Advanced Soil Physics
COURSE INFORMATION
  Objectives

Methods

Assessment

Timetable

Text books

Coordinator

Objectives

To examine and understand the quantitative aspects of soil physics particularly in relation to the transfer of energy, gas, water, solids and solutes in soil.
 
 

Methods

 
Lectures -  The basic theory with examples
Practical work - Experimentation in laboratory and field. Does the theory work?
Computer Problems - Simple sums to understand (difficult) concepts
Tutorials - Critically discuss the subject 

 

Assessment
Fieldwork report - by end of week 3 20%
Practical exercises - write up by end of week 7 30%
15 minute seminar (during course)  10%
Examination - 2 hours end of Semester 1 40%

Practical (field work) report

A single practical report presenting all experimental results in tables and figures with discussion and conclusions is expected. A general discussion tying together all the results for various materials is expected.
The report should not be longer than 50 pages.

 
 
 

Provisional Timetable

 There will be 3 one hour lectures, 1 one hour tutorial and 4 hours of practical work per week, for 7 weeks.
 
 
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
0900-1000
1000-1100
1100-1200
1200-1300
      
1300-1400
1400-1500
    

 
  
1500-1600
  

 
  
1600-1700
1700-1800

 
 

Text Books

 
Campbell, G.S. 1985. Soil physics with BASIC - Transport models for soil-plant systems. Developments in Soil Science 14, Elsevier, New York.
Hanks, R.J. 1992. Applied soil physics. (2nd Edition). Springer-Verlag, New York.
Hillel, D. 1998. Environmental soil physics. Academic Press, New York.
Jury, W.A., Gardner, W.R., and Gardner, W.H., 1991. Soil physics. (5th edition). John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Koorevar, P., Menelik, G. and Dirksen, C., 1983. Elements of Soil Physics. Developments in Soil Science 13, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Kutilek, M. and Nielsen, D.R., 1994. Soil Hydrology. Catena Verlag, Cremilingen, Germany.
Marshall, T.J. , Holmes, J.W. and Rose, C.W., 1996. Soil physics. (3rd Edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Nye, P.H. and Tinker, P.B., 1977. Solute movement in the soil-root system. Blackwell, Oxford.
Richter, J. 1987. The soil as a reactor: modelling processes in the soil. Catena Verlag, Cremlingen.
Taylor, S.A. and Ashcroft, G.L., 1972. Physical edaphology: the physics of irrigated and non-irrigated soils. W.H. Freeman, San Francisco.
 

Click meto search the book through library catalogue


The books by Koorevar et al and Jury et al are the texts most relevant to this course.


 
Up
Home
Links