Preliminary observations of soil organic layers using a compact MRI for non-destructive analysis of internal soil structure

摘要

Soil organic layer samples of two different forest types were observed using compact MRI to visualize internal structure and clarify physical properties of forest soil. Soil pores and organic materials were distinguished by differences in proton mobility and visualized with a spatial resolution of 234 μm. Soil pore ratios and water mobility were calculated by image processing, and their differences between the two forest soils were detected. Our results suggest that compact MRI has potential for non-destructive analysis of soil physical properties and is expected to have significant applications in ecological studies.