What factors control the infiltration capacity of the soil?
The main factors that influence the infiltration are:
- the soil type (texture, structure, hydrodynamic characteristics). The soil characteristics influence capillary forces and adsorption;
- the soil coverage. ...
- the topography and morphology of slopes;
- the flow supply (rain intensity, irrigation flow);
- the initial condition of soil humidity. ...
- soil compaction due to rain drop impact and other effects. ...
Which soil retains least water?
Which Soils Absorb the Most Water?
- Sand Drains Quickly. Water runs freely through sandy soil. ...
- Loam Soil Drains Well. Loam soil displays good structure, absorbs water, drains well, and retains moisture. ...
- Peat Retains Moisture. ...
- Silty Soil Holds Moisture. ...
- Chalky Soil Absorbs Little Water. ...
- Clay Soil Drains Poorly. ...
How does soil texture affect water infiltration?
The size of soil’s particles and their spacing also determines how much water will flow through it. Soil with a higher concentration of large grains of sand will have a greater infiltration rate, while dirt that is primarily clay will pool water on its surface as opposed to absorbing it.
Can water harm top soil?
This water stress can affect soil chemical, physical, and biological activities that are essential for plant and soil health. One of the obvious effects of drought on soil health is the lack of nutrient uptake by crops, as water is the major medium for moving nutrients into plants as a result of water uptake.
What is water infiltration?
Soil infiltration refers to the ability of the soil to allow water to move into and through the soil profile. Infiltration allows the soil to temporarily store water, making it available for use by plants and soil organisms.
What causes infiltration in water?
Infiltration refers to the process where precipitation or water infuses into subsurface soils, is absorbed by the soil and travels deeper through pore spaces and cracks into rocks. The bulk of water collected from melted snow and rain end up infiltrated.
What happens when water infiltrates into the ground?
Infiltration happens when water soaks into the soil from the ground level. It moves underground and moves between the soil and rocks. Some of the water will be soaked up by roots to help plants grow. The plant's leaves eventually release the water into the air through the plant's pours as waste.
What is infiltration short answer?
Infiltration is defined as the flow of water from aboveground into the subsurface. The topic of infiltration has received a great deal of attention because of its importance to topics as widely ranging as irrigation, contaminant transport, groundwater recharge, and ecosystem viability.
What is an example of infiltration?
Groundwater (infiltration) seeps into sewer pipes through holes, cracks, joint failures, and faulty connections. Stormwater (inflow) rapidly flows into sewers via roof drain downspouts, foundation drains, storm drain cross-connections, and through holes in manhole covers.
What are the 7 factors that affect infiltration?
Factors that affect infiltrationPrecipitation.Soil characteristics.Soil moisture content.Organic materials in soils.Land cover.Slope.
What are the stages of infiltration?
Stages of infiltration process progression inside the dam body: normal situation (a); infiltration increasing, pre-critical situation (b); maximum infiltration process development, critical situation (c)
When surface water infiltrates into the earth it is called?
A portion of the precipitation that reaches the Earth's surface seeps into the ground through the process called infiltration.
What are four factors that influence infiltration?
The main factors that influence the infiltration are:the soil type (texture, structure, hydrodynamic characteristics). ... the soil coverage. ... the topography and morphology of slopes;the flow supply (rain intensity, irrigation flow);the initial condition of soil humidity.More items...
What causes infiltration and inflow?
Infiltration occurs when groundwater seeps into sewer pipes through cracks, leaky pipe joints and/or deteriorated manholes. Inflow is stormwater that enters the sewer system through rain leaders, basement sump pumps or foundation drains illegally connected to the sewer.
How does temperature affect infiltration?
The governing factor affecting hydraulic conductivity and, subsequently, infiltration rate is temperature; with higher rates occurring during warmer periods, affecting the infiltration rate by as much as 56%.
What are the types of infiltration?
Infiltration basin. Infiltration trench (a.k.a. infiltration gallery) Dry wells (a.k.a. infiltration tubes, french drains, soak-away pits or soak holes) Underground infiltration systems. Related pages.
What is infiltration the water cycle?
Infiltration is the process by which precipitation or water soaks into subsurface soils and moves into rocks through cracks and pore spaces. As we mentioned before, the bulk of rainwater and melted snow end up infiltrated.
What factors affect the rate of infiltration?
The rate of infiltration depends on factors such as, the amount of precipitation, the type of soils, the amount of vegetative cover over the area, pre-saturation levels, the topography of the land, as well as the levels of evapotranspiration in that region.
How does water get absorbed?
Water may get absorbed by the soil and may stay in the soil for a long time until it gradually gets evaporated. If there is a lot of vegetative covers (green plants), the infiltrated water can also get absorbed by plant roots and later transpired. Infiltration occurs in the upper layers of the ground but may also continue further downwards into the water table.
What is the vertical movement of water in the soil profile from the surface to the water table?
The vertical movement of water in the soil profile from the surface to water table is a dynamic condition. It can be conceptualized as being composed of basically two predominant processes: infiltration and exfiltration. Exfiltration can be envisioned as the processes dominating during drying periods; water released during this period can be thought of as being released through evaporation to the atmosphere. The model (INFEXF) selected for this project is a formulation of the Philips model developed by Eagleson (1978) to account for water infiltration during the wetting season and exfiltration during the drying season. Infiltration and exfiltration as described in this application assumes the soil medium to be effectively semi-infinite and the internal soil water content at the beginning of each storm event and inter-storm period is assumed to be uniform at its long-term and space-time average. The exfiltration equation is modified for the presence of natural vegetation through the approximate introduction of a distributed sink representing the moisture extraction by plant roots. Two scenarios are presented in the accompanying worksheet applications: water infiltration during the rainy season and water exfiltration during the drying season. Infiltration/Exfiltration MathCad Code (ZIP) (4 K)
What is the Green ampt model?
The initial Green Ampt model was the first physically based model/equation describing the infiltration of water into soil. It has been the subject of considerable development in soil physics and hydrology, owing to its simplicity and satisfactory performance for a great variety of water infiltration problems. This model yields cumulative infiltration and the infiltration rate as an implicit function of time (i.e., given a value of time (t), values of the cumulative infiltration (I) and the infiltration rate (q) can be directly obtained. Thus, the model functions are q (t) and I (t), rather than of t (q) and t (I).) The Explicit Green-Ampt model as defined and used for this project's application was developed by Salvucci and Entekhabi (1994). The application provides a straightforward and accurate estimation of infiltration for any given time. This formulation supposedly yields an error of less than 2 percent at all times when compared to the exact values resulting from the Implicit Green Ampt model. Explicit Green Ampt MathCad Code (ZIP) (4 K)
What is SCS model?
The SCS model is an empirically developed approach to the water infiltration process (Jury, et al. 1991). It has been developed by first finding a mathematical function whose shape as a function of time matches the observed features of the infiltration rate. This function is then provided a physical explanation of the process. In semi-empirical models, most physical processes are represented by commonly accepted and simplistic conceptual methods rather than by equations derived from fundamentally physical principles. The commonly used semi-empirical infiltration model in the fields of soil physics and hydrology is the SCS model. A scenario was chosen to simulate water infiltration into a soil for conditions with rainfall and surface runoff by using the SCS model. Input parameters and simulation results are discussed in Estimation of Infiltration Rate in the Vadose Zone: Compilation of Simple Mathematical Models, Volume II . SCS MathCad Code (ZIP) (2 K)
What is Philips 2 term model?
The Philip's Two-Term model (PHILIP2T) is a truncated power series solution developed by Philips (1957). During the initial stages of infiltration (when t is very small), the first term of the model/equation dominates the process. In this stage, the vertical infiltration proceeds at almost the same rate as absorption or horizontal infiltration. In this stage of infiltration, the gravity component, represented by the second term of the model/equation, is negligible. As infiltration continues, the second term becomes progressively more important until it dominates the infiltration process. Philips (1957) suggested the use of the two-term model in applied hydrology when t is not too large. A scenario was chosen to simulate the water infiltration into a sandy soil by using the PHILIP2T model. Input parameters and simulation results are discussed in Estimation of Infiltration Rate in the Vadose Zone: Compilation of Simple Mathematical Models, Volume II. Philip's Two-Term MathCad Code (ZIP) (4 K)
What is semi-empirical infiltration?
In semi-empirical models, most physical processes are represented by commonly accepted and simplistic conceptual methods rather than by equations derived from fundamentally physical principles. The commonly used semi-empirical infiltration model in the fields of soil physics and hydrology is the SCS model.
What is the phenomena of water infiltration in the unsaturated zone?
Phenomena of Water Infiltration in the Unsaturated Zone. Water applied to the soil surface through rainfall and irrigation events subsequently enters the soil through the process of infiltration. If the supply rate of water to the soil surface is greater than the soil's ability to allow the water to enter, excess water will either accumulate on ...
What is the boundary between wet and dry soil?
Wetting Front – This zone is characterized by a steep hydraulic gradient and forms a sharp boundary between the wet and dry soil. The hydraulic gradient is characterized primarily by metric potentials.
