Soil moisture is the quantity of water contained within the unsaturated zone of soil, typically expressed as volumetric water content or gravimetric water content, and is a central variable in hydrology, agronomy, and land–atmosphere interaction studies. It governs soil hydraulic conductivity, matric potential, and the partitioning of precipitation into infiltration, runoff, and evapotranspiration. Soil moisture strongly regulates plant water availability, microbial activity, and biogeochemical cycling, and is measured using in situ sensors (e.g., time-domain reflectometry, capacitance probes), lysimeters, or remotely sensed estimates from microwave and thermal observations. It is a key state variable in land surface models, drought monitoring systems, and climate and weather prediction frameworks.
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