Abstract

In this work, the soil temperature at depth was measured in the laboratory, and a mathematical model to fit the temperature profile in volcanic soils classified as Ultisols and Andisols was used. The mathematical model considered the transient heat diffusion equation, and a numerical discrete method was used to solve the equations system. The soil surface was heated for 2500 s and the temperature rose close to 700°C; the soil temperature decreased with depth; the temperature v. time curves showed a constant value when the temperature reached around 100°C, associated with water phase change and related to the water content of soils. The model was corrected by including the heat volumetric formulation. The observed relative errors are close to 10% in all fitted curves with respect to experimental data, showing the quality of the parametrisation chosen in the mathematical model. The fitting curve deviations were reduced when the actual position of thermocouples was considered, showing the sensitivity of the mathematical model. The simplified mathematical transient diffusion model proposed, which considers 2 ranges of thermal conductivity of soils and the surface temperature, was able to describe the experimental temperature profile in volcanic soils with wide differences in mineralogy, organic matter, and moisture contents. © CSIRO 2006.