Detection of Atmospheric Water Deposits in Porous Media Using the TDR Technique

Abstract

Investigating the intensity of atmospheric water deposition and its diurnal distribution is essential from the ecological perspective, especially regarding dry geographic regions. It is also important in the context of monitoring the amount of moisture present within building materials in order to protect them from excessive humidity. The objective of this study was to test a constructed sensor and determine whether it could detect and track changes in the intensity of atmospheric water deposition. An operating principle of the device is based on the time-domain reflectometry technique. Two sensors of different plate volumes were manufactured. They were calibrated at several temperatures and tested during field measurements. The calibration turned out to be temperature independent. The outdoor measurements indicated that the upper limits of the measurement ranges of the sensors depended on the volumes of the plates and were equal to 1.2 and 2.8 mm H2O. The respective sensitivities were equal to 3.2 × 10−3 and 7.5 × 10−3 g·ps−1. The conducted experiments showed that the construction of the designed device and the time-domain reflectometry technique were appropriate for detecting and tracing the dynamics of atmospheric water deposition. The obtained outcomes were also collated with the readings taken in an actual soil sample. For this purpose, an open container sensor, which allows investigating atmospheric water deposition in soil, was manufactured. It turned out that the readings taken by the porous ceramic plate sensor reflected the outcomes of the measurements performed in a soil sample.

The differences in crown formation during the splash on the thin water layers formed on the saturated soil surface and model surface

“…This can be divided into chemical [ 3 – 6 ], biological [ 7 – 9 ] and physical degradation [ 10 , 11 ]. With respect to physical degradation, the main reported factors are: compactness [ 12 , 13 ], wind [ 14 , 15 ] and water erosion [ 16 – 18 ]. However, it must be stated that “water erosion” is a general term which covers a broad spectrum of processes: from the splash [ 19 ] through the movement of the soil and water mixture on the soil surface [ 20 , 21 ] to soil loss in streams and rivers [ 22 ].…”

Atmospheric water infiltration intensity in non-rainfall periods under conditionsof varied soil moisture

“…Further on in the paper that parameter is denoted with symbol E P . The value of E P can be also measured by means of the porous ceramic plate sensor for atmospheric water deposits measurements (Nakonieczna et al, 2015). The aim of experiment D 1 was to determine the relation between the value of E R and the volumetric moisture of the soil θ pg for various values of E P .…”