Effects of wind speed and wind gustiness on subsurface gas transport

The impact of near-surface wind speed and wind speed fluctuations (gustiness) on subsurface gas transport and exchange with the atmosphere was investigated with a focus on assessing the extent of vertical and horizontal gas transport in the subsurface. Investigations involved the use of a 40- by 40-cm, 35-cm-deep stainless steel container filled with a dry granular porous medium (2–4-mm grain size), applying CO₂ and O₂ as tracer gases. Experiments were performed under controlled (laboratory) conditions for different wind speeds (0–5.6 m s⁻¹) under both gusty and non-gusty wind conditions. Horizontal gas movement in the porous medium both parallel and perpendicular to the wind direction was controlled via a set of separation walls that could be installed inside the porous medium to assess the importance of horizontal gas velocities in the porous medium. Results indicate that average wind speed was the most important parameter controlling porous medium gas transport, especially near the surface. However, at greater depths, wind gustiness and horizontal gas movement also had significant impacts on the overall gas transport.