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 HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Broadbridge, P. Articles by Rogers, C. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Broadbridge, P. Articles by Rogers, C. Agricola Articles by Broadbridge, P. Articles by Rogers, C.

Constant Rate Rainfall Infiltration in a Bounded Profile: Solutions of a Nonlinear Model

CSIRO Division of Environmental Mechanics, GPO Box 821, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

C. Rogers

Dep. of Applied Mathematics, Univ. of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1

ABSTRACT

We present new exact solutions to a versatile analytic nonlinear model of single phase vertical unsaturated flow during constant rate rainfall infiltration in a bounded soil profile with an impermeable base. The nonlinear flow equation in a fixed finite region is transformed to a linear diffusion problem with boundary conditions on a shrinking domain. The linear problem is treated by King's method of Laplace-transform boosts. The analytic solutions illustrate the theoretical differences in the basement moisture build-up when the water content dependence of the soil hydraulic properties varies from strong to weak. When the rainfall rate exceeds a critical value which is estimated here, surface ponding precedes basement saturation. In this case, time to ponding is approximated well by the expression for the infinite column. When the rainfall rate is less than the critical value (which is greater than the conductivity at saturation), basement saturation precedes surface ponding. In this case, the time to basement saturation is close to the time taken for the rainfall to fill the available pore space.

Dr Broadbridge's present address is Dep. of Mathematics, La Trobe Univ., Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia. Contribution from CSIRO, Australia.

Received for publication December 7, 1987.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. Si, R.G. Kachanoski, F. Zhang, G.W. Parkin, and D.E. Elrick Measurement of Hydraulic Properties During Constant Flux Infiltration: Field Average Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., July 1, 1999; 63(4): 793 - 799. [Abstract] [Full Text]