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

Technical Report · Fri Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:6543039

Ward, D S

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

Related Subjects

510100* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
COMPUTER CODES
DATA ACQUISITION
FLUID FLOW
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MEASURING METHODS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRESSURE DEPENDENCE
SOILS
WATER