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Soil Infiltration 101: What It Is. Why You Need It. How To Measure It.

World-renowned soil physicist, Dr. Gaylon S. Campbell, teaches the basics of soil infiltration, how to measure it correctly, and compares common measurement methods.

Make the right decisions

Soil infiltration impacts almost everything soils are used for. Infiltration rates impact irrigation, drainage, and how well water flows to crop roots. Infiltration measurements are used to predict erosion and determine soil health. And, in urban settings, stormwater systems and landfills need soil infiltration measurements to maximize or minimize water movement in soil. If you’re working in these situations, it’s critical to understand how to measure infiltration correctly, or you’ll risk inaccurate calculations that could lead to wrong decisions. 

Master the basics

In this 30-minute webinar, world-renowned soil physicist, Dr. Gaylon S. Campbell, teaches the basics of soil infiltration and how to measure it correctly. Learn:

  • What is soil hydraulic conductivity?
  • How does soil infiltration vary from one porous medium to another?
  • What determines hydraulic conductivity?
  • Why you should care about the infiltration rate of water into soil
  • How to measure soil infiltration in the lab and the field
  • How different measurement methods compare

Dr. Gaylon S. Campbell has been a research scientist and engineer at METER for 19 years following nearly 30 years on faculty at Washington State University.  Dr. Campbell’s first experience with environmental measurement came in the lab of Sterling Taylor at Utah State University making water potential measurements to understand plant water status.  Dr. Campbell is one of the world’s foremost authorities on physical measurements in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum.  His book written with Dr. John Norman on Environmental Biophysics provides a critical foundation for anyone interested in understanding the physics of the natural world.   Dr. Campbell has written three books, over 100 refereed journal articles and book chapters, and has several patents.

Next steps

Questions?

Our scientists have decades of experience helping researchers and growers measure the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. 

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Webinars

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Weather Data: Virtual, In-Field, or Regional Network—Does It Matter?

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