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The daily mean zero‐flux plane during soil‐controlled evaporation: A G reen's function approach
Author(s) -
Brutsaert Wilfried
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1002/2014wr016111
Subject(s) - infiltration (hvac) , evaporation , flux (metallurgy) , soil water , plane (geometry) , boundary value problem , mathematics , soil science , geotechnical engineering , mathematical analysis , geology , materials science , physics , geometry , thermodynamics , metallurgy
A solution is presented of the linearized Richards equation with inclusion of gravity and with appropriate boundary conditions describing the combined soil‐controlled surface evaporation and the downward infiltration, following the application of a given amount of precipitation or irrigation. This solution is shown to agree with available field measurements, namely the evolution with time of the zero‐flux plane depth and of the rate of soil‐controlled evaporation from the bare soil surface. The problem is solved by means of the Green's function method; the result is general enough to be also applicable to flow problems in linear soils with boundary conditions substantially different from the ones considered herein.