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Solute travel times during trickle irrigation
Author(s) -
Clothier B. E.
Publication year - 1984
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/wr020i012p01848
Subject(s) - drip irrigation , trickle , infiltration (hvac) , mechanics , tracer , diffusion , flow (mathematics) , environmental science , steady state (chemistry) , materials science , flux (metallurgy) , point source , dispersion (optics) , hydrology (agriculture) , geotechnical engineering , thermodynamics , geology , physics , chemistry , irrigation , optics , biology , ecology , political science , nuclear physics , law , metallurgy
A theory of solute transport from drip (trickle) emitters is developed. The model of solute flow is based on piston displacement travel times and steady three‐dimensional water flow from a surface point source. Experimental evidence is presented to justify the omission of the solute diffusion‐dispersion term in the flow equation. Laboratory experiments are described to demonstrate the rapid onset of steady state water flow, especially near the emitter. Bromide tracer experiments were carried out in the laboratory using Manawatu fine sand with constant flux infiltration into a small surface cavity. The isochrones predicted from the theory were in accord with the measured bromide fronts.