Syllabus

Soil Water Movement   Spring 2004

Plant & Soil Science 266



Text: Introduction to Environmental Soil Physics, Daniel Hillel, 2004

Course requirements:

  • Midterm exam (take-home due March 12th)                   25%
  • Final exam (take-home due noon Friday, May 7th )        25%
  • Project, presentations in the week of April 27th)            40%
  • Problem sets, four or five                                              10%

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    Topics                          approx. number of classes        reading

    Soil physical properties                                      1                            Chapter 1, 3 and 4
  • Basic terminology
  • Solid phase description                                                                   Links #1-4
  • Particle size
  • Pore space
  • Properties of clay

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    Soil structure and aggregation                             2                            Chapter 5,  Link #5

  • Types of structure                                                                          References
  • Stability/persistence
  • Role of organic matter

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    Soil water concepts                                             2                            Chapter 2, 6

  • Physical properties of water                                                            Links 7 and 9
  • Water potential
  • Capillarity/surface tension

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    Saturated water flow                                           2                            Chapter 7

  • Darcian flow                                                                                    Link 6
  • Hydraulic head
  • Soil and fluid effects on flow

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    Unsaturated water flow                                       2                            Chapter 8

  • Richards equation
  • Lab and field measurement

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    Infiltration/redistribution                                     2                              Chapter 14, 16

  • Philip's equation
  • Lab and field measurement

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    Preferential water flow                                       2

    Solute transport                                                 2

  • Pesticides
  • Nitrate

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    Computer modeling / case studies                       5

  • How they work
  • Limitations
  • Macro
  • Przm

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    Class Project                                                        8