gravimetric soil moisture analysis

Knowledge graph centered on gravimetric soil moisture analysis with 73 nodes and 187 connections. Top connected: Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Gothic, Crested Butte, Engelmann Spruce, Pekania pennanti.

Method synopsis

Standard gravimetric determination of soil moisture content using oven-drying method at 100°C for 24 hours with 2mm sieving to remove rocks and organic debris.

Synthesized from method descriptions across 8 papers using this protocol.

Procedure from a recent peer-reviewed implementation

Steps below were extracted from the most recent peer-reviewed implementation of this protocol in the corpus — What sexual diversity in the natural world can teach humans about sex, gender, and inclusive biology (2024), BioScience. Implementations in other papers (listed below) may differ.

1. Collect soil samples
   Soil samples from the center of each of the 256 cells at each of the three sites were collected. If the rockiness of the soil or the presence of a plant inhibited the collection of a soil sample at the center then the nearest location within the cell that was conducive to the collection of a soil sample was used. The soil cores were 10 cm deep and the soil was immediately put into plastic bags and tied shut to seal the moisture inside.
   Quantities: 256 soil samples per site (768 total), 10 cm deep coresDuration: Not specifiedConditions: Samples immediately sealed to preserve moisture
   Equipment: soil coring equipment, plastic bags
2. Process soil samples for moisture
   A wet weight was obtained immediately upon return to the laboratory. Soil samples were filtered using a standard 2 mm sieve to remove rocks and large organic materials, weighed and then dried in a drying oven at 100°C for 24 hours. The weight of the rocks and large organic debris was subtracted from the original wet weight to determine the wet weight of the soil only. Soil moisture was then determined using the standard equation, (wet weight – dry weight)/(dry weight).
   Quantities: 2 mm sieve for filtering, 100°C drying temperature, 24 hour drying durationDuration: 24 hours drying timeConditions: Laboratory processing at 100°C
   Equipment: standard 2 mm sieve, drying oven, weighing equipment

Typical Equipment

• soil coring equipment
• plastic bags
• standard 2 mm sieve
• drying oven
• weighing equipment

Output Measurements

• soil moisture percentage

Papers Using This Protocol (8)

Species Studied With This Protocol

Places Where Used