Dr Sacha J Mooney

BSc (Derby), MSc (Aberdeen), PhD (Dublin)

Dr Sacha Mooney is an Associate Professor in soil physics in the School of Life & Environmental Sciences at the University of Nottingham. Prior to coming to Nottingham in June 2000, he worked as a soil physicist and agronomy advisor for the Sports Turf Industry working on a number of problems related to soil drainage-water retention, compaction and grass establishment. He obtained his Ph.D. from University College Dublin in 1999, solving soil physical problems for the Irish Peat Board using soil micromorphology and image analysis. He has published a number of peer reviewed articles on these subjects in international journals such as Geoderma, Plant and Soil and Soil Use & Management and has received funding by bodies, such as the Royal Society and BBSRC to continue his work in this field.

His general research interests cover all areas of soil-water interactions at both the macro and microscale, particularly those aspects concerning the role of soil structural architecture in controlling the mechanisms of soil water flow. His main research areas have involved the development of image analysis techniques for addressing problems in soil science. One of his main current focuses is concerned with using different imaging systems (including x-ray 3-D Computed tomography) as investigative tools for the quantification of preferential flow paths in soils. A current BBSRC project is using micromorphological evidence derived from digital image processing to elucidate the root - soil characteristics associated with cereal anchorage failure. A Royal Society project is currently seeking to identify the key processes of hysteresis in soils using x-ray computed tomography. His is also directly involved in a number of other projects concerning the benefits of organic matter applications and suitability of eco-materials for use as permeable reactive barriers.

Selected Recent Publications

  • Mooney, S.J. (2005) A simple group work approach for effective fieldwork: a soil sciences case study. Journal of Geosciences Education (in press).
  • Wantanaphong, J., Mooney, S.J & Bailey, E.H. (2005) Suitability of natural and waste materials as metal sorbents in permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). Environmental Chemistry Letters. (in press).
  • Mooney, S.J., Tams, A.R, & Berry, P.M. (2005) A method for rapidly impregnating and preserving soil structure in the field of morphological examinations. Geoderma (in press).
  • Wantanaphong, J., Mooney, S.J & Bailey, E.H. (2005) Quantification of the effects of pore clogging in potential PRB substrates using image analysis. IAHS. (in press).
  • Wantanaphong, J., Bailey, E.H. & Mooney, S.J. (2005) Suitability testing of selected wastes and natural substrates for Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRB's). IAHS. (in press).
  • Scott, D.I., Tams, A.R., Berry, P.M. & Mooney S.J. (2004) The effects of wheel-induced soil compaction on anchorage strength and resistance to root lodging of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Soil & Tillage Research, 82, 147-160.
  • Berry, P.M., Sterling, M., Spink, J.H., Baker, C.J., Sylvester-Bradley, R., Mooney, S.J., Tams, A., & Ennos, A.R. (2004) Understanding and Reducing Lodging in Cereals. Advances in Agronomy, 83: 217-271.
  • Mooney, S.J. (2004). Using micromorphology to understand the rewetting mechanisms in milled peat. Catena. 54: 665-678.
  • Morris, C & Mooney, S.J. (2004). A system for the quantification of preferential flow in undisturbed soil using observations of tracers. Geoderma. 118: 133-143.
  • Mooney, S.J. & Nipattasuk W (2003). Quantification of the effects of compaction on the mechanisms of soil water flow using dye tracers and image analysis. Soil Use & Management, 19: 356-363.
  • Mooney, S.J. (2002). Three - dimensional visualisation and quantification of soil macroporosity and water flow patterns using computed tomography. Soil Use and Management. 18: 142-151.

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Contact Information

 Dr. Sacha J Mooney