Water System Analysis - Assignment 4

This assignment is due on Friday 15 October 2021, 23:59 CET

Goal of this assignment is to study water flow in soils and perform calculations
with the unsaturated flow equations.
Note that when calculating unsaturated flow using Euler’s method, you need
to make sure to use small enough steps, otherwise the results may not be very
accurate. This is especially true under dry/evaporation conditions, because then
the flow becomes highly nonlinear (remember, Euler assumes linearity across a
single step, so the only way to accurately capture nonlinear behavior is to take
many small steps). To check whether you have sufficient accuracy, you can for
example double the number of steps: if your answer doesn’t change, you used
small enough steps.

1 Soil hydraulic properties

As discussed in the lecture, nonlinearities arise due to the sharp decrease in
hydraulic conductivity when the soil dries out and water in the pores is replaced
with air. Presence of air in the soil furthermore leads to capillarity, i.e. water
being held by attractive suction forces in soil pores, resulting in negative water
pressures. Drier soil leads to increasingly negative water pressure; the resulting
relation between soil moisture content and water pressure (pF curve) is also
highly nonlinear. The shape of these relations is dependent on soil type and can
be described with parametric functions, such as the ones proposed by Brooks-
Corey (other popular functions are those proposed by van Genuchten and, more
recently, Kosugi). In this course we use the Brooks-Corey relations.
• Use the Brooks-Corey functions to compute and plot (in a single
figure) moisture content as a function of absolute water pressure (|y|)
for each soil type in the table below.
• Use the Brooks-Corey functions to compute and plot (in a single
figure) hydraulic conductivity as a function of |y| for each soil type in
the table below. Use log-scale for K on the vertical axis.

For both plots take values for y in the range from 0 to -3 m.

Parameter Loam Clay Sand

n 0.43 0.38 0.43
Ks (m/d) 0.25 0.048 7.1
θr 0.078 0.068 0.045
ψb (m) 0.28 1.25 0.069
λ 0.56 0.09 1.68

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2 Downward flow (recharge)
Consider a loam soil (properties in table above) with a fixed water table at 1.0
m depth. Let there be a constant recharge rate through the soil, i.e. a constant
downward water flux from the land surface to the water table.
• Compute and plot (in a single figure) soil water pressure as a function
of depth for recharge rates equal to 0, 0.03Ks , 0.3Ks , and Ks m/d,
where Ks is the saturated hydraulic conductivity for loam.
• Compute and plot (in a single figure) soil moisture content as a func-
tion of depth for the same recharge rates as in the previous question.
• Use the differential equation for soil water flow to explain why water
pressure increases from land surface to water table in these plots.
Are there recharge rates which would result in a decrease in water
pressure from land surface to water table?

• Why does the water pressure profile become less steep (y changes
more slowly) closer to the land surface? Base your answer on the
flow equation.

3 Upward flow (evaporation)

Consider again the loam soil with a fixed water table at 1.0 m depth. Now let
there be a constant evaporation rate through the soil, i.e. a constant upward
water flux from the water table to the land surface.
• Compute and plot (in a single figure) soil water pressure as a function
of depth for evaporation rates of 0, 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 mm/d.
• Compute and plot (in a single figure) soil moisture content as a func-
tion of depth for the same evaporation rates as in the previous ques-
tion.

• Why does the water pressure profile become more steep (y changes
more quickly) closer to the land surface? Base your answer on the
flow equation.

How much evaporation can be transported through the soil depends on the water
table depth. The water table should not be too deep, otherwise the soil will not
be able to deliver and transport water at the required rate. For each soil type,
there is a maximum water table depth that can supply a given evaporation rate.
This maximum water table depth corresponds to a very negative water pressure
at the land surface (mathematically, y → −∞).
• For the loam soil, estimate the maximum water table depth that can
deliver an evaporation rate of 2 mm/d.

• Repeat the same for clay and sand soils (properties in table above),
and compare the obtained maximum water table depths with the one
for loam soil.

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4 Layered soils
Soils often contain different layers. Depending on the flow conditions and the
hydraulic properties of these layers, the effect on water flow is more or less
pronounced.
Consider the same loam soil again, with a fixed water table at 1.0 m depth, but
now there is a different soil material between depths of 45 and 55 cm below the
land surface. So we have loam soil in the top 45 cm, then 10 cm of a different
soil material, and then again loam soil from 55 cm depth to the water table. We
will again look at downward and upward flow.

4.1 Downward flow (recharge)

Take a recharge rate of 8 mm/d and assume the 10-cm layer consists of sand.
• Compute and plot soil water pressure as a function of depth for the
entire soil profile (land surface to water table).
• Compute and plot soil moisture content as a function of depth for the
entire soil profile (land surface to water table).
• Discuss how these plots differ from the case where the entire soil
consists of loam (no sand layer).

• Explain the effect of the sand layer: use the flow equation and a plot
of hydraulic conductivity as a function of depth.
Repeat the analysis and answer the same questions when the 10-cm layer consists
of clay, with the same recharge rate of 8 mm/d.

4.2 Upward flow (evaporation)

Finally, we analyze the effect of soil layering on evaporation from a shallow
water table. Take the same layered profile as for downward flow, with a fixed
water table at 1 m depth.
• Compute the maximum evaporation rate in mm/d when the 10-cm
layer consists of sand.
• Compute the maximum evaporation rate in mm/d when the 10-cm
layer consists of clay.
• Compute the maximum evaporation rate in mm/d when there is no
layering (everything is loam), and compare the result to the two lay-
ered situations.