Our work is allowing us to investigate and characterise soils in ways not previously possible before, without the need to dig holes or take soil to the lab. For example, we have characterised bulk density - a key characteristic that affects root growth and water retention, in a spatially explicit manner, taking less than 20 minutes to do work that would otherwise have taken more than 2 days, allowing us to see variations in bulk density at an unprecedented scale!

Our work is allowing us to move beyond point measurements of the soil, which is how they are most commonly currently investigated. And importantly, unlike remote sensing methods, they allow us to see depth! Whether looking at soil moisture, bulk density, or other properties. Our waves see all as they pass through the soil, picking up useful information for us to interpret and so allowing us to see the space between the points.