Groundwater and vadose zone

Characterizing deep drainage volume and EC can be costly and complicated, but not with METER solutions. We know the value of adding these measurements to hydrological, agricultural, and ecological studies, so we strive to make our solutions simple, economical, and—above all—accurate.

Deep Drainage

Study groundwater recharge, nutrient or contaminant leaching, and the influence of land management practices on water retention and drainage across a larger area with affordable, easy to use instruments.

Accurately measure deep drainage and leaching using a METER Drain Gauge Lysimeter, or add an ATMOS 41 All In One Weather Station and TEROS water content sensors to quantify the water balance at your measurement site

Soil Moisture

Plant growth, microbial activity, nutrient availability and transport, soil erosion, soil compaction, soil respiration, water infiltration and drainage are all dependent on soil moisture. Measure the amount of water, its availability, and predict where it will move with our water content and water potential sensors.

Measure both water content and availability at a single site by installing TEROS water content sensors and TEROS water potential sensors at multiple depths

Surface and Ground Water Level Monitoring

Track groundwater recharge, water flows through canals or channels, or solute concentration using all-in-one sensors. Combining these sensors with a remote data logger allows you monitor water quality and levels across a wide area without frequent site visits.

Apply the HYDROS 21 and a cloud connected ZL6 Data Logger to remotely monitor surface and groundwater levels.

Lab Soil Characterization

LABROS is an innovative collection of soil science laboratory instruments, each designed to work individually or as part of a larger, automated system. Conduct Automated Particle Size Analysis and measure Soil Moisture Release Curves, Saturated and Unsaturated Hydraulic Conductivity, Thermal Conductivity from a single sample.

Get a complete soil moisture release curve using HYPROP and WP4C lab instruments and LABROS software
Measure both saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity from a single soil sample using HYPROP and KSAT laboratory instruments
Streamline your soil characterization methods by using the LABROS suite of laboratory instruments and software to perform accurate, automated analyses from a single soil sample

Field Hydraulic Properties

Measure the movement and distribution of water in the soil to inform water management, predict soil behavior under a variety of moisture conditions, measure groundwater recharge, or optimize agricultural practices for efficient water usage. Field instruments like the SATURO set the standard for simple, accurate, and time-efficient data collection.

Get accurate, in situ hydraulic conductivity measurements with less water and simpler processes using SATURO and the Mini Disk Infiltrometer

ZL6 Data Logger next to a tablet and several screenshots. the tablet and screenshots show data visualizations from ZENTRA Cloud software

ZENTRA System

Customize your data collection and logging solution by combining multiple METER sensors with the ZL6 Data Logger and ZENTRA Cloud. ZENTRA stores your data in the cloud, allowing easy access to your data and near-real-time reports from all of your data loggers.

Avoid costly field visits by accessing your data from any web-connected device. Analyze it with ZENTRA’s built-in visualization tools, and easily share insights without tracking down log files on individual computers.

Learn more about ZENTRA

LABROS System

Streamline your laboratory analyses and reduce human error using the innovative LABROS soil science laboratory collection. Perform automated particle size analysis, generate soil moisture release curves, or measure thermal and hydraulic conductivity with METER laboratory instruments designed to produce accurate analyses in a fraction of the time of other methods.

Even better, LABROS instruments can be combined to perform all of these analyses from a single sample, saving time and reducing measurement errors due to variations in sample characteristics.

See LABROS products

LABROS-capable laboratory instruments from METER, including WP4C, KSAT, VARIOS, and PARIO

“The [METER] water potential and soil moisture sensors yielded data proving LID areas were effective at capturing the water, infiltrating it more slowly, and essentially storing it in the aquifer.”

 – Michelle Newcomer, Research Scienitst | San Francisco State University

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Case studies

See how scientists, growers, and engineers have used METER solutions in the field.

Irrigation and climate impacts to the water-energy balance of the WI Central Sands

Due to controversy over the growing number of high capacity wells in the Wisconsin Central Sands, University of Wisconsin PhD student, Mallika Nocco, is researching how agricultural land use, irrigation, and climate change impact the region’s water energy balance. She and her team have uncovered some surprising results.

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Can wastewater save the United Arab Emirates’ groundwater?

To preserve groundwater and improve irrigation in desert forests, Dr. Wafa Al Yamani studied the impact of using wastewater effluent along motorways.

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Oklahoma switchgrass: How deeper root systems affect groundwater recharge and the water cycle

Government incentives are sometimes provided to convert marginal lands to switchgrass, but New Mexico Tech researcher Michael Wine wanted to investigate whether switchgrass’s deeper root systems would affect the water cycle both during and after crop establishment.

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