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Small‐Increment Electric Soil Sampler
Author(s) -
Wuest Stewart B.,
Schillinger William F.
Publication year - 2008
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/sssaj2007.0412n
Subject(s) - sampling (signal processing) , soil water , environmental science , core (optical fiber) , soil science , soil test , core sample , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , materials science , geotechnical engineering , physics , composite material , optics , detector
Measurement of soil bulk density and volumetric water content in small (≤2‐cm) depth increments is tedious and time consuming. Most methods require compositing several subsamples to control measurement error, and few are feasible with loose, dry soils. We developed and tested a sampler that uses an electric linear actuator to push an intact soil core out of the sampling tube. The soil core is maintained in an upright position and protected from fracturing by remaining inside the tube until sectioned with a cutting saw. Precise length increments and flat cuts are easily obtained, even in loose soils. Compared with existing incremental sampling technology developed 30 yr ago, the electric sampler reduced sample variability by half. The electric sampler requires only 7 min to collect a 26‐cm core and section it into 2‐cm increments, compared with 20 min per core with the older sampler.