WATER TABLE CHANGES AND SOIL MOISTURE LOSS UNDER FROZEN CONDITIONS

Details are given of a study of the relationship between frost formation, soil moisture conditions and water table depth during the period from November through May. A study was also made to determine the approximate evaporation losses of soil moisture under frozen conditions. Climatic data pertinent to the winter periods of study are tabulated, and the depths of both frost and water table with time are given in a graph. Average soil moisture contents for the various sampling dates are also given. The studies showed water table levels drop, and that the drop is associated with depth of frost and accompanied by increases in soil moisture and frost zone above the water table. The results also showed that, in areas subject to frozen conditions, with water tables at a 5- to 5- foot depth, surface soil moisture might be increased to an extent that fall irrigation would be unnecessary.