Water content - wikipedia Water content Soil composition by Volume and Mass, by phase : air, water, void ( pores filled with water or air ), soil, and total. Water content or moisture content is the quantity of water contained in a material, such as soil ( called soil moisture ), rock, ceramics, crops, or wood. Water content is used in a wide range of scientific and technical areas, and is expressed as a ratio, which can range from 0 ( completely dry ) to the value of the materials ' porosity at saturation. It can be given on a volumetric or mass ( gravimetric ) basis. Contents 1 Definitions 1.1 Derived quantities 2 Measurement 2.1 Direct methods 2.2 Laboratory methods 3 In soil 3.1 Geophysical methods 3.2 Satellite remote sensing method 4 Classification and uses 4.1 Earth and agricultural sciences 4.1. 1 Agriculture 4.1. 2 Groundwater 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading Definitions Volumetric water content, θ, is defined mathematically as : θ = V w V wet ( displaystyle \theta = ( \frac ( V_ ( w ) ) ( V_ ( \text ( wet ) ) ) ) ) where V w ( displaystyle V_ ( w ) ) is the volume of water and V wet = V s + V w + V a ( displaystyle V_ ( \text ( wet ) ) = V_ ( s ) + V_ ( w ) + V_ ( a ) ) is equal to the total volume of the wet material, i.e. of the sum of the volume of solid host material ( e.g., soil particles, vegetation tissue ) V s ( displaystyle V_ ( s ) ), of water V w ( displaystyle V_ ( w ) ), and of air V a ( displaystyle V_ ( a ) ). Gravimetric water content is expressed by mass ( weight ) as follows : u = m w m ( displaystyle u = ( \frac ( m_ ( w ) ) ( m ) ) ) where m w ( displaystyle m_ ( w ) ) is the mass of water and m ( displaystyle m ) is the mass of the substance. Normally the latter is taken before drying : u ′ = m w m wet ( displaystyle u ' = ( \frac ( m_ ( w ) ) ( m_ ( \text ( wet ) ) ) ) ) except for woodworking, geotechnical and soil science applications where oven - dried material is used instead : u '' = m w m dry ( displaystyle u ' ' = ( \frac ( m_ ( w ) ) ( m_ ( \text ( dry ) ) ) ) ) To convert gravimetric water content to volumetric water content, multiply the gravimetric water content by the bulk specific gravity S G ( displaystyle SG ) of the material : θ = u × S G ( displaystyle \theta = u \times SG ). Derived quantities In soil mechanics and petroleum engineering the water saturation or degree of saturation, S w ( displaystyle S_ ( w ) ), is defined as S w = V w V v = V w V φ = θ φ ( displaystyle S_ ( w ) = ( \frac ( V_ ( w ) ) ( V_ ( v ) ) ) = ( \frac ( V_ ( w ) ) ( V phi ) ) = ( \frac ( \theta ) ( phi ) ) ) where φ = V v / V ( displaystyle phi = V_ ( v ) / V ) is the porosity, in terms of the volume of void or pore space V v ( displaystyle V_ ( v ) ) and the total volume of the substance V ( displaystyle V ). Values of S can range from 0 ( dry ) to 1 ( saturated ). In reality, S never reaches 0 or 1 - these are idealizations for engineering use. The normalized water content, Θ ( displaystyle Theta ), ( also called effective saturation or S e ( displaystyle S_ ( e ) ) ) is a dimensionless value defined by van Genuchten as : Θ = θ − θ r θ s − θ r ( displaystyle Theta = ( \frac ( \theta - \theta _ ( r ) ) ( \theta _ ( s ) - \theta _ ( r ) ) ) ) where θ ( displaystyle \theta ) is the volumetric water content ; θ r ( displaystyle \theta _ ( r ) ) is the residual water content, defined as the water content for which the gradient d θ / d h ( displaystyle d \theta / dh ) becomes zero ; and, θ s ( displaystyle \theta _ ( s ) ) is the saturated water content, which is equivalent to porosity, φ ( displaystyle phi ). Measurement Direct methods Water content can be directly measured using a known volume of the material, and a drying oven. Volumetric water content, θ, is calculated via the volume of water V w ( displaystyle V_ ( w ) ) and the mass of water m w ( displaystyle m_ ( w ) ) : V w = m w ρ w = m wet − m dry ρ w ( displaystyle V_ ( w ) = ( \frac ( m_ ( w ) ) ( \rho _ ( w ) ) ) = ( \frac ( m_ ( \text ( wet ) ) - m_ ( \text ( dry ) ) ) ( \rho _ ( w ) ) ) ) where m wet ( displaystyle m_ ( \text ( wet ) ) ) and m dry ( displaystyle m_ ( \text ( dry ) ) ) are the masses of the sample before and after drying in the oven ; ρ w ( displaystyle \rho _ ( w ) ) is the density of water ; and For materials that change in volume with water content, such as coal, the water content, u, is expressed in terms of the mass of water per unit mass of the moist specimen : u ′ = m wet − m dry m wet ( displaystyle u ' = ( \frac ( m_ ( \text ( wet ) ) - m_ ( \text ( dry ) ) ) ( m_ ( \text ( wet ) ) ) ) ) However, geotechnics requires the moisture content to be expressed with respect to the sample 's dry weight ( often as a percentage, i.e. % moisture content = u × 100 % ) u '' = m wet − m dry m dry ( displaystyle u ' ' = ( \frac ( m_ ( \text ( wet ) ) - m_ ( \text ( dry ) ) ) ( m_ ( \text ( dry ) ) ) ) ) For wood, the convention is to report moisture content on oven - dry basis ( i.e. generally drying sample in an oven set at 105 deg Celsius for 24 hours ). In wood drying, this is an important concept. Laboratory methods Main article : Moisture analysis Other methods that determine water content of a sample include chemical titrations ( for example the Karl Fischer titration ), determining mass loss on heating ( perhaps in the presence of an inert gas ), or after freeze drying. In the food industry the Dean - Stark method is also commonly used. From the Annual Book of ASTM ( American Society for Testing and Materials ) Standards, the total evaporable moisture content in Aggregate ( C 566 ) can be calculated with the formula : p = W − D W ( displaystyle p = ( \frac ( W-D ) ( W ) ) ) where p ( displaystyle p ) is the fraction of total evaporable moisture content of sample, W ( displaystyle W ) is the mass of the original sample, and D ( displaystyle D ) is mass of dried sample. In soil Main article : Soil moisture Geophysical methods See also : Soil moisture sensors There are several geophysical methods available that can approximate in situ soil water content. These methods include : time - domain reflectometry ( TDR ), neutron probe, frequency domain sensor, capacitance probe, amplitude domain reflectometry, electrical resistivity tomography, ground penetrating radar ( GPR ), and others that are sensitive to the physical properties of water. Geophysical sensors are often used to monitor soil moisture continuously in agricultural and scientific applications. Satellite remote sensing method Satellite microwave remote sensing is used to estimate soil moisture based on the large contrast between the dielectric properties of wet and dry soil. The microwave radiation is not sensitive to atmospheric variables, and can penetrate through clouds. Also, microwave signal can penetrate, to a certain extent, the vegetation canopy and retrieve information from ground surface. The data from microwave remote sensing satellite such as : WindSat, AMSR - E, RADARSAT, ERS - 1 - 2, Metop / ASCAT are used to estimate surface soil moisture. Classification and uses Moisture may be present as adsorbed moisture at internal surfaces and as capillary condensed water in small pores. At low relative humidities, moisture consists mainly of adsorbed water. At higher relative humidities, liquid water becomes more and more important, depending or not depending on the pore size can also be an influence of volume. In wood - based materials, however, almost all water is adsorbed at humidities below 98 % RH. In biological applications there can also be a distinction between physisorbed water and `` free '' water -- the physisorbed water being that closely associated with and relatively difficult to remove from a biological material. The method used to determine water content may affect whether water present in this form is accounted for. For a better indication of `` free '' and `` bound '' water, the water activity of a material should be considered. Water molecules may also be present in materials closely associated with individual molecules, as `` water of crystallization '', or as water molecules which are static components of protein structure. Earth and agricultural sciences In soil science, hydrology and agricultural sciences, water content has an important role for groundwater recharge, agriculture, and soil chemistry. Many recent scientific research efforts have aimed toward a predictive - understanding of water content over space and time. Observations have revealed generally that spatial variance in water content tends to increase as overall wetness increases in semiarid regions, to decrease as overall wetness increases in humid regions, and to peak under intermediate wetness conditions in temperate regions. There are four standard water contents that are routinely measured and used, which are described in the following table : Name Notation Suction pressure ( J / kg or kPa ) Typical water content ( vol / vol ) Conditions Saturated water content θ 0 0.2 -- 0.5 Fully saturated soil, equivalent to effective porosity Field capacity θ − 33 0.1 -- 0.35 Soil moisture 2 -- 3 days after a rain or irrigation Permanent wilting point θ or θ − 1500 0.01 -- 0.25 Minimum soil moisture at which a plant wilts Residual water content θ − ∞ 0.001 -- 0.1 Remaining water at high tension And lastly the available water content, θ, which is equivalent to : θ ≡ θ − θ which can range between 0.1 in gravel and 0.3 in peat. Agriculture When a soil becomes too dry, plant transpiration drops because the water is increasingly bound to the soil particles by suction. Below the wilting point plants are no longer able to extract water. At this point they wilt and cease transpiring altogether. Conditions where soil is too dry to maintain reliable plant growth is referred to as agricultural drought, and is a particular focus of irrigation management. Such conditions are common in arid and semi-arid environments. Some agriculture professionals are beginning to use environmental measurements such as soil moisture to schedule irrigation. This method is referred to as smart irrigation or soil cultivation. Groundwater In saturated groundwater aquifers, all available pore spaces are filled with water ( volumetric water content = porosity ). Above a capillary fringe, pore spaces have air in them too. Most soils have a water content less than porosity, which is the definition of unsaturated conditions, and they make up the subject of vadose zone hydrogeology. The capillary fringe of the water table is the dividing line between saturated and unsaturated conditions. Water content in the capillary fringe decreases with increasing distance above the phreatic surface. One of the main complications which arises in studying the vadose zone, is the fact that the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity is a function of the water content of the material. As a material dries out, the connected wet pathways through the media become smaller, the hydraulic conductivity decreasing with lower water content in a very non-linear fashion. A water retention curve is the relationship between volumetric water content and the water potential of the porous medium. It is characteristic for different types of porous medium. Due to hysteresis, different wetting and drying curves may be distinguished. See also Humidity, `` water content '' in air Moisture Moisture analysis Soil moisture sensors Water activity Water retention curve References Jump up ^ T. William Lambe & Robert V. Whitman ( 1969 ). `` Chapter 3 : Description of an Assemblage of Particles ''. Soil Mechanics ( First ed. ). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 553. ISBN 0 - 471 - 51192 - 7. Jump up ^ van Genuchten, M.Th. ( 1980 ). `` A closed - form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils '' ( PDF ). Soil Science Society of America Journal. 44 ( 5 ) : 892 -- 898. doi : 10.2136 / sssaj1980. 03615995004400050002x. Jump up ^ Dingman, S.L. ( 2002 ). `` Chapter 6, Water in soils : infiltration and redistribution ''. Physical Hydrology ( Second ed. ). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey : Prentice - Hall, Inc. p. 646. ISBN 0 - 13 - 099695 - 5. Jump up ^ F. Ozcep ; M. Asci ; O. Tezel ; T. Yas ; N. Alpaslan ; D. Gundogdu ( 2005 ). `` Relationships Between Electrical Properties ( in Situ ) and Water Content ( in the Laboratory ) of Some Soils in Turkey '' ( PDF ). Geophysical Research Abstracts. 7. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ ( 2 ) Jump up ^ Lawrence, J.E. & G.M. Hornberger ( 2007 ). `` Soil moisture variability across climate zones ''. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34 ( L20402 ) : L20402. Bibcode : 2007GeoRL... 3420402L. doi : 10.1029 / 2007GL031382. Further reading Field Estimation of Soil Water Content : A Practical Guide to Methods, Instrumentation and Sensor Technology ( PDF ), Vienna, Austria : International Atomic Energy Agency, 2008, p. 131, ISSN 1018 - 5518, IAEA - TCS - 30 Physical aquifer properties used in hydrogeology hydraulic head hydraulic conductivity storativity permeability porosity water content Geotechnical engineering Exploration Investigation Testing On - site Cone penetration test Standard penetration test Monitoring well piezometer Borehole Crosshole sonic logging Nuclear densometer test Static load testing Laboratory Atterberg limits California bearing ratio Direct shear test Hydrometer Proctor compaction test R - value Sieve analysis Triaxial shear test Hydraulic conductivity tests Water content tests Soil Materials Clay Silt Sand Gravel Peat Permafrost Loam Loess Properties Soil classification Hydraulic conductivity Water content Void ratio Bulk density Thixotropy Reynolds ' dilatancy Angle of repose Cohesion Porosity Permeability Specific storage Mechanics Effective stress Pore water pressure Shear strength Overburden pressure Consolidation Compaction Shear wave Lateral earth pressure Foundations Shallow Deep Bearing capacity Dynamic load testing Pile integrity test Wave equation analysis Statnamic load test Retaining walls Gabion Ground freezing Mechanically stabilized earth Pressure grouting Slurry wall Soil nailing Tieback Stability Slope analysis mass wasting landslide Deformation monitoring automated Earthquakes Soil liquefaction Response spectrum Seismic hazard Ground -- structure interaction Geosynthetics Geotextile Geomembrane Geosynthetic clay liner Cellular confinement Numerical analysis SEEP2D STABL SVFlux SVSlope UTEXAS Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Water_content&oldid=775037414 '' Categories : Analytical chemistry Hydrology Physical chemistry Soil mechanics Soil physics Water Woodworking Hidden categories : Wikipedia articles needing clarification from March 2016 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2009 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Eesti Español فارسی Français Bahasa Indonesia 日本 語 Polski Português Simple English Svenska 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 12 April 2017, at 07 : 33. 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Question: total water content of the soil is known as
Answer: soil moisture