Estimate the moisture content with your hands or shoes. Imagine that you place a backpack on the ground or sit down on the ground. Choose the class that best describes what would happen:
- DRY: You could put the backpack on the ground, and even after a long time, it would still be dry.
- GRADUALLY DAMP: You could put the backpack on the ground, but after some time, it would slowly get moist.
- GRADUALLY WET: You could put the backpack on the ground, but after some time, it would get wet.
- IMMEDIATELY WET: If you would put the backpack on the ground, it would immediately get wet.
- MUDDY: If you were to step on the ground, you could hear a squeaky sound from the wet soil.
- WELLING: If you were to step on the ground, you could see water coming out of the ground next to your shoe.
- SUBMERGED: There is water visible on the surface.
- RAIN/SNOW: There is snow on the surface, or it is currently raining – this means you cannot make a soil moisture observation.