Parameter estimation for unsaturated flow and transport models — A review

Abstract This paper reviews the current status of parameter estimation techniques and their utility for determining key parameters affecting water flow and solute transport in the unsaturated (vadose) zone. Historically, hydraulic and transport properties of the unsaturated zone have been determined by imposing rather restrictive initial and boundary conditions so that the governing flow and transport equations can be inverted by analytical or semi-analytical methods. Contrary to these direct methods, parameter estimation techniques do not impose any constraints on the model, on the stipulation of initial and boundary conditions, on the constitutive relationships, or on the treatment of inhomogeneities via deterministic or stochastic representations. While parameter estimation analyses of subsurface saturated flow are increasingly common, their application to unsaturated flow and transport processes is a relatively new endeavor. Nevertheless, a number of laboratory and field applications currently exist that show the great potential of parameter estimation techniques for improved designs and analyses of vadose zone flow and transport experiments. Several practical examples for determining unsaturated soil hydraulic functions and various transport parameters are presented, and advantages and limitations of the estimation process are discussed. Specific research areas in need of future investigation are outlined.

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