Groundwater contamination through agricultural activity or chemical spills have raised concern about the sustainable use of our natural resources. In many cases, the origin of the contamination or pollution is the vadose zone. It is therefore of utmost importance to understand flow and transport processes in the vadose zone. One of the most relevant features of the vadose zone in terms of flow and transport is the non-linear relation between water content and water potential, the soil moisture characteristic.
Mathematical models rely on accurate experimental measurements of the soil moisture characteristic.
The objective of this internship research project is to improve current measurement techniques for the determination of the soil moisture characteristic. A freezing technique will be used to determine energy and quantity of water in a porous medium. Measurements with the freezing technique will be compared with traditional methods, such as pressure plates apparatus and psychrometers.