Project properties
Title Measuring soil physical relationships
in lab and field
Group Soil Physics and Land Management group
Project type thesis
Credits 24-39
Supervisor(s) Jan Wesseling and Jos van Dam
Examiner(s) Coen Ritsema
Contact info jan.wesseling@wur.nl; jos.vandam@wur.nl
Begin date 2019/04/01
End date
Description Introduction:
Unsaturated hydraulic soil functions (the water retention curve and hydraulic conductivity curve) are key to understanding and simulating the transport of (agro-)chemicals and water in the unsaturated zone. They are used in simulations of a.o. the effects of land and water management under climate change or the leaching of pesticides.
Unsaturated hydraulic soil functions are difficult and costly to obtain. The most common laboratory measurement method currently used to determine the soil hydraulic functions has shown pitfalls. These include measurement errors and the incomplete coverage of the soil matrix pressure domain from soil saturation to wilting point. Also, the use of laboratory measurements on soil samples instead of in situ measurements in the field causes errors in the soil hydraulic functions.
With the advent of wetter and dryer conditions in soils in The Netherlands due to climate change, there is an increasing demand for more reliable outputs of water transport simulation models. More and more reliable data on soil hydraulic functions of soils all over the world are vital to achieve this.

Research subject:
The research involves a desk top search for the newest and most promising methods to measure soil hydraulic functions currently developed in research institutes, laboratories, universities and (agro-industrial) companies all over the world. Methods should include both laboratory and in situ field measurement techniques. The research will provide an up to date overview of the available and new, promising methods, including full descriptions, strengths and weaknesses, and recommendations.
Used skills
Requirements