The advent of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) as a tool for the soil sciences almost 40 years ago has revolutionised the field. Soil is the fragile, thin layer of material that exists above earth’s geological substrates upon which so much of life on earth depends. However a major limitation to our understanding of how soils behave and function is due to its complex, opaque structure that hinders our ability to assess its porous architecture without disturbance. X-ray imagery has facilitated the ability to truly observe soil as it exists in three dimensions and across contrasting spatial and temporal scales in the field in an undisturbed fashion.

This book gives a comprehensive overview of the “state of the art” in a variety of application areas where this type of imaging is used, including soil water physics and hydrology, agronomic management of soils, and soil-plant-microbe interactions. It provides the necessary details for entry level readers in the crucial areas of sample preparation, scanner optimisation and image processing and analysis.
Drawing on experts across the globe, from both academia and industry, the book covers the necessary “dos and don’ts”, but also offers insights into the future of both technology and science. The wider application of the book is provided by dedicated chapters on how the data from such imagery can be incorporated into models and how the technology can be interfaced with other relevant technical applications.

The book ends with a future outlook from the four editors, each of whom has over 20 years of experience in the application of X-ray CT to soil science.

X-ray Computed Tomography
image analysis
soil science
pore network
soil structure
rhizosphere
pore connectivity
CT
Soil Porous Architecture
X-ray CT imaging
X-ray CT analysis
soil-plant-microbe interactions

• Front Matter
• 40 Years of X-ray CT in Soil: Historical Context
• Practicalities of X-ray CT Scanning for the Soil Sciences
• Soil Sampling and Preparation for X-ray Imaging
• Optimising the Scanning Process: Demystifying the Dark Art of Optimising Microtomography Scan Settings
• X-ray Computed Tomography Image Processing & Segmentation: A Case Study Applying Machine Learning and Deep Learning-Based Strategies
• Quantification of Soil Porous Architecture
• X-ray Computed Tomography for Studying Solute Transport in Soils
• X-ray Imaging of Mechanical Processes in Soil
• X-ray Imaging of Root–Soil Interactions
• X-ray Computed Tomography Imaging & Soil Biology
• Integrating X-ray CT Data into Models
• Future Perspectives

School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
Sacha Jon Mooney

Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Iain M. Young

School of Env. Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
Richard J. Heck

Inst. für Bodenkunde, Bodenkunde Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany
Stephan Peth

Book Title
X-ray Imaging of the Soil Porous Architecture

Editors
Sacha Jon Mooney, Iain M. Young, Richard J. Heck, Stephan Peth

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12176-0

Hardcover ISBN
978-3-031-12175-3
Published: 29 November 2022

Softcover ISBN
978-3-031-12178-4
Published: 29 November 2023

eBook ISBN
978-3-031-12176-0
Published: 28 November 2022

Edition Number
1

Number of Pages
X, 229

Number of Illustrations
1 b/w illustrations

Topics
Microbiology, Soil Science & Conservation, Environmental Physics, Imaging / Radiology, Image Processing and Computer Vision