Soil Physical Properties and Transport Processes
Soil provides the foundation for all terrestrial systems. The soil physical
environment determines water flow and storage on the landscape, controls
chemical movement from surface sources to groundwater, regulates natural
temperature dynamics at a variety of scales, and provides the substrate
for plant growth. It is a key consideration for productive and sustainable
agricultural management, land development, and environmental quality.
Research efforts in the Department involve characterization of soil physical
properties and transport processes for a broad range of applications and to
encourage better understanding of the environment.
Aziz Amoozegar (lab page) specializes in chemical transport, vadose zone and saturated zone hydrology. Research program areas include:
- Evaluation of the effects of macropores on water and solute flow in soils and saprolites
- Evaluation of the effects of waste disposal on soil hydraulic properties
- Development of techniques for determination of soil physical properties
Josh Heitman (lab page) specializes in water relations, transport processes in the upper soil profile, land-atmosphere exchange, and soil thermal regimes. Recent research activities include:
- Monitoring regional (North Carolina) soil water storage for management decision support
- Addressing management effects on carbon storage for organic soils of the Coastal Plain
- Characterization of soil heat and water processes to improve land-surface models
- Determining effects of tillage on chemical transport in agricultural systems
- Assessing infiltration and runoff generation in urban systems (residential lawns)
- Characterization of hydraulic properties for golf course soil materials
Alan Meijer (tillage page) specializes in tillage and agricultural management. Recent research projects include:
- Determining the Effect of Traffic Patterns on Soil Bulk Density in Eastern North Carolina
- Tillage Options for Wheat in Eastern North Carolina
Mike Vepraskas provides expertise in hydropedology and oversees the Soil Physical Properties Service Laboratory.
Michael Wagger, currently serving as Department Head, provides expertise in tillage practices, cropping systems, and plant-water relations.