HIGH RESOLUTION SOIL WATER CONTENT PROFILING

WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A SIMPLE TO USE, QUANTITATIVE DEVICE TO ACCURATELY MEASURE SOIL WATER CONTENT WITH SUFFICIENT RESOLUTION TO DEFINE WETTING FRONTS DUE TO RAIN EVENTS IN DEPTH PROFILES. THIS GEOPHYSICAL TOOL SENSES CHANGE IN THE ELECTROMAGNETIC ENVIRONMENT, SPECIFICALLY THE DIELECTRIC CONSTANT OF THE SOIL, WHICH IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO SOIL WATER CONTENT. THE SOIL WATER CONTENT PROFILING DEVICE WILL BE DEVELOPED FROM A PROVEN LABORATORY CONCEPT TO A RUGGED, PORTABLE TOOL FOR USE IN FIELD APPLICATIONS. IT WILL BE CAPABLE OF OBTAINING FIELD MEASUREMENTS FOR SINGLE OR MULTIPLE ENTRY AND WILL PROVIDE DETAILED HIGH RESOLUTION GRAPHICAL PRESENTATIONS OF WATER CONTENT OF THE SOIL. WE SHALL DEVELOP PRELIMINARY SOFTWARE TO RECORD, EVALUATE, STORE AND DISPLAY DATA INITIALLY FOR A SINGLE ENTRY ENCASED BOREHOLE TO BE EXPANDED DURING PHASE II TO LARGER RESEARCH STUDIES SUCH AS DETAILED MONITORING OF LARGE VOLUMES OF SOIL IN THE ROOT ZONE TO DEFINE HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES RELEVANT TO THE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION PROCESS. THE COMBINATION OF HIGH RESOLUTION, SPEED OF MEASUREMENT AND, COMBINED WITH COMPUTER CONTROL, CAPACITY TO PRESENT LARGE AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION CONCISELY IN REAL TIME, ALLOWS EXPANSION INTO RESEARCH WHICH IS IMPRACTICAL USING CURRENT TECHNOLOGY.