Tensiometer
Water and associated contaminants seep into the ground and travel through a subsurface region known as the vadose zone (a region of unsaturated soil). Since soil water potential indicates how well surrounding soil and rock holds water, measuring soil water potentials at various locations and depths allows people to understand how fluids move between the land surface and the water table below. Understanding how fluids travel through the soil is an important aspect of environmental studies and is very helpful in developing improved irrigation management. How the water and associated contaminants move in the vadose zone, to a large degree, determines how much contamination (such as gasoline additives, agricultural chemicals, or buried nuclear waste leakage) may end up in a water supply. One type of instrument for measuring soil moisture potential is a tensiometer. Tensiometers are pressure-measuring devices for measuring the matric tension (suction) of water in soil. This tension is a function of the quantity of water in a given soil sample, and depends also on the type of soil and its condition. The tensiometer measures "matric potential", a measure of how tightly water is held under tension in an unsaturated environment. By grouping several tensiometers at different depths, water gradients can be determined. This in turn allows one to determine the direction and rate of water flow within the unsaturated substrate. Typical tensiometer constructions provide a tube or column of water which extends from the porous tip to above grade. The tube is filled with deaerated water, and the water-permeable end is inserted into the soil with the tube supported in a vertical or inclined position. Water within this tube passes through the water-permeable body in either direction in accordance with the matric tension (suction) of the soil, causing the pressure in the tensiometer to drop below the reference or ambient pressure, which is usually atmospheric pressure.
There's no product listing here. Be the first to
submit your product information.
Related products