The heterogeneity of water flow and solute transport was assessed during radioactive tracer infiltration experiment in a black clay loam soil using modified methods to estimate the effective cross section (ECS) and the degree of preferential flow (DPF). The results of field and numerical experiments showed that these parameters characterized the heterogeneity of water flow in the soils unequivocally. The ECS decreases non-linearly and the DPF increases linearly with an increase of the bypassing ratio (ratio of macropore flow rate to total flow rate). The ECS decreased and the DPF increased with depth, which suggests an increase in the heterogeneity of water flow with depth. The plot of the DPF against ECS values calculated from the tracer experiment data was consistent with the relationship obtained by the numerical simulation assuming preferential flow in the neighbourhood of three probes.
Changes of steady state water flow rates and the bromide breakthrough were observed in laboratory infiltration experiments done on a sample of compacted sand and on an undisturbed soil sample (Eutric Cambisol). Infiltration-outflow experiments consisted of series of ponded infiltration runs with seepage face boundary condition at the lower end of columns. The initial water contents were different for each run. The results of the experiment done on an undisturbed soil column showed that the flux rates and water contents measured during quasi-steady state differ between infiltration runs. This finding contradicts the standard theory. The fluctuations of the water content during the steady state flow can be ascribed to the variations in volume of the entrapped air. Similarly, bromide breakthrough curves performed during the steady state flow runs differ for the undisturbed soil sample. The same behaviour was not observed in the sample of homogeneous sand. Computer tomography was utilized to characterize the structure of the undisturbed soil sample with focus on potential preferential flow pathways. To formulate more general conclusions, the infiltration outflow and bromide solute transport experiments have to continue with the aim to collect a representative set of data. and Studie sleduje změny ustálených rychlostí proudění a průnikových čar bromidu na vzorku zhutněného písku a na neporušeném vzorku půdy ze skupiny kambisolů. Experimenty sestávaly ze série výtopových infiltrací na horním okraji a s výronovou plochou na spodním okraji vzorků. Počáteční vlhkost byla pro jednotlivé infiltrační běhy různá. Výsledky experimentu uskutečněného na neporušené půdě ukazují, že se vlhkosti a rychlosti proudění během ustáleného proudění lišily pro jednotlivé infiltrační běhy. Tento efekt není ve shodě se standardní teorií. Změny vlhkosti během ustáleného proudění mohou být způsobeny přítomností uzavřeného vzduchu. Pro neporušený půdní vzorek se lišil také tvar průnikových čar bromidu, měřených během ustáleného proudění. Oba efekty nebyly pozorovány pro vzorek zhutněného písku. Počítačová tomografie byla použita k popisu struktury neporušeného půdního vzorku se zaměřením na přítomnost potenciálních cest preferenčního proudění. K tomu, aby bylo možno formulovat obecné závěry, bude nutné získat reprezentativní soubor dat pomocí zde představeného experimentu.
Soil hydraulic conductivity is a key parameter to predict water flow through the soil profile. We have developed an automatic minidisk infiltrometer (AMI) to enable easy measurement of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity using the tension infiltrometer method in the field. AMI senses the cumulative infiltration by recording change in buoyancy force acting on a vertical solid bar fixed in the reservoir tube of the infiltrometer. Performance of the instrument was tested in the laboratory and in two contrasting catchments at three sites with different land use. Hydraulic conductivities determined using AMI were compared with earlier manually taken readings. The results of laboratory testing demonstrated high accuracy and robustness of the AMI measurement. Field testing of AMI proved the suitability of the instrument for use in the determination of sorptivity and near saturated hydraulic conductivity.