The focus lays on the development of a mobile NMR sensor (2×2 meter transmitter loop) for mapping soil water content down to a depth of about two meters. The aim of the project is NOT to extend instruments already available on the market, but to develop fundamental changes to the measuring principle or to change the instrument design of SNMR instruments in principle and conceptually in order to (i) make near-surface soil moisture quantitatively and directly measurable at all, (ii) make the sensitive measuring range under the coil arrangement exactly predictable and controllable, and (iii) increase the measurement progress to such an extent that continuous and thus areal measurements become possible.

Following the results of the first project phase, which demonstrated the feasibility and fundamental suitability of the approach to achieve the project goal, the second project phase will focus on the following specific goals for the partner organizations:

  1. field measurements and development of the evaluation methodology and noise suppression strategies,
  2. superconducting pre-polarization coil for maximum amplification of the NMR signal.
  3. compact B-field coil sensing and integration of magnetic field gradients into modeling.

© M. Müller-Petke, LIAG Hannover

The project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) under project number 456346847.

Further information