An Integrated System to Monitor Soil-Atmosphere Interaction

2021 
The response of shallow geotechnical structures is affected by the interaction with the atmosphere. Since the ground surface is very often vegetated, plant transpiration plays a major role in the removal of soil water by the atmosphere. The soil, plant, and atmosphere form a continuum and modelling the hydraulic boundary conditions associated with vegetation requires an understanding of the water flow processes taking place from the soil through the plant xylem up to the leaves. The measurement of the water content and the (negative) water pressure in the soil-plant continuum system therefore becomes a critical aspect in assessing soil-atmosphere interaction. This paper presents a pilot study of a novel integrated portable system for simultaneous monitoring of i) water content in the ground, using TDR probes and ERT surveys; ii) xylem water pressure (in the plant) using High-Capacity Tensiometers and Thermocouple Psychrometer, and; iii) leaf water pressure using the Pressure Chamber.
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