News and Articles

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Here are 7 questions and answers about using the Stevens HydraProbe.

Learn how to properly protect environmental monitoring equipment, and in particular the Stevens HydraProbe from damage due to lightning strikes.

The USDA's Introduction to Soil Surveys for Agronomic Use, entitled "From the Surface Down", is an introduction to soil types, horizons, and how they are measured. The intent of this publication is to increase user understanding of soils and acquaint them with the contents of a soil survey and supplemental interpretations that are important to agronomic programs.

The Urban Soil Primer is intended to give planning officials and people who live in urban areas an introduction to soils. It provides information important in planning and managing land resources in a manner that helps to prevent or mitigate problems associated with sedimentation, contamination, runoff, and structural failure. In non-technical language, this publication describes the basic processes and functions common to all soils.

Soil temperature data down to -30° Celsius is becoming more and more relevant to climate studies. While environmental issues fuel the development and the widespread use of sophisticated environmental models, reliable input data is becoming essential for researchers and modelers. The soil temperature data collected by the HydraProbe can be used in climate studies in arctic regions, regional energy budget calculations, drought forecasting and heat fluxes. It is the intent of Stevens Water Monitoring Systems to provide the scientific community a reliable and cost-effective soil temperature sensor to suit the needs of environmental researchers.

The Stevens HydraProbe can be calibrated to accommodate almost any inorganic soil regardless of clay content or organic matter. While the default calibrations are suitable for most soils, other published calibrations can be used to obtain a higher level of accuracy if specific textural information about the soil is available.

Over the past ten years, environmental monitoring has become increasingly important. Environmental factors such as climate change, dwindling water resources, and threatened habitats are driving the need to monitor the environment and implement better policies to protect it. Many natural processes in the environment are driven by or in some ways related soil hydrological processes. Monitoring soil moisture conditions provides important information for the protection and in the understanding of local and regional water resources. The Stevens HydraProbe soil sensor is the most advanced soil sensor commercially available and described below are application examples where the HydraProbe has been used to gather data.

When working with or studying the soil, it’s important to know what type of soil is being examined. Each type of soil has different characteristics, and will have different effects on water infiltration rates, water holding capacity, evapotranspiration rate, and other soil characteristics.

Soil sensors are one popular way of measuring soil moisture, salinity, temperature level, conductivity, and other characteristics that are important to researchers, farmers, and others who rely on soil data for their work.

Each year during the wet season we hear news reports about landslides in America and abroad. Sometimes these events happen in unpopulated areas but unfortunately they also occur in areas where people live, causing property damage and taking lives. But what causes these events and what can be done about them? That’s what Dr. Burns, a geology professor at Portland State University is trying to answer.

The Stevens HydraProbe is now being used to monitor the progress of a new groundwater pollution clean up method called phytoremediation. Phytoremediation is the method by which trees are used to pull contamination out of groundwater. Remediation of contaminated aquifers can take many years to complete. The need for clean, healthy rivers, lakes and streams has stimulated research to develop more efficient, cost-effective solutions of removing pollution from aquifers. Phytoremediation is one solution showing great promise.

Agriculture is a major element for survival of the human race and of the economic system. 42 percent of the world’s laborers are employed in agriculture, making it by far the most common occupation.

With agriculture using approximately 60 percent of available freshwater withdrawals, concerns continue to grow over farmers implementing water conservation practices.