Soil Moisture Curve

The soil moisture curve (or soil water retention curve, SWRC) describes the relationship between soil water content and soil matric potential (water tension). It characterizes how tightly water is bound in pores of different sizes: large pores drain at low tensions (wet soils), while smaller pores retain water at high tensions (dry soils). Quantifying this relationship is essential for water balance modeling, unsaturated flow prediction, and assessing plant-available water.