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Numerical simulations of steady-state subsurface drainage with vertically decreasing hydraulic conductivity
Abstract Most subsurface drainage equations assume either homogeneous, two-layer or three-layer soil conditions. Finite difference simulations were performed to quantify the effect of gradually decreasing hydraulic conductivity on watertable depths for steady-state subsurface drainage. For vertically decreasing hydraulic conductivity, and for cases where drain spacing was based on effective hydraulic conductivity of the 0.5 to 2.0 m layer, mid-spacing watertable depth ranged from 0.282 to 0.900 m. The average value was 0.718 m, which is considerably shallower than the 0.9 m design value used for determining drain spacing. These higher watertables may have detrimental effects on crop yield, especially in arid areas where soil salinity is a problem. The importance of the difference between actual and design watertable depths was mostly related to the type of hydraulic conductivity decrease function, drain depth, and drainage rate. These differences are explained by the position of the drain within the soil profile and the effect of the spacing on the equivalent depth of flow. Using effective hydraulic conductivity of the 0.5 to 3.0 m layer for determining drain spacing reduced the error. For an effective hydraulic conductivity value of 0.3 m/d, the average watertable depth increased from 0.748 m for the 2.0 m auger hole to 0.829 m for the 3.0 m hole. The results presented can be used to estimate the error on watertable depth resulting from ignoring the vertical variations of hydraulic conductivity.
Numerical simulations of steady-state subsurface drainage with vertically decreasing hydraulic conductivity
Abstract Most subsurface drainage equations assume either homogeneous, two-layer or three-layer soil conditions. Finite difference simulations were performed to quantify the effect of gradually decreasing hydraulic conductivity on watertable depths for steady-state subsurface drainage. For vertically decreasing hydraulic conductivity, and for cases where drain spacing was based on effective hydraulic conductivity of the 0.5 to 2.0 m layer, mid-spacing watertable depth ranged from 0.282 to 0.900 m. The average value was 0.718 m, which is considerably shallower than the 0.9 m design value used for determining drain spacing. These higher watertables may have detrimental effects on crop yield, especially in arid areas where soil salinity is a problem. The importance of the difference between actual and design watertable depths was mostly related to the type of hydraulic conductivity decrease function, drain depth, and drainage rate. These differences are explained by the position of the drain within the soil profile and the effect of the spacing on the equivalent depth of flow. Using effective hydraulic conductivity of the 0.5 to 3.0 m layer for determining drain spacing reduced the error. For an effective hydraulic conductivity value of 0.3 m/d, the average watertable depth increased from 0.748 m for the 2.0 m auger hole to 0.829 m for the 3.0 m hole. The results presented can be used to estimate the error on watertable depth resulting from ignoring the vertical variations of hydraulic conductivity.
Numerical simulations of steady-state subsurface drainage with vertically decreasing hydraulic conductivity
Gallichand, J. (author)
1994
Article (Journal)
English
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