The British pint is about 20% larger than the American pint since the two systems are not compatible. Almost all other countries have standardized on the metric system, so the size of what may be called a pint varies depending on local custom.
It is usually measured by the depth (in mm) of the water layer that can enter the soil in one hour. An infiltration rate of 15 mm/hour means that a water layer of 15 mm on the soil surface, will take one hour to infiltrate. In dry soil, water infiltrates rapidly.
In general, the lower the infiltration rate, the greater the surface runoff, and thus the greater the potential for soil erosion. A high infiltration rate lets most of the rain water soak into the soil and make its way downward to the aquifer.he infiltration rate refers to how fast water soaks into the soil. This turns out to be a very important property of soils that affects vegetation growth, recharge of aquifers, stream flow, and soil erosion. Purpose: Introduce the concepts of soil water infiltration and the soil water balance.