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Calculation of in situ unsaturated hydraulic conductivity from instantaneous soil-water profile data

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6543039

Two variations of the instantaneous profile method for calculating the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity relationships of a soil are presented. Knowledge of these relations between moisture content, pressure, and conductivity are essential for physically based soil-water transport modeling in the unsaturated zone. This indirect approach, requiring moisture content and/or pressure profiles of a soil monolith, is often preferable to laboratory conductivity measurements which may not be representative of field conditions. Use of the associated computer code is exemplified with actual data. Some limitations of the applicability of the method are discussed. The method provides the necessary link between acquisition of field data in the unsaturated zone and numerical modeling of soil-water transport.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-26
OSTI ID:
6543039
Report Number(s):
ORNL/TM-6502
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English