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An approximate method of estimating soil water diffusivity for different soil bulk densities
Author(s) -
Libardi P. L.,
Reichardt K.,
Jose C.,
Bazza M.,
Nielsen D. R.
Publication year - 1982
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 - 10.1029/wr018i001p00177
Subject(s) - infiltration (hvac) , thermal diffusivity , bulk density , soil water , soil science , wetting , water content , pedotransfer function , environmental science , soil texture , exponential function , geotechnical engineering , materials science , geology , hydraulic conductivity , mathematics , thermodynamics , physics , composite material , mathematical analysis
The effect of soil bulk density on soil water diffusivity and on infiltration is studied using data from 13 soils, widely ranging in texture. It is shown for horizontal infiltration of water into initially air dry soil that although changes in the slopes of plots of the distance to the wetting front as a function of square root of infiltration time corresponding to different bulk density values actually depend on soil type, they may be considered independent. Hence a generalized exponential equation is developed which expresses the soil water diffusivity of any soil as a function of soil water content and soil bulk density, knowing only the rate at which the wetting front advances for only one value of the bulk density.