Measuring Unsaturated Soil Moisture Flow with a Meter

Cary, J.W. (1970) Measuring Unsaturated Soil Moisture Flow with a Meter. Soil Science Society of America Proceedings. 34(1):24-27.

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Abstract

A meter for measuring unsaturated soil moisture flow was
constructed and tested in the laboratory. The meter was made
from a single porous plate mounted in a thin brass cylinder.
Flow through the meter was calculated from measurements of
hydraulic head loss in the porous ceramic plate. The unit was
calibrated in silt loam, silty clay, and loamy sand soils under
nonisothermal but steady state conditions. It responded to water
vapor flow induced by thermal gradients, as well as to liquid
flow. Transient tests made in the silt loam soil indicated that it
is possible to calibrate the meter under such conditions. Design
analysis indicates that increasing the length of the cylinder reduces
the sensitivity of the meter's calibration to changes in
soil moisture content.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	0126
Subjects:	Soil > Soil water (soil moisture) Research methodology Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User:	Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2010 21:49
Last Modified:	14 Mar 2017 22:25
Item ID:	72
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/72