Measured using a soil thermometer. Measurements should be repeated at each sample site to ensure reliability.
Soil pH
Can be measured using a soil testing kit or electronic pH meter. Simple soil pH kits can be purchased from garden centres.
Soil Pits
Can be dug to examine soil profiles and descriptions of the structure, texture, colour and, depth of the horizons recorded to help identify the soil type. This can be extended to investigate a soil catena, a series of soil profiles down a slope.
Soil Moisture Content
Can be measured using a soil moisture meter. Alternatively, by collecting a small sample of soil in a sealed plastic bag and then drying it out slowly in an oven. The soil is weighed before and after heating overnight in an oven set at 100oC, the difference in weight is the amount of moisture lost.
For example, along a footpath in a woodland area, can be measured by recording the width of the footpath using a tape measure. This is then repeated several times to calculate the increase in the width of the footpath as it becomes eroded. This can be used in conjunction with infiltration measurements as these would indicate the level of compaction of the soil resulting from trampling.