Buckingham (1907): An appreciation

Journal Article · Wed Nov 17 04:00:00 EST 2004 · Vadose Zone

OSTI ID:841566

Narasimhan, T N ^[1]

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1. LBNL Library

Nearly a century ago, Edgar Buckingham (1907) published a seminal work on the movement of soil moisture which is part of the foundation of modern soil physics. It also constitutes a pioneering contribution in the study of multi-phase flow in porous media. A physicist, Buckingham took on an earth science issue of importance to society, and produced superb basic science as a byproduct. Buckingham impresses us with his ability to combine experiment and theory, and his capacity to intuitively explain difficult ideas to a wide audience. Science progresses both by gradual accretion of knowledge, and by sudden influx of ideas. Buckingham's contribution belongs in the latter category. After a brief, four-year rendezvous with soil science, he went on to pursue a long and distinguished career in physics with the National Bureau of Standards. This paper is an appreciation of Buckingham's contribution on soil moisture in the context of contemporary developments in diffusion theory, and the rapid growth of science in America at the turn of the twentieth century.

• Research Organization: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Director. Office of Science. Office of Basic Energy Sciences (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 841566
• Report Number(s): LBNL--56645
• Journal Information: Vadose Zone, Journal Name: Vadose Zone Vol. 4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
CAPACITY
DIFFUSION
MOISTURE
PHYSICS
SOILS
US NBS