Soil Moisture (SM) is “the total amount of water, including the water vapor, in an unsaturated soil.” Soil moisture —sometimes also called soil water — represents the water in land surfaces that is not in rivers, lakes, or groundwater, but instead resides in the pores of the soil. The level of soil moisture is determined by a host of factors beyond weather conditions, including soil type and associated vegetation. Finapp measures soil moisture on any type of soil, even in the presence of many stones or rocks, because it is sensitive to the presence of water molecules. Why measure soil moisture? Soil moisture plays a key role in the life of the plant. Nutrients in the soil solution provide the plant with the “food” it needs to grow. Water is also essential for regulating plant temperature through the process of transpiration. Plant root systems are better developed when growing in a proper moisted soil. Excessive levels of soil moisture, however, can lead to anaerobic conditions that can promote the growth of plant and soil pathogens. Finapp provides the intermediate-scale soil moisture measurements by using cosmic-ray hydro metrology, the ground-based technique that can average over hundreds of meters.
