Simulation of water and chemicals in macropore soils Part 1. Representation of the equivalent macropore influence and its effect on soilwater flow

Abstract Macropores are a relatively small proportion of the soil volume, but they play an important role in the movement of water and chemicals owing to occasional rapid fluxes through them. The occurrence of macropore flow does not depend on the water content (or potential) of the bluk matrix unless the soil is close to saturation, but depends instead principally upon surface boundary conditions. Accordingly, three control situations of infiltration are recognized: macropore control, application control, and matrix control. These three situations indicate that the two-domain system may be a proper approach for the simulation of macropore soil. In this conceptualization, macropores are defined as channeling pores of different radii in which the flux density (with unit hydraulic gradient) occurring in the minimum sizes of such pores is greater than or equal to the saturated matrix hydraulic conductivity. Recognizing the two structural domains of the macropore and matrix, and possible water flow situations, three flow regions are suggested: matrix, macropore, and transaction. The matrix and the macropore are the two domains, and the transaction represents the exchange of water between the matrix and the macropore. The classic approach of the Richards equation is applicable to describe the flow in the matrix domain. The Hagen-Poiseuille and the Chezy-Manning equations for tube flow can be applied to represent the relationship between the hydraulic conductivity of the macroporosity and the total macroporosity, where the total macroporosity is defined as the ratio of the summed macropore cross-sectional area and the total soil cross-sectional area. An equation describing water flow in the macropore domain is then obtained.

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