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Automated In Situ Measurement of Unsaturated Soil Water Flux
Author(s) -
Grinsven J.J.M.,
Booltink H.W.G.,
Dirksen C.,
Breemen N.,
Bongers N.,
Waringa N.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1988.03615995005200050002x
Subject(s) - loam , suction , vadose zone , filtration (mathematics) , flux (metallurgy) , soil science , soil water , flow (mathematics) , environmental science , water flow , mechanics , hydrology (agriculture) , geotechnical engineering , materials science , geology , thermodynamics , mathematics , physics , statistics , metallurgy
A device is presented which, based on new operation principles, intercepts unsaturated soil water fluxes within an error of 10% and can yield samples for subsequent chemical analysis and calculation of convective solute fluxes. Operation is controlled by a microprocessor which automatically adjusts the vacuum imposed on a porous filter cloth such that identical matric potentials are maintained just above the cloth and at the same depth in the neighboring soil. Contact resistances and internal resistance of the device are implicitly corrected by adjustment of suction. Laboratory and field tests in a loamy sand under steady and transient flow conditions showed that cumulative water fluxes could be measured within 10% of those calculated from storage changes, and from numerical and analytical flow models.