A Comparison of In Situ Extractors for Sampling Soil Water

Abstract
Comparisons were made of two in situ extractors for collection of soil water samples: Amicon hollow fibers and porous ceramic cup lysimeters. Intact soil cores removed from a fescue pasture were fitted with lysimeters and fibers at 10 and 20 cm depth. Cores were leached by adding increments of water in excess of field capacity weekly. After drainage, soil solutions were extracted using lysimeters and fibers. Concentrations of Ca and Mg in soil solutions were greater at 10‐cm than at 20‐cm soil depths. Neither extractor altered the concentrations of Ca, Mg, or PO4‐P during collection.These studies suggest that lysimeters and hollow fibers are viable devices for extracting of soil water samples. Porous ceramic cup lysimeters are preferable for field plots, while hollow fibers are advantageous for intact soil cores. A major advantage of the hollow fiber technique is the small soil displacement required for installation.
Funding Information
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Energy Research and Development Administration

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