Soil moisture release curve construction service
Leave complexity behind. If you’re short on the time, lab space, or budget it takes to produce your own soil moisture release curves, our soil scientists can help.
Leave the complexity to us
Our soil scientists use METER’s tensiometers and HYPROP to produce the points for the soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) in the wet range and the WP4C to create the SWCC in the dry range.
Fast results
When ordering the soil moisture release curve service, you’ll receive the packaging to send METER about four liters of the soil you would like characterized. You also have the option of receiving sampling rings and equipment for collecting undisturbed samples. In about two weeks (more for international or non-typical soils), we’ll send you a moisture characteristic curve containing the ranges specified (i.e. you may want us to focus more on the dry range with the WP4C). If no range is specified, we’ll assume you’d like a range between 0 to -100 MPa.
Reliable methods give you accurate data
After receiving the samples (an undisturbed soil core and one other sample), the soil core will be saturated and analyzed with our HYPROP system to obtain the wet end of the soil moisture release curve and the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. The other soil sample will be dried down to various points and sealed in cups to equilibrate. (If the sample arrives in a dry condition, we’ll saturate the sample before we start the above process).
When equilibration is complete, each dry sample will be run in the WP4C to obtain its water potential. Afterward, each sample will be removed and immediately weighed, dried for 24 hours at 105 °C, and then weighed again to obtain its water content. These techniques will produce a very tight moisture release curve in the wet range and five to ten points in the dry range, so we can send you a full, high-resolution moisture release curve for your particular soil type.
Creating moisture release curves
If you want to create your own moisture release curve, METER has step-by-step instructions to walk you through creating a moisture characteristic curve for your soil. But if you don’t have the expertise or the instrumentation, METER’s service provides a reliable way to get the data you need.
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