Table Of ContentSOIL WATER MEASUREMENT
Don’tthink,trytheexperiment
JohnHunter,1728–1793
Ilovedeadlines.Ilovethewhooshingnoisetheymakeastheygoby
DouglasAdams1952–2001
Soil Water Measurement
A Practical Handbook
J. David Cooper
Former Head of Soil Physics Group and Instrument Group
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Wallingford, UK
Research Fellow
University of Brighton
Brighton, UK
With a contribution from Richard H. Cuenca
Professor Emeritus
Department of Biological and Ecological Engineering
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR, USA
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Cooper,David,1946–author.
Title:Soilwatermeasurement:apracticalhandbook/DavidCooper.
Description:Hoboken,NJ:JohnWiley&Sons,2016.|Includes
bibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2015034625|ISBN9781405176767(cloth)
Subjects: LCSH:Soilmoisture–Measurement–Handbooks,manuals,etc.
Classification:LCCS594.C672016|DDC631.4/32–dc23LCrecord
availableathttp://lccn.loc.gov/2015034625
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1 2016
Contents
Preface, vi PART IV: WATER CONTENT – POTENTIAL
RELATIONS, 223
Part I: INTRODUCTION, 1 15 Soil Water Characteristic
Measurement, 225
1 Soil Water in Context, 3
PART V: HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY, 237
2 How Does Water in Soil Interact with the
Soil Matrix, Air, Roots, Gravity and Other 16 Hydraulic Conductivity Measurement
Substances Present?, 6 and Prediction, 239
3 What Do We Need to Measure?, 14 17 Hydraulic Conductivity Measurement of
Confined Soil Samples, 241
4 Spatial Variability, 16
18 Unconfined Measurements in
the Field, 257
PART II: WATER CONTENT, 21
PART VI: SOLUTE MEASUREMENT, 277
5 Definitions, 23
19 Principles and Pitfalls, 279
6 Gravimetric Method, 26
20 Solution Sampling, 283
7 Neutron Scattering, 43
21 Solute Concentration Estimation by
Electrical Conductivity, 292
8 Dielectric METHODS, 101
PART VII: WATER AND SOLUTE
9 Dual-Probe Heat-Pulse
MOVEMENT, 301
Sensors, 150
22 Water and Solute Transport
10 Electrical Resistivity
Applications, 303
Imaging, 152
23 Water and Solute Flux Measurement, 306
PART III: WATER POTENTIAL, 159
24 Soil Water and Solute Balance Measurement
and Estimation, 312
11 Water Potential Measurement, 161
PART VIII: CONCLUSION, 333
12 Tensiometers, 164
25 Concluding Remarks, 335
13 Indirect Methods of Water Potential
Measurement, 203
References, 336
14 Beyond −10Metres Water Head, 214 Index, 353
Preface
The principal motivation for writing this book is that for Cross and Geoff Wicks. In the British Geological Survey,
over 35 years of measuring water in soil, I had not come I enjoyed fruitful collaborations with David Kinniburgh,
acrossabookthatbroughttogetherinoneplacetheprinci- HelenRutter,DavidBuckley,BrianAdams,StephenFoster
plesofoperationofalltheimportantmethodsandinstru- and Mike Edmunds. Outside these two organisations,
mentsavailable,togetherwiththeirmethodsofuse.This DavidFourt,EdwardYoungs,PeterLeeds-Harrison,Declan
bookaimstocorrectthat. Barraclough, Chris Young, Andree Carter, Tim Atkinson,
Thesecondarymotivationisthatwritingthisbookisa Joseph Oisebe, Samson, Donald Laycock, Caleb Othieno,
kindofpenancefornothavingcompletedaPhDandwrit- ValMercer,JohnSmith,GeorgesVachaud,MichelVauclin
tentoofewpaperswhileIwasworkingattheInstituteof and Tim Burt have been most helpful. Adrian Smith and
Hydrology/CentreforEcology&Hydrology. Dee Galliford of the CEH library have been most helpful
Withalongcareerinthesubject,Iamindebtedtomany inprovidingaccesstobotholdandrecentliterature.
morepeoplethanthereisspacetoidentifyhere.Itwouldbe In writing this book, as well as several of those men-
bordering on criminal, however, not to mention some of tioned above, discussions with Gaylon Campbell, David
the more prominent ones. The late Jim McCulloch and YoungandMarkRobinsonhavebeenfruitful.Asidefrom
John Bell must take pride of place for taking the chance reviewingtheearlypartofthemanuscript,RichardCuenca
onemployingmeoverother,nodoubtwell-qualified,aspir- alerted me to and kindly contributed a section on COS-
ants for a job in the Soil Physics Section of the rapidly MOS. Long-suffering staff at Wiley, particularly Kelvin
expanding Institute of Hydrology and for guiding me Matthews, Ian Francis and Delia Sandford, have been
towards a satisfying career in the underground. Other immenselypatientovermyfrequentmissingofdeadlines.
sometime colleagues at the Institute who both taught Noneofanyofthiswouldhavebeenpossiblewithout
andhelpedmewellbeyondthecallofdutyinclude(inno the support and encouragement of my family, particu-
particularorder)thelateSteveWellings,thelateSamBoyle, larlymywife,Sue,whoputupwithmyfrequentabsences
Phil Holdsworth, Gareth Roberts, Richard Raynor, Paul working in various parts of the UK and abroad while
Rosier, Cate Gardner, Alan Warwick, Ned Hewitt, Roger being left to bring up six children and who has had to
Wyatt, the late Pete Andrews, Jim Wallace, Atul Haria, forego several years of my “retirement” while preparing
AndyDixon,thelateBrianSmith,TonyDebney,thelate this book.
IanCalder,JohnBromley,RagabRagab,LizMorris,Keith Toalloftheabove,myeverlastingthanks.
Beven, Peter Germann, Jim Shuttleworth, the late John
Stewart, Colin Lloyd, David Robinson, Brenda Burton, J.DavidCooper
the late John Roberts, Jimmy Blackie, the late Tony Ewelme
Edwards, Tom Dean, Dave McNeil, Dave Harris, Richard Oxfordshire
Part I
Introduction
