Application of Soil Physics in Environmental Analyses

The importance to preserve soil and water is widely recognized. Soil physics has grown considerably in the last years, however, those advances are thoroughly dispersed. In this volume, the authors will bring together the effectiveness of new field and lab sensors and the state-of-the-art in modeling and data analysis. The topics have been divided as follows: Part 1 - Integrating data in soil physics proposes re-establishing the knowledge chain, linking tacit knowledge to cutting edge science. The use of field soil data or what has been called hydropedology, is discussed and exemplified. Part 2 - Data analysis in soil physics and pedotransfers functions presents the analysis of data in state-space and geostatistical approaches. Part 3 – Different approaches to characterize soil physical quality indicators is focused on new techniques used to characterize, map and interpret soil physical parameters. The challenge of assessing soil physical quality is discussed from the simplest to the most complex indicators. Part 4 -  Sensors and monitoring in soil physics centers the discussion on equipment and sampling techniques for monitoring soil physical parameters. Technological advances are addressed, such as X-ray tomography, which provides a means to evaluate pore topological properties in a noninvasive way. A comparison with in situ and remotely sensed data of soil moisture and limitations in using these data for hydrological modeling are also discussed. Part 5 - Creating data bases and models applied to soil physics discusses alternative approaches for modeling water flow and solute transport in the vadose zone. A review of multi-component solute transport models and examples of their use in agricultural and environmental applications are given. The phenomenon of dynamic non-equilibrium in soil water flow is discussed as the need of a paradigm change. Root water uptake is also covered with advanced approaches and the last two chapters address the challenges to develop soil data bases.