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Analysis of solute redistribution in a heterogeneous field
Author(s) -
Zee Sjoerd E. A. T. M.
Publication year - 1990
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/wr026i002p00273
Subject(s) - topsoil , subsoil , adsorption , randomness , langmuir adsorption model , soil science , redistribution (election) , materials science , chemistry , mathematics , geology , soil water , statistics , politics , political science , law , organic chemistry
The redistribution of a solute present in the topsoil is simulated assuming adsorption according to the Langmuir isotherm. A parameter sensitivity analysis showed that the effect of the thickness ( x s ) of the initially solute‐containing layer on the concentration distribution can be accounted for by transforming time. Both this thickness and adsorption parameters ( A ) control how fast the concentration decreases in the topsoil, when the feed concentration does not contain solute. At large times the concentration increases gradually until the penetration depth, which is the mean downstream front position. There the concentration decreases abruptly to the initial value in the subsoil. When randomness of x s , and A is taken into account, no such well‐defined subsoil front is seen. With a simple approximation valid for a constant feed concentration larger than zero and for linear adsorption, it is shown when pore scale dispersion may be discarded.