HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Clothier, B. E. Articles by Elrick, D. E. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Clothier, B. E. Articles by Elrick, D. E. Agricola Articles by Clothier, B. E. Articles by Elrick, D. E.

Solute Dispersion During Axisymmetric Three-Dimensional Unsaturated Water Flow¹

ABSTRACT

An approximate, analytic solution is presented for the smearing of solute by both convection and dispersion during axisymmetric three-dimensional constant flux infiltration from a surface point source in unsaturated soil. The steady-state pattern of axisymmetric streamlines is used to track individual parcels of water as they move away from the surface emitter. A simple analytic expression is developed to describe the time course of the hydrodynamic dispersion of solute about the convected front as it moves along any given streamline. The location of the convected front at any time is predicted from the profile of wetting along that streamline. The plane-of-separation concept is used to find the distance travelled by the convected front along the streamline. The invading solution is considered to act as if to effectively piston-displace the antecedent soil water. Profiles of bromide concentration along three streamline paths were measured during constant-flux point-source infiltration experiments in the laboratory with fine sand. These measurements compared favorably with the theoretical predictions.

¹ Contribution from the Dept. of Land Resource Science, Univer. of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada.

² Visiting Professor (on leave from Plant Physiology Division, DSIR, New Zealand) and Professor of Soil Physics, Univ. of Guelph.

Received for publication September 4, 1984. Accepted for publication December 12, 1984.