Associate Professor - Unsaturated Flow

Mailing Address:

Department of Crop and Soil Science
3017 Agricultural and Life Science Building
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331

Office: 3135 Agricultural and Life Science Building
Phone: 541-737-5739
Fax: 541-737-5725
E-Mail:  

Department Website: Department of Crop and Soil Science
Vita: Short

Education:

Ph.D.	1999	Hydrogeology	University of Nevada, Reno
M.S.	1984	Geophysics and Space Physics	University of California, Los Angeles
B.S.	1980	Physics	California Polytechnic Univeristy, Pomona

Current Work Focus: Physical mechanisms involved in mass and energy transport in highly heterogeneous and fractured porous media.

Research Activity Overview:

1. Transport of Phytophthora zoospores in porous media- Laboratory investigation of the transport properties of live biological entities through unsaturated porous media. Funded by USDA-NRI.
2. Evaporation and salt precipitation- Laboratory/theoretical investigation of the physical-chemical mechanisms controlling the location of salt precipitation during the evaporation process in heterogeneous porous media. Funded by NSF.
3. Evaporation from soil cracks- Investigate the effect that soil cracks have on the flux of energy (heat), water (evaporation) and solutes (salt redistribution). Funded by NSF.
4. Hydrophobic Soil- Investigating the chemical-physical mechanisms responsible for the peculiar behavior that some hydrophobic soils, where water beads that impact the surface are rapidly “coated” with soil particles. This “coating” of water beads increases erosion of planting beds. Funded by USDA-AFRI.
5. Liquid flow in unsaturated fractures- Investigating the effect surface texture (micro-topography) has on the movement of an air water interface. Funded by NSF.

Graduate Students:

• Grover, Deeksha
• Ochiai, Naoyuki

Projects:

• Aquifer Salinization
• Vadose Zone Fractures
• Sudden Oak Death
• High-resolution Cesium Magnetometer Surveys to Locate Agricultural Drain Tiles
• Hydrophobicity of Quincy soil
• ORE00118 Investigation of Non-Darcian Transport Mechanisms Affecting Movement of Chemicals from Agricultural Operations>

Publications:

* indicates graduate student

Weisbrod, N., M. I. Dragila, U. Nachshon, and M. Pillersdorf. 2009. Falling through the cracks: The role of fractures in Earth-atmosphere gas exchange, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L02401, doi:10.1029/2008GL036096.

*Kamai, T. N. Weisbrod, and M.I. Dragila. 2009. Impact of ambient temperature on evaporation from surface-exposed fractures. Water Resources Research. 45. W02417. soi:10.1029/2008WR007354.

*Ochiai, N. M. I. Dragila, J. Parke, Accepted Dec 2009 (V09-0047), 3D tracking of colloids at the pore-scale using epifluorescence microscopy, Vadose Zone Journal.

Weisbrod, N., M. Dragila, U. Nachshon, M. Pillersdorf, 2009: The role of cavities in earth-atmosphere interactions. In: From Head Water to the Ocean: Hydrological Changes and Watershed Management. Taniguchi, M., Burnett W.C., Fukushima, Y., Haigh, M. and Y. Umezawa, (Eds), Tayler & Francis Group, London, UK, pp. 9-15 (peer reviewed).

*Nachshon, U. N. Weisbrod, M.I. Dragila. 2008. Quantifying Air Convection through Surface-Exposed Fractures: A Laboratory Study, Vadose Zone Journal, 7:948–956 doi: 10.2136/ vzj2007.0165.

*Kizito. F., M. Se`ne, M.I. Dragila, A. Lufafa, I. Diedhiou, E. Dossa, R. Cuenca, J. Selker, R.P. Dick.2007. Soil water balance of annual crop–native shrub systems in Senegal’s Peanut Basin: The missing link, Agricultural Water Management, 90, 137-148.

Burns, E. R.(*), M. I. Dragila, J. S. Selker, R. B. Guenther, J-Y. Parlange, N. Weisbrod, Correction of the Buckingham–Darcy Law for flow of high strength salts in variably saturated porous media, Advances in Water Resources, 30(3), 2007, 469-482

Kizito F. (*), M. Sene, M.I. Dragila, A. Lufafa, I. Diedhiou, E. Dossa, R. Cuenca, J. Selker, R.P. Dick (2007) Soil water balance of annual crop–native shrub systems in Senegal’s Peanut Basin: The missing link, Agricultural Water Management 90, 137-148

Kizito, F(*)., M. I. Dragila, M. Sène, A. Lufafa, I. Diedhiou, R. P. Dick, J. S. Selker, E. Dossa, M. Khouma, A. Badiane, S. Ndiaye. 2006. Seasonal soil water variation and root patterns between two semi-arid shrubs co-existing with Pearl millet in Senegal, West Africa, Journal of Arid Environments, 67(3), 436-455, 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2006.02.021

Weisbrod N., M.I. Dragila, Cooper, C., M. Pildersorf, C. Graham, Evaporation From Fractures Exposed at the Land Surface: Impact of Gas-Phase Convection on Salt Accumulation, in AGU Monograph Dynamics of Fluids and Transport in Fractured Rock, December 2005

*Cassidy, J., and M. I. Dragila, Characteristics of Amino-G tracer in Woodburn silty clay loam soil, submitted to Soils Science Society of America Journal, July 2004.

*Rogers, M., J. *Cassidy, and M. I. Dragila, High-resolution cesium magnetometer surveys to locate agricultural drain tiles, submitted to Applied Engineering in Agriculture, April 2004.

Dragila, M. I., and N. Weisbrod, Flow in rivulet corners, Vadose Zone Journal, November 2004.

Dragila, M. I., and N. Weisbrod, Parameters affecting fluid dynamics in large aperture fractures, Advances in Water Resources, 26(12) 2003.

Dragila, M. I., and N. Weisbrod, Fluid motion through an unsaturated fracture junction, Water Resources Research, 40(2) 2004.

Grace W. Su, John R. Nimmo, and Maria I. Dragila, Effect of isolated fractures on accelerated flow in the unsaturated zone, Water Resources Research, 39(12) 2003.

Courses Taught:

• CSS 335. Introduction to Water Science and Policy
• CSS 535. Soil Physics
• CSS 536. Vadoze Zone Hydrology Laboratory
• CSS 599. Critical Review of Soil Processes (Soil Processes Journal Club)

Professional Experience:

Academic Employment

Professional Employment (non-Academic)