Hydraulic Conductivity's Importance For Transient Storage

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issues in hydraulic conductivity is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion

Background and Overview. The rate at which water flows through soil is dependent on the gradient of hydraulic potential (the sum of capillary potential and elevation) and the physical properties of the soil expressed in terms of a parameter called hydraulic conductivity, which varies with soil moisture in a nonlinear fashion (Beven 2004). The steady-state infiltration rate of water is equivalent to the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil surface (Ceballos, Cerda, & Schnabel 2000). Measured sample values of hydraulic conductivity have been shown to rapidly vary in space, making the application of measured point values for predictive purposes at larger scales subject to some degree of uncertainty. According to Beven, among other factors, water moves in soil because of differences in temperature and chemical concentrations of solutes in soil water; ...

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average linear groundwater velocity
K = hydraulic conductivity
dh/dl = hydraulic gradient
n = transport porosity (Ford et al. 1987)

Ford et al. note that the same equation is used to compute values for average linear groundwater velocity for both granular and fractured media, with the primary difference is in the value of n. "For granular media n nearly represents the total porosity; in fractured rock or clay n represents the total void space in connected fractures within a unit volume of media" (Ford et al. 20). When the values of K and dh/dl are similar in media that is granular and fractured, the average linear groundwater velocity may be orders of magnitude larger in ...

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