Thus droplet size distribution can affect the percentage of applied water that will be lost to evaporation and wind drift for a given set of climatic conditions. Depending on its source and treatment level, effluent water may contain a variety of obnoxious constituents, which must be confined to the application site. Soil Compaction and Infiltration Rate Reduction Certain soils are subject to compaction under sprinkler application. This tends to seal the surface soil layer, reducing the infiltration rate. A drop's impact energy is determined by its mass and impact velocity.
Large drops strike the soil with greater kinetic energy than small drops.
This is probably not a factor when irrigating sod or established grass, but can be significant when sprinkling bare soil. With a knowledge of the size distribution and the amount of water applied at each distance, one can compute the portion of the sprinkler's applied water volume that falls in drops within various size ranges. Measurement of Sprinkler Drop Sizes Solomon, et al. Pellet and stain methods are inexpensive, but time and labor intensive. Photographic measurement systems minimize time and labor requirements, but are quite expensive.