Identification and parameterization of flow processes in artificial capillary barriers

Kämpf, Markus; Holfelder, T.; Montenegro, Héctor

doi:10.1029/2002wr001860

Cited by 25 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…soil), wa-ter can pond owing to capillary barriers, which consequently delays infiltration (e.g. Clifford and Stephen, 1998;Kämpf et al, 2003); It has been observed that water can pond and consequently form preferential flow in layered snow even when no ice layer is present (Waldner et al, 2004;Eiriksson et al, 2013;Avanzi et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Liquid water infiltration into a layered snowpack: evaluation of a 3-D water transport model with laboratory experiments

Hirashima

Avanzi

Yamaguchi

2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. The heterogeneous movement of liquid water through the snowpack during precipitation and snowmelt leads to complex liquid water distributions that are important for avalanche and runoff forecasting. We reproduced the formation of capillary barriers and the development of preferential flow through snow using a three-dimensional water transport model, which was then validated using laboratory experiments of liquid water infiltration into layered, initially dry snow. Three-dimensional simulations assumed the same column shape and size, grain size, snow density, and water input rate as the laboratory experiments. Model evaluation focused on the timing of water movement, thickness of the upper layer affected by ponding, water content profiles and wet snow fraction. Simulation results showed that the model reconstructs relevant features of capillary barriers, including ponding in the upper layer, preferential infiltration far from the interface, and the timing of liquid water arrival at the snow base. In contrast, the area of preferential flow paths was usually underestimated and consequently the averaged water content in areas characterized by preferential flow paths was also underestimated. Improving the representation of preferential infiltration into initially dry snow is necessary to reproduce the transition from a dry-snow-dominant condition to a wet-snow-dominant one, especially in long-period simulations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Liquid water infiltration into a layered snowpack: evaluation of a 3-D water transport model with laboratory experiments

Hirashima

Avanzi

Yamaguchi

2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…Furthermore, to achieve a good fit for the water content-pressure head data, θ s had to be set equal to only 80% of the total pore volume. The importance of the hydraulic parameters for the simulation results has already been emphasized by other authors (Barth, 2003;Kämpf et al, 2003).…”

Section: Possible Reasons For the Mismatch Between Measured And Simulmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…The authors assessed the success of output comparisons very differently, from 'failure' to 'in principle possible,' 'satisfactory' to 'good'. However, Barth (2003) and Kämpf et al (2003) especially emphasized the importance of the soil hydraulic properties for the simulation results.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further test fields were operated but are mostly only documented in German (overviews of these test fields can be found in Steinert (1999) and Pfeiffer (2006)). Tipping troughs on a pilot plant scale of capillary barriers existed in Germany at the University of Hamburg (length x depth x height of 10.0 m x 0.5 m x 1.0 m; Steinert, 1999;Steinert et al, 1997a,b), the Technical University of Darmstadt (2 troughs with L x D x H of 8.0 m x 0.2 m x 1.5 m; Holfelder, 2002;Kämpf, 2000;Kämpf et al, 2003;von der Hude, 1999), the Technical University of Munich (L x D x H of 6.0 m x 0.6 m x 1.0 m; Barth 2003), and the University of Giessen (L x D x H of 6.0 m x 0.6 m x 1.0 m; Pfeiffer, 2006). However, objectives of the research and materials of the capillary barriers were different in these studies, and thus the results are difficult to compare.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Comparisons of measured and simulated data for tipping troughs were performed in Germany for SWMS_2D (Berger, 2017;Steinert, 1997a,b), for HYDRUS-2D (Kämpf, 2000;Kämpf et al, 2003;Pfeiffer, 2006), and for Feflow 5.0 (Barth, 2003). The authors assessed the success of output comparisons very differently, from 'failure' to 'in principle possible,' 'satisfactory' to 'good'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Operational validation of HYDRUS (2D/3D) for capillary barriers using data of a 10-m tipping trough

Berger

2018

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

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Capillary barriers are an interesting alternative component for cover systems of landfills and contaminated sites. Provided they are sufficiently validated, soil hydrological models could be fast and powerful tools for the dimensioning of capillary barriers. Outflow rates measured in a 10 m long tipping trough for one material combination and two slopes from stationary periods were compared to simulation results of HYDRUS (2D/3D), Version 2.05. The measured outflow rates show a typical pattern with slope-dependent threshold values indicating the efficiency of the capillary barrier. This flow pattern could not be reproduced with HYDRUS (2D/3D) that for different input setups produced smooth patterns without thresholds. The input setup was varied for different soil hydraulic models (van Genuchten-Mualem vs. Brooks-Corey), homogeneous and heterogeneous transport domains (no scaling vs. stochastically distributed scaling factors considering the Miller-Miller similitude), different HYDRUS versions (standard vs. alternative; i.e., with material properties assigned either to finite element nodes or finite elements, respectively), and different lower boundary conditions (seepage face vs. free drainage). Differences between measured and simulated outflow patterns could be caused by the measurements, the application of the model, or by the model itself. The van Genuchten-Mualem model may not be suitable to describe the soil hydrological relationships of these particular materials. The reason for the mismatch, however, could not be identified yet.

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Characterization of water content dynamics and tracer breakthrough by 3-D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) under transient unsaturated conditions

Wehrer

Slater

2015

Water Resour. Res.

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Characterization of preferential flow and transport is still a major challenge but may be improved employing noninvasive, tomographic methods. In this study, 3-D time lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was employed during infiltration on an undisturbed, unsaturated soil core in a laboratory lysimeter. A tracer breakthrough was conducted during transient conditions by applying a series of shortterm infiltrations, simulating natural precipitation events. The electrical response was quantitatively validated using data from a multicompartment suction sampler. Water content probes were also installed for ground-truthing of ERT responses. Water content variations associated with an infiltration front dominated the electrical response observed during individual short-term infiltration events, permitting analysis of water content dynamics from ERT data. We found that, instead of the application of an uncertain petrophysical function, shape measures of the electrical conductivity response might be used for constraining hydrological models. Considering tracer breakthroughs, the ERT observed voxel responses from time lapse tomograms at constant water contents in between infiltration events were used to quantitatively characterize the breakthrough curve. Shape parameters of the breakthrough derived from ERT, such as average velocity, were highly correlated with the shape parameters derived from local tracer breakthrough curves observed in the compartments of the suction plate. The study demonstrates that ERT can provide reliable quantitative information on both, tracer breakthroughs and water content variations under the challenging conditions of variable background electrical conductivity of the pore solution and non steady-state infiltration.

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Identification and parameterization of flow processes in artificial capillary barriers

Cited by 25 publications

References 7 publications

Liquid water infiltration into a layered snowpack: evaluation of a 3-D water transport model with laboratory experiments

Liquid water infiltration into a layered snowpack: evaluation of a 3-D water transport model with laboratory experiments

Operational validation of HYDRUS (2D/3D) for capillary barriers using data of a 10-m tipping trough

Characterization of water content dynamics and tracer breakthrough by 3-D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) under transient unsaturated conditions

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