New technologies integrate to boost sensor performance and banish common sensor installation errors.
PULLMAN, Wash. (May 2, 2018)— METER Group announced the release of its TEROS 12 soil moisture sensor, which uses high-frequency (70 Mhz) capacitance technology to accurately measure volumetric water content, temperature, and electrical conductivity in soil.
Accurately understanding the percentage of water in a soil has traditionally been a complex, costly, and laborious process. Soil moisture is highly variable over short distances, at different depths in the soil profile, and in different soil types and densities. In order to characterize this variability, researchers have to install large numbers of soil moisture sensors into small boreholes or trenches. This is painstaking and tedious—and problematic if the sensors are costly and complex or if the readings vary from sensor to sensor.
The difference comes down to a highly effective precision calibration procedure which maximizes accuracy and minimizes sensor-to-sensor variability (less than 1%), while keeping the TEROS 12 cost reasonable. In addition, the TEROS 12 delivers an impressive 1-liter volume of influence (versus the 200 mL typical for most sensors), which helps smooth variability. The TEROS 12 also boasts improved robustness and reliability. Stainless steel needles and a durable epoxy fill means it lasts up to 10 years in the field.
The TEROS 12's effectiveness is enhanced by a newly designed accessory: the TEROS Borehole Installation Tool, which enables faster, more accurate, and consistent water content sensor installation. Since only a small 4-inch diameter hand-augered hole is needed instead of a large trench, you can perform a deeper down-hole installation with little site disturbance and far less effort. Because it uses mechanical leverage instead of hand application, sensors are applied straight in and perpendicular with uniform pressure (even through hard clay soils) and then gently released to prevent air gaps, resulting in clean installations. This allows researchers to measure soil moisture in profile without the preferential flow issues that plague traditional profile sensors.
For more information about the TEROS 12, please visit: https://www.metergroup.com/environment/products/teros-12/.