English

Etymology

From water + log

Verb

1. to make a boat heavy and in danger of sinking by flooding with water
2. to saturate something with water

Waterlogging is a verbal noun meaning the saturation of such as ground or the filling of such as a boat with water.

Ground may be regarded as waterlogged when the water table of the ground water is too high to conveniently permit an anticipated activity. After heavy rain, it may prevent the playing of cricket or other outdoor sports.

In agriculture, various crops need air (specifically, oxygen) to a greater or lesser depth in the soil. Waterlogging of the soil stops air getting in. How near the water table must be to the surface for the ground to be classed as waterlogged, varies with the purpose in view. A crop's demand for freedom from waterlogging may vary between seasons of the year, as with the growing of rice (Oryza sativa).

In archaeology, the long-term exclusion of air by groundwater preserves perishable artefacts. Thus, in a site which has been waterlogged since the archaeological horizon was deposited, exceptional insight may be obtained by study of artefacts of leather, wood, textile or similar materials.

From a gardening point of view, waterlogging is the process whereby the soil blocks off all water and is so hard it stops air getting in.

A wooden ship is waterlogged when it is flooded with water but stays afloat because the wood that it is made of can float.

External links

• Waterlogging of agricultural land, gives free downloads of software and articles on land drainage for waterlogging control.

Notes