Relating model parameters to basic soil properties

Abstract

Relating model parameters to basic soil characteristics can help to differentiate and classify soils based on their flow and transport characteristics and ultimately helps to develop a sound management tool to protect groundwater from industrial and agricultural contaminants. In this study, the model parameters (effective diffusion path-length or aggregate half-width, boundary soil water pressure, boundary hydraulic conductivity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, tortuosity in macropores, dispersivity, mixing depth) obtained from simulation of water flow and solute transport for 3 soils (Maury, Cecil, Lakeland) with contrasting properties were related to see whether these derived parameters can be related to variation in fundamental soil properties such as texture and structure and thus the flow and transport characteristics of the soils. The boundary is a division point in which the soil porosity is divided into macropores and micropores. The ANOVA test showed that the parameter values of effective diffusion path-length and tortuosity in macropores for 3 soils were not different from each other, but the parameter values of saturated and boundary hydraulic conductivities including the texture (clay content) were statistically different. Moreover, the means of boundary soil water pressure, dispersivity, and mixing depth for 3 soils were significantly different. These results suggest that relating model parameters to basic soil properties in order to differentiate and classify soils based on their flow and transport characteristics is promising and needs further study.