How does soil moisture affect soil compaction and difference between moisture content and water content in soil?
As the moisture content increases, the water lubricates the soil, allowing it to move more easily into a compact state and the density increases. The effect of water content on the compaction of soil can also be explained with the help of electrical double layer theory of clay particles. As water builds on the surface, more and more pressure is applied to the soil. For each foot of water, 2.31 pounds per square inch is applied to the soil particles, and over time this can start to cause those void spaces to collapse. That collapse in void space is compaction. Usually water content refers to wet basis while moisture content refers to a dry basis. So basically water content = (total weight - dry weight)/total weight and moisture content = (total weight - dry weight)/dry weight. The calculated optimum water content for compaction is 16.5% and the maximum dry unit weight is 108.6 pcf. Since field conditions can never insure optimal moisture conditions there is an allowable range that is used by to achieve at least 95% of the maximum dry unit weight. Higher soil moisture increases chemical weathering and moves minerals, such as bases, deeper into the soil profile. This affects management practices such as drainage and inputs of mobile nutrients. Biotic agents have greatly affected the soil formation process. Moisture content defines the amount of water in your food and ingredients, but water activity explains how the water in your food will react with microorganisms. The higher the water activity, the faster microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, and mold will be able to grow resulting in higher standards of food storage. The water content in very sandy soil may vary from 3% to 10% from the driest (wilting point) condition to the wettest drained state (field capacity), or from 20% to 40% in a clay soil. Thus, the maximum range of water storage in 1 m of soil may be as much as 200 mm; markedly higher values apply to peat.Moisture content is the amount of water in something. You can put most items in an oven and find out the loss in weight and determine the moisture content. Water absorption is how much water something can collect or will absorb.
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