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Ursino et al. 2001
Ursino, N., Gimmi, T. and Flühler, H. (2001). Combined effects of heterogeneity, anisotropy, and saturation on steady state flow and transport: A laboratory sand tank experiment. Water Resources Research 37: doi: 10.1029/2000WR900293. issn: 0043-1397.

Field soils show rather different spreading behavior at different water saturations, frequently caused by layering of the soil material. We performed tracer experiments in a laboratory sand tank. Such experiments complement and help comprehension of field investigations. We estimated, by image analysis, the first two moments of small plumes traveling through a two-dimensional, heterogeneous medium with strongly anisotropic correlation structure. Three steady state regimes were analyzed. Two main conclusions were drawn. First, low saturation led to very large heterogeneity and to strong preferential flow. Thus the description of the flow paths and the prediction of the solute arrival times require, in this case, more accurate knowledge about the topological structure. Second, saturation-dependent macroscopic anisotropy is an essential element of transport in unsaturated media. For this reason, small structural soil features should be properly upscaled to give appropriate effective soil parameters to be input in transport models. ¿ 2001 American Geophysical Union

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Hydrology, Unsaturated zone
Journal
Water Resources Research
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Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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