Research Article
Mar 1982
Volume-Accuracy Relationship in Soil Moisture Sampling
Publication: Journal of the Irrigation and Drainage Division
Volume 108, Issue 1
Abstract
The number of soil samples required to achieve a given level of accuracy of the mean value is directly proportional to the variance of the samples. Analysis of a set of soil samples of different sample volumes showed that there is a relationship between the variance of the samples and the sample volume. Generally, a larger sample volume results in a lower variance because the larger sample includes more of the overall spatial variability than a smaller sample. Samples of eight different sizes were collected; sample volumes ranged from about 7 to 825 cm³ (1/2 to 50 in³). Analysis of variance techniques were used to determine the relationships between both bias and sample volume and precision and sample volume. This analysis showed that when sampling to a depth of 10 cm (4 in), the minimum desirable sampling volume is about 50 cm³ (3 in³); smaller volumes will result in lower precision of the mean value. There does not seem to be any direct relationship between bias and sample volume. The minimum desirable sampling volume is a function of the homogeneity of the area being sampled and the elapsed time since the last significant rainfall.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of the Irrigation and Drainage Division
Volume 108 • Issue 1 • March 1982
Pages: 1 - 11
Copyright
© 1982 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published in print: Mar 1982
Published online: Feb 11, 2021
Permissions
Request permissions for this article.
Authors
Affiliations
Mark E. Hawley
Faculty Research Asst., Dept. of Civ. Engrg., Univ. of Maryland, College Park, Md. 20742
Richard H. McCuen
Aff.M.ASCE; Assoc. Dean, Coll. of Engrg., Univ. of Maryland, College Park, Md. 20742
Thomas J. Jackson, AM.ASCE
Hydro., Hydr. Lab., USDA-SEA-AR, Beltsville, Md.
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
View Options
Get Access
Access content
Please select your options to get access
Log in/Register
Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members:
Please log in to see member pricing
Purchase
Save for later Item saved, go to cart Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.
Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
Get Access
Access content
Please select your options to get access
Log in/Register
Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members:
Please log in to see member pricing
Purchase
Save for later Item saved, go to cart Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.
Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.