YOUNG WOMEN IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: Measuring Soil Moisture Content on Mariepskop – Nakie Mposi

Working together with Dr Anthony Swemmer from South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) Ndlovu Node and my K2C colleagues, Dimakatso Nonyane and Romy Antrobus-Wuth, I have managed to install 3 Diviner 2000 Probe tubes in Mariepskop as part of my MSc being undertaken with the University of Venda. The study is looking at the different land use and land cover types and their influence on the soil moisture content in Mariepskop. 

The Diviner 2000 probe is a specialised piece of equipment used to measure soil moisture content in different land cover types. Cylindrical PVC tubes are installed in the ground in wetland areas to a depth of 170 cm and the top part can be opened and closed. To get the soil moisture measurements, the probe is inserted into the installed cylindrical PVC tubes and slowly dropped down, as the probe moves to the bottom of the tube it calculates the moisture content at regular interval of 10cm. The same process is done when the probe is pulled out. This method of data collection was chosen because it is efficient and easy to apply, also the soil moisture data collection methods have improved over the years and there has been a lot of new technology introduced.  

This method will also be compared with the traditional method of collecting soil moisture using a soil corer and weighing the soil samples then taking them to the lab and baking them in the oven and lastly weighing them again. It is important to understand soil moisture content of different land cover types because soil water is the major component of soil in relation to plant growth. Soil water serves as a solvent and carrier of food nutrients for plant growth.

I still have a long way to go because the soil sampling and soil moisture measurement need to be collected monthly. In the end it will be worth it and I cannot wait to start analysing the data.