In Silico Investigation of the Light Transmission Profiles of Sand-Textured Soils
Abstract
Sand-textured soils are found in a wide range of landscapes, from dune fields to coastal
areas. The quantification of light penetration through these soils, particularly considering
possible variations in the presence of water in their pore space, is of considerable interest not
only for remote sensing applications, but also for agricultural, ecological and geophysical
studies. Despite its relevance, however, the literature on this topic is still scarce. Moreover,
the available light penetration (transmittance) datasets for these soils are affected by experimental and modeling limitations. These include, for instance, the use of samples with
morphological and mineralogical characteristics markedly different from those of naturally
occurring sand-textured soils. In the investigation described in this thesis, we demonstrate
the importance of properly accounting for the iron oxide contents and grain (particle) distributions of these soils in applied research initiatives linked to their spectral responses,
notably in the 400 to 1000 nm region of the light spectrum. In order to overcome the
limitations outlined above and strengthen the current knowledge in this area, we employed
a predictive simulation platform supported by measured data. This platform has as its
central component a first-principles light transport model for particulate materials whose
implementation has been substantially enhanced during this work. Thus, using this platform, we were able to perform controlled in silico experiments on selected representative
samples of these soils by systematically varying their water content, their thickness and the
angle of light incidence. Our findings provide an original multi-faceted assessment, both
in terms of spectral and angular dependencies, of the light transmission profiles of dry and
wet sand-textured soils.
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Cite this version of the work
Mark Iwanchyshyn
(2020).
In Silico Investigation of the Light Transmission Profiles of Sand-Textured Soils. UWSpace.
http://hdl.handle.net/10012/15858
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