Soil plant atmosphere continuum
Encyclopedia
The Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum (SPAC) is the pathway for water moving from soil
through plant
s to the atmosphere
.
The transport of water along this pathway occurs in components, variously defined among scientific disciplines:
SPAC integrates these components and is defined as a:
This characterises the state of water in different components of the SPAC as expressions of the energy level or water potential
of each. Modelling of water transport between components relies on SPAC, as do studies of water potential gradients between segments.
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
through plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s to the atmosphere
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
.
The transport of water along this pathway occurs in components, variously defined among scientific disciplines:
- Soil physicsSoil physicsSoil physics is the study of soil physical properties and processes. It is applied to management and prediction under natural and managed ecosystems. Soil physics deals with the dynamics of physical soil components and their phases as solids, liquids, and gases. It draws on the principles of...
characterizes water in soil in terms of tensionWater potentialWater potential is the potential energy of water per unit volume relative to pure water in reference conditions. Water potential quantifies the tendency of water to move from one area to another due to osmosis, gravity, mechanical pressure, or matrix effects such as surface tension...
, - PhysiologyPhysiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
of plants and animals characterizes water in organisms in terms of diffusion pressure deficit, and - MeteorologyMeteorologyMeteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
uses vapour pressure or relative humidityRelative humidityRelative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor in a mixture of air and water vapor. It is defined as the partial pressure of water vapor in the air-water mixture, given as a percentage of the saturated vapor pressure under those conditions...
to characterize atmospheric water.
SPAC integrates these components and is defined as a:
...concept recognising that the field with all its components (soil, plant, animals and the ambient atmosphere taken together) constitutes a physically integrated, dynamic system in which the various flow processes involving energy and matter occur simultaneously and independently like links in the chain.
This characterises the state of water in different components of the SPAC as expressions of the energy level or water potential
Water potential
Water potential is the potential energy of water per unit volume relative to pure water in reference conditions. Water potential quantifies the tendency of water to move from one area to another due to osmosis, gravity, mechanical pressure, or matrix effects such as surface tension...
of each. Modelling of water transport between components relies on SPAC, as do studies of water potential gradients between segments.
See also
- EvapotranspirationEvapotranspirationEvapotranspiration is a term used to describe the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earth's land surface to atmosphere. Evaporation accounts for the movement of water to the air from sources such as the soil, canopy interception, and waterbodies...
- Hydraulic redistributionHydraulic redistributionHydraulic redistribution refers to the mechanism by which some vascular plants redistribute soil water. It occurs in vascular plants that commonly have roots in both wet soil and extremely dry soil, especially plants with both taproots that grow vertically down to the water table, and lateral roots...
; a parameter now being considered in the soil-plant-atmosphere modeling community - EcohydrologyEcohydrologyEcohydrology is an interdisciplinary field studying the interactions between water and ecosystems. These interactions may take place within water bodies, such as rivers and lakes, or on land, in forests, deserts, and other terrestrial ecosystems...