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Published in Soil Sci Soc Am J 63:450-457 (1999)
© 1999 Soil Science Society of America
677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA
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Measuring Soil Water Content, Electrical Conductivity, and Thermal Properties with a Thermo-Time Domain Reflectometry Probe

T. Ren, K. Noborio and R. Horton*

Dep. of Agronomy, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA, 50011

* Corresponding author (rhorton{at}iastate.edu).

ABSTRACT

Hydraulic and thermal regimes are coupled in surface soil. Accurate measurement of soil volumetric water content ({theta}) and thermal properties will improve our understanding of the hydraulic and thermal regimes. A thermo-time domain reflectometry (TDR) probe was developed to simultaneously measure {theta}, bulk electrical conductivity ({sigma}), thermal conductivity ({lambda}), heat capacity ({rho}c), and thermal diffusivity ({alpha}). Time domain reflectometry was used to measure {theta} and {sigma}, and the dual-probe heat pulse (DPHP) method was used to determine {lambda}, {rho}c, and {alpha}. Laboratory tests on two soils showed that the probe determined {theta} accurately and the measured {sigma} values of saturated soil correlated well with values determined by a four-electrode probe. Measurements in agar-immobilized water produced values of {lambda} and {rho}c that closely corresponded with standard values of these properties for water, an indication of the sensor's functionality in other media. Soil thermal properties as a function of {theta} also are presented. The results of these laboratory tests suggest that the thermo-TDR probe can be a valuable tool for simultaneously monitoring {theta}, {sigma}, and soil thermal properties.

NOTES

Journal Paper no. J-17747 of the Iowa Agric. and Home Econ. Exp. Stn., Ames; Projects no. 3262 and 3287, and supported by the Hatch Act and State Funds.

Received for publication January 6, 1998.


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