Hysteresis in the capillary-sorption water potential as dependent on the soil water content

The capillary-sorption hysteresis within the entire range of the soil water contents has been studied in zonal soil types of the European part of Russia. The degree of hysteresis in the sorption and capillary-sorption ranges has been estimated. The main factors of the hysteresis are established. In the area of water sorption, this phenomenon is due to different wetting angles in the course of the soil wetting-drying cycles because of the heterogeneous hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces of the soil particles. In the area of capillary moistening, the pore-size distribution as a function of the soil macro-and microstructure is important, as this characteristic is closely related to shrinking and swelling processes.