In situ observation of soil macropores using infraredthermography

摘要

-Soil macropores characterization improves the understanding of hydraulic behaviour and soil hydrological processes. This study presents an exploratory in situ assessment of soil surface macropores using an infrared thermography technique based on temperature gradients originating from soil surface heating with hot air. Although the presence of seeds, pebbles, stones and vegetation may create difficulty in the application of the technique, in particular because they might mask the presence of the macropores, the technique was successful in identifying surface macropores, providing a low cost and fast methodology to assess mapping soil surface macropores.