Electrical properties of soils

Abstract

The soil’s electrical conductivity (seff) and dielectric permittivity (eeff) are two macroscopic properties determined by the volumetric fractions and by the intrinsic properties of the soil’s solid, liquid, and gaseous phases and their geometrical and interfacial features. Measurements of high-frequency eeff serve for the evaluation of the soil’s porosity and volumetric water contents, and additional, simultaneous measurements of the low-frequency seff allow evaluating the salinity of the soil’s solution. Thus, measurements of seff and eeff are useful for monitoring the flow and retention of water and electrolytes in the soil profile.