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Scaling the saturated hydraulic conductivity of an alfisol
Author(s) -
BONSU M.,
LARYEA K. B.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 0022-4588
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1989.tb01313.x
Subject(s) - alfisol , permeameter , hydraulic conductivity , scaling , volume (thermodynamics) , soil science , porosity , geotechnical engineering , soil water , mathematics , geology , thermodynamics , geometry , physics
SUMMARY Alfisols exhibit a high degree of spatial variability in their physical properties. As a result, it is difficult to use information on physical parameters measured at one location to model larger‐scale hydrologic processes. In this study, the saturated hydraulic conductivity, K S , of an Alfisol was determined on 109 undisturbed monoliths using the falling‐head permeameter method. The model developed by Arya & Paris (1981) was used to calculate the pore volume from sand and clay fractions. Scaling factors were calculated from the measured K s , sand pore‐volume, clay pore‐volume, clay content and effective porosity, using the similar media concept. Prediction of K s of gravelly Alfisol using clay pore‐volume is confounded by high gravel content which, when discounted, improves the prediction remarkably. The scaled mean saturated hydraulic conductivity K* for all horizons of the Alfisol was approximately l.0x 10 −5 ms −1 .