sker konstgjord infiltration på fyra platser, där Tunåsens infiltrationsanläggning belägen på Uppsalaåsen är den största. För Tunåsen såväl som för andra områden där konstgjord infiltration används, är det av stor betydelse att det infiltrerade vattnet har en tillräckligt lång transporttid mellan infiltrations- och uttagspunkt för att möjliggöra att det får grundvattenliknande egenskaper innan det pumpas upp. Ett sätt att uppskatta denna transporttid är genom att modellera grundvattenflödet i området mellan infiltrationsanläggningen och den eller de grundvattentäkter där vattnet pumpas upp. Till följd av att grundvattenströmningen i rullstensåsar ofta är komplex, ställer dock en modellering av ett sådant område stora krav på både kvalitet och upplösning hos den information från vilken modellen byggs upp. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att dokumentera variationen i en skattad integrerad horisontell hydraulisk konduktivitet och utvärdera hur denna påverkades av osäkerheter relaterade till den idag befintliga informationen för området mellan Tunåsens infiltrationsanläggning och Storvads respektive Galgbackens grundvattentäkt. Detta gjordes som en förstudie till Uppsala vatten och avfall ABs kommande arbete med upprättandet av en noggrann modell över hela Uppsala- och Vattholmaåsen. Arbetet började med en litteraturstudie och en informationsinsamling, genom vilka den idag tillgängliga informationen sammanställdes. Utifrån den sammanställda informationen beräknades sedan värden på hydraulisk konduktivitet baserat på beskrivningarna i de upprättade lagerföljderna och baserat på information från tidigare utförda siktanalyser. De beräknade värdena jämfördes därefter med värden framtagna genom en överslagsberäkning baserad på information om grundvattenflöde och hydraulisk gradient. Sammanställningen av befintlig information visade på att de mest betydande osäkerheterna var relaterade till jordlagerdata, där de kunde kopplas till såväl användandet av olika beskrivningssätt i lagerföljderna som till brister i informationen om verklig kornstorleksfördelning. Skattningarna av integrerad horisontell hydraulisk konduktivitet resulterade i störst variation när de baserades på jordlagerföljderna, då det högsta värdet i många fall var 107 gånger så stort som det lägsta. De beräkningar som utfördes på siktanalyser visade på en mer begränsad variation, vilket även var fallet för överslagsberäkningarna. Utan mätningar på den verkliga hydrauliska konduktiviteten går det dock inte att säkert avgöra hur mycket de funna osäkerheterna påverkar variationen. Inför utvecklingen av den kommande modellen är det därför nödvändigt att komplettera den idag befintliga informationen med ny data, till exempel genom att provpumpningar utförs.

Perennial summer pastures are an excellent forage option for livestock feed, a fact that has boosted milk production in Rio Grande do Sul. However, the lack of animal load control coupled with high grazing intensities have contributed to the degradation of pastures and loss of soil quality. The study was conducted on a farm in northern Rio Grande do Sul, and the forage used was Jiggs (Cynodon dactylon) and management method adopted was the rotational grazing, covering a 268 days production cycle. The treatments consisted of different grazing intensities in a randomized block design with four replications which the following treatments were: T1 = intensity of 0%, T2 = 30%, T3 and T4 = 50% = 70%. The experimental area was disposed within a total area of 1,760 m2, which were distributed pickets 16 (4 treatments x 4 replicates) with dimensions equal to 100 m2 each (10 x 10 m). The production of forage Jiggs had no statistical difference among treatments and the production decreases with the end of the production cycle, however, the highest concentration of leaves was found at the end of the grazing cycle influenced by plant height. There is a reduction with respect to the length and root density with increasing soil depth and the treatment one where grazing intensity was zero, had the lowest average density with respect to other treatments. The air permeability of the soil (Kar) equilibrated to tensions of 6 and 100 kPa did not reach statistical difference between treatments and the depth in the periods pre and post grazing 1. The soil layer of 0-5 and 5-10 cm was that the only influenced by the treatments in Ksat, Kar and 6 and 100 kPa, leading to a reduction in the flow of air and water in the grazing periods post 3 is 5. The grazing intensity significantly alter the soil density and macroporosity and total porosity in the 0-5 and 5-10 cm. The T1 had increasing density mean values with increasing depth, however, the treatment had decreasing average values obtained in the course of depths, where the 0-5 cm layer obtained density 1.49 g cm-3. During the grazing cycle was observed generally that the microporosity remained virtually constant. The forage production showed no statistical difference in relation to grazing intensity, the roots are concentrated in the 0-5 cm layer and cattle trampling influenced root density. In general, the grazing periods influenced Kar, Ksat and bulk density in the surface layers of the soil and the micro, macro and total porosity were mainly influenced by grazing period post 3 and post 5. / As pastagens perenes de verão surgem como uma excelente opção de forrageira para alimentação do gado, fato esse que tem impulsionado a produção de leite no Rio Grande do Sul. Todavia, a falta de controle da carga animal aliada a intensidades de pastejo elevada tem contribuído com a degradação das pastagens e perda da qualidade do solo. O estudo foi desenvolvido numa propriedade rural no norte gaúcho, sendo que a forrageira utilizada foi o Jiggs (Cynodon dactylon) e o método de manejo adotado foi o pastejo rotacionado, contemplando um ciclo de produção de 268 dias. Os tratamentos foram compostos de distintas intensidades de pastejo em blocos ao acaso e contaram com quatro repetições as quais constituíram os seguintes tratamentos: T1= intensidade de 0%, T2= 30%, T3= 50% e T4= 70%. A área experimental estava disposta dentro de uma área total de 1.760 m2, onde foram distribuídos 16 piquetes (4 tratamentos x 4 repetições) com dimensões iguais a 100 m2 cada (10 x 10 m). A produção da forrageira Jiggs não apresentou diferença estatística com relação aos tratamentos, sendo que a produção decresce com o fim do ciclo produtivo, em contrapartida, a maior concentração de folhas foi encontrada no fim do ciclo de pastejo influenciada pela altura das plantas. Ocorreu redução com relação ao comprimento e densidade de raiz com aumento da profundidade sendo que a intensidade de pastejo igual a zero, apresentou a menor densidade média com relação as demais intensidades. A permeabilidade do solo ao ar (Kar) equilibrado à tensões de 6 e 100 kPa não obteve diferença estatística entre as intensidades de pastejo e a profundidade nos períodos de Pré Pastejo e no Pós Pastejo 1. A camada de solo de 0-5 e 5-10 cm foi a única que sofreu influencia dos tratamentos na Ksat e Kar à tesões de 6 e 100 kPa, ocorrendo redução do fluxo de ar e água nos períodos de pastejo Pós 3 e 5. A intensidade de pastejo altera significativamente a densidade de solo bem como a macroporosidade e porosidade total nas camadas de 0-5 e de 5-10 cm. a intensidade de 0% obteve valores médios crescentes de densidade conforme o aumento da profundidade, no entanto, o tratamento 4 obteve valores médios decrescentes no decorrer das profundidades, onde a camada de 0-5 cm apresentou densidade de 1,49 g cm-3. No decorrer do ciclo de pastejo, observou-se de modo geral que a microporosidade manteve-se praticamente constante. Em síntese, a produção de forragem não apresentou diferença estatística com relação às intensidades de pastejo, as raízes se concentram na camada de 0-5 cm e o pisoteio animal influencia na densidade de raiz. De modo geral, os períodos de pastejo influenciaram a Kar, Ksat e densidade do solo nas camadas superficiais do solo e a micro, macro e porosidade total foram influenciadas principalmente pelos períodos de pastejo Pós 3 e 5.

Forms of cavernous weathering - tafoni and honeycombs - belong to long-term investigated and discussed phenomena in geology. The reason for the difference in size between few centimetres- long honeycombs and the several-metres-long tafoni has not been yet studied. In my master thesis I compared the hydraulic properties of rocks with developed honeycombs and tafoni. The research consists of field measurements (measurement of suction pressures and capillary water absorption using Karsten tube) and laboratory measurements on tafoni and honeycomb samples (retention curve measurement, capillary water absorption, water vapour diffusion rate and saturated hydraulic conductivity). I have been studing honeycombs from various sites in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin and tafoni from three different sites: Carbon Arkoses near Kralupy nad Vltavou, Cambrian Sandstone in Petra (Jordan) and Tunnel Spring Tuff in Crystal Peak (Utah). The measurements showed that values of suction pressure are far higher inside tafoni than inside honeycombs. This observation corresponds to different retention curves of studied rocks: steeper retention curve for honeycomb's quartz sandstone than for fine-grained arkosic sandstones to arkoses with tafoni. In the other part of my research I have compared the properties of hydrophobic...