Soil Water Content
Soil Water Content - Related Videos
06:16
Determination of Moisture Content in Soil
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Dr. Ian Pepper and Dr. Charles Gerba - The University of Arizona Demonstrating Author: Bradley Schmitz Soils normally contain a finite amount of water, which can be expressed as the “soil moisture content.” This moisture exists within the pore spaces in between soil aggregates (inter-aggregate pore space) and within soil aggregates (intra-aggregate pore space) (Figure 1). Normally this pore space is occupied by air and/or water. If all the pores are occupied by air, the...
08:49
Manufacturing Simple and Inexpensive Soil Surface Temperature and Gravimetric Water Content Sensors
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Cited by 6 •
2019
Accurately measuring temperature and water content of the upper 5 mm of the soil surface can improve our understanding of environmental controls on biological, chemical, and physical processes. Here we describe a protocol for manufacturing, calibrating, and conducting measurements with soil surface temperature and moisture sensors.
03:10
Soil Core Sample Collection for Water Retention Property Analysis
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2026
Source:Alessia J. Marchesan1, Guillermo Hernandez Ramirez11Renewable Resources, University of Alberta. This video demonstrates the technique for collecting a soil sample for hydraulic property analysis. The sampling area is cleared, and the top crust is evacuated. The sampling ring is then placed into the soil to collect the sample. The ring with the sample is then cleaned, labeled, packed, and transferred undisturbed for analysis.
10:30
Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations
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Cited by 5 •
2016
This study presents an excavation method for investigating subsurface hydrological, geochemical, and microbiological heterogeneity of a soil lysimeter. The lysimeter simulates an artificial hillslope which was initially under homogeneous condition and had been subjected to approximately 5,000 mm of water over eight cycles of irrigation in an 18-month period.
01:19
Body Water Content and Fluid Compartments
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2024
Life's biochemical processes occur within aqueous solutions. Solutes are substances that are dissolved within these solutions. The human body contains a variety of solutes, which can differ across various body parts. These can encompass proteins—such as those responsible for clotting and carbohydrate transport—as well as electrolytes. In medicine, an electrolyte is often described as a mineral ion derived from a salt possessing an electric charge. Examples include sodium ions (Na+) and chloride...
FAQs
Texture determines the relative abundance of pore sizes, while organic matter and pore structure influence how strongly water is retained. Drainage also changes the amount remaining after water moves through the soil. These factors help explain why different soils can provide different water supplies to plants and can transport dissolved substances at different rates.
Adhesive forces hold water to soil particles, and capillary forces retain it within small pores. As drying progresses, less water remains readily available, while root extraction further reduces moisture around plants. This changing balance is important for evaluating plant water availability, microbial activity, and soil responses during periods of limited rainfall or increased demand.
The amount of water occupying soil pores influences how dissolved substances move through terrestrial systems. Greater or more continuous water pathways can support solute movement, whereas drainage and drying alter those pathways. Consequently, measurements provide environmental context for assessing potential contaminant transport and for interpreting how water and dissolved materials move through soil.
These approaches provide different ways to quantify moisture conditions, allowing researchers to select measurements suited to irrigation management, drought assessment, groundwater studies, or watershed modeling. The resulting data can indicate changes in water availability and help compare soil conditions across locations or times. Their value lies in linking moisture observations with environmental processes and decisions.
Measurements reveal whether soil moisture is changing as plants extract water or as drainage occurs. Tracking those changes helps evaluate water availability and supports irrigation decisions without relying only on surface appearance. In environmental studies, the same observations can show how soil moisture responds to rainfall patterns, drainage conditions, and changing plant demand.
Soil water measurements provide evidence of moisture conditions during drying periods and help identify how soils respond to climate variability. Comparing observations over time can indicate changes in water availability and the effects of reduced moisture on terrestrial processes. This information supports drought assessment and contributes to understanding ecosystem responses to changing environmental conditions.
Soil moisture measurements help connect water stored in soil with drainage and movement through terrestrial systems. In watershed modeling, they provide information needed to represent changing soil conditions, while groundwater studies use them to examine how water moves through the soil profile. The same data also help evaluate conditions affecting dissolved-solute and contaminant transport.