Soil physics is the study of

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

's physical properties and processes. It is applied to management and prediction under natural and managed

ecosystems An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

. Soil physics deals with the dynamics of physical soil components and their phases as

solids Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy. A solid is characterized by structural ...

liquids A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. As such, it is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, gas, a ...

, and

gases Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...

. It draws on the principles of

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

physical chemistry Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistica ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, and

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...

. Soil physics applies these principles to address practical problems of

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

, and engineering.

Prominent soil physicists

Edgar Buckingham Edgar Buckingham (July 8, 1867 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – April 29, 1940 in Washington DC) was an American physicist. He graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in physics in 1887. He did graduate work at Strasbourg ...

(1867–1940) :The theory of gas diffusion in soil and

vadose zone The vadose zone, also termed the unsaturated zone, is the part of Earth between the land surface and the top of the phreatic zone, the position at which the groundwater (the water in the soil's pores) is at atmospheric pressure ("vadose" is f ...

water flow in soil. *Willard Gardner (1883-1964) :First to use porous cups and manometers for capillary potential measurements and accurately predicted the moisture distribution above a water table.Sterling A. Taylor: Willard Gardner, 1883-1964. Soil Science 100(2), 1965. *

Lorenzo A. Richards Lorenzo Adolph Richards (April 24, 1904 – March 12, 1993) or known as ''Ren'' was one of the 20th century's most influential minds in the field of soil physics. Biography Early life Lorenzo A. Richards was born on April 24, 1904, in the town of ...

(1904–1993) :General transport of water in unsaturated soil, measurement of soil water potential using

tensiometer Tensiometer may refer to one of a number of devices. The two most common are: * Tensiometer (surface tension) an instrument used to measure the surface tension of liquids *Tensiometer (soil science) A tensiometer in soil science is a measur ...

. * John R. Philip (1927–1999) :Analytical solution to general soil water transport, Environmental Mechanics.

Notes

* Horton, Horn, Bachmann & Peth eds. 2016
Essential Soil Physics
Schweizerbart, * Encyclopedia of Soil Science, edts. Ward Chesworth, 2008, Uniw. of Guelph Canada, Publ. Springer,

External links

*
SSSA Soil Physics Division
{{Physics-footer Soil science

Prominent soil physicists

See also

Notes

External links