Premium
Simulation of soil water retention using random fractal networks
Author(s) -
BIRD N. R. A.,
DEXTER A. R.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
european journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 1351-0754
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1997.tb00563.x
Subject(s) - fractal , characterisation of pore space in soil , drainage , context (archaeology) , water retention , soil water , pore water pressure , range (aeronautics) , network model , soil science , environmental science , geology , statistical physics , materials science , mathematics , geotechnical engineering , computer science , porosity , physics , data mining , mathematical analysis , ecology , paleontology , composite material , biology
Summary The derivation of pore size distributions from the soil water retention characteristic is complicated by the influence of the connectivity of the pore space on drainage. We examine this issue in the context of a random fractal pore network model. A two‐dimensional one‐parameter model simulates the drainage of water from an initially saturated pore network, explicitly accounting for the complex pore interactions which exist over a range of scales within the network. A parameter range is identified over which pore connections significantly hinder the advance of air into the network. The results demonstrate that connectivity between pores in a random structure can affect the drainage to an extent that in general it is not possible to obtain an accurate measure of the pore size distribution from the water retention data. These results, together with findings based on closely related multiscale network models, show that one should use with caution water retention models derived from fractal structures and based solely on pore size distributions.