A PARTIAL EXPLANATION OF THE DEPENDENCY OF HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY ON POSITIVE PORE-WATER PRESSURE IN FEAT SOILS

Part of the relationship between positive pore water pressures and hyd raulic conductivity in peat soils may be explained by accumulations of methane bubbles. We show how compression and expansion of gas bubbles with changes in pore water pressure could cause changes in hydraulic conductivity and thus help to explain some observations of dependency of hydraulic conductivity in peats on pore water pressure. Considerati on is also given to the effect on hydraulic conductivities of methane gas going into solution with increase in pore water pressure.