Additional Solutions for Steady-State Evaporation from a Shallow Water Table

Abstract

In this paper, I consider evaporation from a shallow water table and present analytical solutions. An unsaturated conductivity function K of the form K = a/(Sn + b) is used, with S the matric suction and a, b, and n constants. The results of Gardner and Fireman (1958) are generalized to all n > 1, including fractional values and b = 0, for which K reduces to the form commonly referred to as that of Brooks and Corey. A table is presented from which evaporation rates follow for a wide range of depths and hydraulic conductivity functions of the above form.