A noncontact laser system for measuring soil surface topography

Abstract

Soil surface topography profoundly influences runoff hydrodynamics, soil erosion, and surface retention of water. We describe an optical noncontact system for measuring soil surface topography. Soil elevation is measured by projecting a laser beam onto the surface and detecting the position of the interception point. The sampling rate of the system is 1000 Hz, which permits soil surfaces to be measured at speeds of up to 1 m s-1 with measurements taken at 1 mm spacing. Measurements of individual raindrop impacts on the soil and of soil surfaces before and after rain show the versatility of the laser surface profiler, which has applications in studies of erosion processes, surface storage and soil trafficability. -from Authors Show more