Integral energy is the amount of energy required to remove water from soil with an initial

water content 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 ...

\theta_i

to water content of

\theta_f

(where

\theta_i > \theta_f

). It is calculated by integrating the

water retention curve Water retention curve is the relationship between the water content, θ, and the soil water potential, ψ. This curve is characteristic for different types of soil, and is also called the soil moisture characteristic. It is used to predict the ...

, soil

water potential Water potential is the potential energy of water per unit volume relative to pure water in reference conditions. Water potential quantifies the tendency of water to move from one area to another due to osmosis, gravity, mechanical pressure and mat ...

\psi(\theta)

with respect to

\theta

E_i = \int_^ \frac{\theta_i-\theta_f}  \psi(\theta)\, d\theta

It is proposed by Minasny and McBratney (2003) as alternative to available water capacity. (AWC) The AWC concept assumes equal availability of water between two potentials and does not consider the path along the water retention curve. Integral energy takes into the account the path or energy (characterised by water retention curve) required to dry a

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debri ...

at particular soil moisture content

References

*Minasny, B., McBratney, A.B., 2003. Integral energy as a measure of soil-water availability. Plant and Soil 249(2), 253-262. Soil physics

See also

References