Title

Aaron Daigh

Position

Associate Professor- Soil Physics and Hydrology

Extension Leadership Team

Part time

aaron.daigh@ndsu.edu

Offices

Education

Professional Interests

Soil physics, Vadose zone hydrology, Remediation, Reclamation, and Agronomy

Ongoing research projects:
Remote sensing of soil moisture to extend weather mesonet stations representation
Plant survival in harsh storm-water systems such as rain gardens
Agricultural water management via tillage and cover crop systems
Slope failures in North Dakota
Natural, hydrophobic capillary barriers
Plant and soil responses to hexacycanoferrate
Occurrence and economic costs of deep wheel-traffic compaction

Past research projects:
Brine spill remediation
Coalmine reclamation
Conservation tillage
Subsurface drainage and water quality
Crops and cover crop effects on soil water
Salinity and sodicity effects on soil hydraulic properties
Spatial and temporal dynamics of soil carbon dioxide emissions
Flipped-classroom modes of bolstering calculus skills in soil physics classes

Courses Taught

Soil Ecohydrology and Physics (SOIL 433/633), Fall of odd years.
This class introduces how things move in the soil and how that movement changes in time. Physical, chemical, and biological feedback mechanisms are discussed. All assignments provide students with real-world examples and case studies of how to use the concepts and computations as a professional practitioner working in the private sector. An introduction to Hydrus-1D with example problem sets is provided.
Advanced Soil Hydrology and Physics (SOIL 763), Spring of even years.
This class covers the theoretical and philosophical arguments that have been developed in the discipline, including the yet-to-be-resolved issues. The purpose of the class is to challenge students to deduce what is correct and what is complete in the mathematical-based theories of water flows in the vadose zone. In doing so, student will be able to discern the shape of the scientific community’s current knowledge. All assignments provide students practice with articulating these arguments

Recent Publications

Daigh, A.L.M. and A. Bly. 2020. Compaction reaction: Soil compaction and ruts following a wet harvest. Crops & Soils Magazine, May-June Issue. 53(3):2-6
Ransom et al. 2019. Basics of corn production in North Dakota. North Dakota State University Extension Publication A834 (revised July 2019).
NAICO (Nasho Irrigation Cooperative – Rwanda, Africa) Farmer’s guide. Copyrighted by the Howard G. Buffett foundation. Produced in English and translated to Kinyarwanda.
DeJong-Hughes, J. and A.L.M. Daigh. 2017. Upper Midwest Tillage Guide. University of Minnesota Extension Service and North Dakota State University.
Meehan et al. 2017. Environmental impacts of brine (produced water). North Dakota State University Extension Service Pub. R1850
Sedivec et al. 2014. Successful reclamation of lands disturbed by oil and gas development and infrastructure construction. North Dakota State University Extension Service Pub. R1728

Aaron Daigh

School of Natural Resource Sciences

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