Soil physics - Misplaced Pages

The study of soil's physical properties and processes This article is about the academic discipline. Not to be confused with the physical properties of soils. For broader coverage of this topic, see Soil science.

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Soil physics is the study of soil's physical properties and processes. It is applied to management and prediction under natural and managed ecosystems. Soil physics deals with the dynamics of physical soil components and their phases as solids, liquids, and gases. It draws on the principles of physics, physical chemistry, engineering, and meteorology. Soil physics applies these principles to address practical problems of agriculture, ecology, and engineering.

Prominent soil physicists

Edgar Buckingham (1867–1940)

The theory of gas diffusion in soil and vadose zone 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.

Lorenzo A. Richards (1904–1993)

General transport of water in unsaturated soil, measurement of soil water potential using tensiometer.

John R. Philip (1927–1999)

Analytical solution to general soil water transport, Environmental Mechanics.

Notes

Lal, Rattan; Manoj Shukla (2004). Principles of Soil Physics. CRC Press. p. 5. ISBN 0-8247-5324-0.
Sterling A. Taylor: Willard Gardner, 1883-1964. Soil Science 100(2), 1965.

Horton, Horn, Bachmann & Peth eds. 2016: Essential Soil Physics Schweizerbart, ISBN 978-3-510-65288-4
Encyclopedia of Soil Science, edts. Ward Chesworth, 2008, Uniw. of Guelph Canada, Publ. Springer, ISBN 978-1-4020-3994-2

External links

Media related to Soil physics at Wikimedia Commons
SSSA Soil Physics Division

Soil science

Main fields

Soil topics

Soil type

v t e Soil classification
World Reference Base for Soil Resources (1998–)	Acrisols Alisols Andosols Anthrosols Arenosols Calcisols Cambisols Chernozem Cryosols Durisols Ferralsols Fluvisols Gleysols Gypsisols Histosol Kastanozems Leptosols Lixisols Luvisols Nitisols Phaeozems Planosols Plinthosols Podzols Regosols Retisols Solonchaks Solonetz Stagnosol Technosols Umbrisols Vertisols
USDA soil taxonomy	Alfisols Andisols Aridisols Entisols Gelisols Histosols Inceptisols Mollisols Oxisols Spodosols Ultisols Vertisols
Other systems	FAO soil classification (1974–1998) Unified Soil Classification System AASHTO Soil Classification System Référentiel pédologique (French classification system) Canadian system of soil classification Australian Soil Classification Polish Soil Classification 1938 USDA soil taxonomy List of U.S. state soils List of vineyard soil types
Non-systematic soil types	Sand Silt Clay Loam Topsoil Subsoil Soil crust Claypan Hardpan Gypcrust Caliche Parent material Pedosphere Laimosphere Rhizosphere Bulk soil Alkali soil Bay mud Blue goo Brickearth Brown earth Calcareous grassland Dark earth Dry quicksand Duplex soil Eluvium Expansive clay Fill dirt Fuller's earth Hydrophobic soil Loess Lunar soil Martian soil Mud Muskeg Paleosol Peat Prime farmland Quicksand Serpentine soil Spodic soil Stagnogley Subaqueous soil Takir Terra preta Terra rossa Tropical peat Yedoma
Types of soil

Applications

Related fields

Societies, Initiatives

Scientific journals

v t e Major branches of physics
Divisions	Pure Applied Engineering
Approaches	Experimental Theoretical Computational
Classical	Classical mechanics Newtonian Analytical Celestial Continuum Acoustics Classical electromagnetism Classical optics Ray Wave Thermodynamics Statistical Non-equilibrium
Modern	Relativistic mechanics Special General Nuclear physics Particle physics Quantum mechanics Atomic, molecular, and optical physics Atomic Molecular Modern optics Condensed matter physics Solid-state physics Crystallography
Interdisciplinary	Astrophysics Atmospheric physics Biophysics Chemical physics Geophysics Materials science Mathematical physics Medical physics Ocean physics Quantum information science
Related	History of physics Nobel Prize in Physics Philosophy of physics Physics education research Timeline of physics discoveries

Prominent soil physicists

See also

Notes

External links