Experiments have been carried out in Earth System and Planetary Sciences to observe the unobservable and measure the unmeasurable happening during natural processes, such as erosion caused by rainfall, wind and the combination of both. Experiments can help to simulate processes of low frequency or those where the researcher is not at the right time at the right place. They have been used to understand and quantify processes, to find control parameters and conceptualize processes as well as to test theories. Experiments cover therefore a wide range of process complexities and scales - from splash to crust formation, from wind driven rain to runoff.
They can be used to get insight into details of processes or into the general development of their corresponding forms. Experimental research can be understood as a direct reproduction of the process of interest, but also as a (often scaled) physical model of the process.
Within this session we would like to get together the research groups working on any kind of field or laboratory experiments to get an exchange about techniques and application fields. But also we encourage those groups that develop models from lab or field observations to present their work here. With this we want to close the gap between qualitative observation, conceptual abstraction measured or modelled quantification.
The session intends to establish and promote experimental work as a fundamental tool of research in Soil and Hydrological Sciences.