3.6. Correlation of pore parameters and saturated hydraulic conductivity
Among the seven correlated CT-measured pore parameters, the
fractal dimension of pores explained 76% of the variation in saturated
hydraulic conductivity (Table 3). The seven CT-measured pore
parameters included in this analysis: number of pores, number of
macropores, number of coarse mesopores, total porosity (macroporosity
plus mesoporosity), macroporosity, coarse mesoporosity, and
fractal dimension correlated positively with Ksat. Number of coarse
mesopores (54%) and number of pores (53%) ranked second and third,
respectively, with similar coefficients of determinations. Bulk density
with the fractal dimension was the best two parameter combination
and accounted for 76% of the variation in Ksat.