Comparison of unfrozen water contents measured by DSC and NMR

Unfrozen water contents of various sands, silts and clays under partially frozen conditions were measured using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Apparent specific heats for many of these soils were measured as a function of temperature using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Unfrozen water contents were calculated from the DSC data and compared with those directly measured with NMR. Comparisons were made from -20 C to 0 C with excellent agreement for samples with low salt contents. For these samples it is concluded that the assumptions made in calculating the unfrozen water contents from DSC data are good.