A presentation on

Subsurface water

K.Bhargav
Kumar
154104063

Subsurface Water
unit volume of subsurface consists of

soil/rock, and pores which may be filled

with water and/or air
total porosity= volume voids/total volume
water content=volume water/total volume
saturation=volume water/volume voids
degree of saturation delineates various
zones of subsurface water

Definitions
soil water - Ground surface to bottom of root

zone depth depends on soil type and vegetation.

May become saturated during periods of rainfall
otherwise unsaturated (soil pores partially filled
with air). Plants extract water from this zone.
Evaporation occurs from this zone.
intermediate vadose zone - Between soil water

zone and capillary fringe. Unsaturated except

during extreme precipitation events. Depth of
zone may range from centimeters to 100s of
meters.

Definitions Continued
capillary zone - Above saturated zone. Water

rises into this zone as a result of capillary force.

Depth of this zone is a function of the soil type.
Fractions of a meter for sands (mm) to meters
for fine clays. All pores filled with H2O, p < 0.
Effect seen if place bottom of dry porous media
(soil or sponge) into water. Water will be drawn
up into media to a height above water where
soil suction and gravity forces are equal.
saturated zone - All pores filled with water, p >
0. Formations in this zone with ability to
transmit water are called aquifers.

Unsaturated Zone
Water can exist in all its phases in the

unsaturated zone.
Liquid water occurs as:
hygroscopic water - adsorbed from air by

molecular interaction (H-bonds)

capillary water - held by surface tension due
to viscosity of liquid
gravitational water-water in unsaturated zone
in excess of field capacity which percolates
downward due to gravity ultimately reaching
saturated zone as recharge.

Unsaturated Zone
Hygroscopic and capillary waters are held by

molecular electrostatic forces (between polar

bonds and particles -- surface tension) in thin
films around soil particles drier soil, smaller
pores hygroscopic and capillary forces
Hygroscopic water - held at -31 to -10,000 bars.
Water is unavailable to plants or for recharge to
groundwater.
Capillary water - Held at -0.33 to -31 bars. More
water filling pores but discontinuous except in
capillary fringe. This water can be used by plants.

Definitions
Permanent wilting point: tension (suction,

negative pressure) below which plant root

system cannot extract water. Depends on soil
and type of vegetation. Typically -15 bars (15x105 Pa, -15000cm
Field capacity: tension (suction, negative
pressure) below which water cannot be
drained by gravity (due to capillary and
hygroscopic forces) Depends on soil type.
Typically about -0.33 bars

Typical Moisture Profiles

rain after a long dry period

moisture content
root zone

direction of
moisture
movement

depth
wilting
point
hygroscopi
c

field
capacity

saturatio
n

Typical Moisture Profiles

Drying process

moisture

1 - Drying in upper layers by ET.

depth
field
capacity

saturatio
n

2 - Bottom part of wetting front continues

Upper part continues to dry.
3 - At some point and movement resu
in no moisture gradient
4 - Dry front established. Lower zones ar
being depleted to satisfy PET at surfa
Drying continues until capillary forces
are unable to move water to surface.

Dacry-Buckingham law
Flow in unsaturated porous media governed by a modified

Darcys law called Darcy-Buckingham law :

h
q z K
z
hz

- suction head (capillary head) or negative pressure head.

Energy possessed by the fluid due to soil suction forces. Suction

head varies with moisture content, n, 0, < n , is
negative.
K() - hydraulic conductivity is a function of water content ,
K() because more continuously connected pores, more space
available for water to travel through, until at = n, K(n) = Ksat

Measuring Soil Suction

Soil Suction () head measured with

tensiometers, an airtight ceramic cup

and tube containing water.
Soil tension measured as vacuum in
tubes created when water drawn out of
tube into soil. Comes to equilibrium at
soil tension value.
Tensiometers often used to schedule
irrigation.

Tensiometer

y different flow equations?

Steady-state
Saturated Darcys law
Unsaturated

Darcys
law (with
K(q))

No
K(q)
Darcys law:

Transient
N/A
Richards
equation

q
changes
with
No Dq
time
No
q(y)

qK A
L

quation of Continuity

onservation of Mass)

Steady-state Transient
Saturated Darcys law

Unsaturated

Darcys
law (with
K(q))

Richards

equation

ut Output = Change in Storage

x t

chards equation

Given Darcys law:

Let things change
from place to
place (say, in the xdirection)

We also want
conservation of
mass
So we substitute
it in to the lefthand side

qK
L
q
K

x x
x

x t

K
t
x
x

chards equation
Remember that the

potential gradient,
x
,

K
t
x
x

combines elevation, osmotic, pressure,

and matric components (among others).

Sometimes
K
1 Vertical
its
t
x
x

convenient to
separate out K 0 Horizontal
x
x

the elevation t
Just remember that this y doesnt include
part:

Infiltration
General
Process of water
penetrating from
ground into soil
Factors affecting
Condition of soil surface,

vegetative cover, soil

properties, hydraulic
conductivity, antecedent
soil moisture

Four zones
Saturated, transmission,
wetting, and wetting
front

Saturation Zone
Transition
Zone

Transmission
Zone

Wetting Zone

Wetting Front
depth

Infiltration
Infiltration rate, f(t)
Rate at which water enters the soil at the
surface (in/hr or cm/hr)
Cumulative infiltration, F(t)
Accumulated depth of water infiltrating during

given time period f, F

t

F (t ) f ( )d
0

f (t )

dF (t )
dt

Infiltrometers
Single Ring

Double Ring

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infiltrometer

Infiltration Methods
Horton and Phillips
Infiltration models developed as approximate

solutions of an exact theory (Richards

Equation)
Green Ampt
Infiltration model developed from an

approximate theory to an exact solution

Horton Infiltration Model

one of earliest infiltration equations developed
(1933) and the most common empirical
equation used to predict infiltration if ponding
occurs from above:
kt
f
(
t
)

(
f

f
)
exp
Instantaneous infiltration c
0
c
t

fo fc
Cumulative infiltration
F (t ) f ( )d fct
(1 exp Kt )
0

fc, minimum infiltration capacity

(approximately saturated hydraulic
conductivity)
fo, maximum infiltration capacity (function of
saturated conductivity and soil tension)

Hortons Infiltration Model

fo

F(t)
f(t
)

rate of decay
governed by k,
increase k,
increase rate of
decay

(analogous to
Ksat)

fc
t

(time after ponding)

All are empirical parameters which must be fit

to each soil type using data from a ring
infiltrometer experiment
Hortons equations are only valid after
ponding. Therefore all water the soil has
potential to infiltrate is available at soil
surface. Ponding will only occur if i > f(t).
Should only be used during very high intensity
precipitation events over small areas

Green-Ampt Assumptions
= increase in

moisture content
as wetting front
passes
= Suction head at
sharp wetting
front
L = Wetted depth

K
h0

= Conductivity in
wetted zone
= Depth of
water ponding
on surface

Ponded Water

h0

Ground Surface
Wetted Zone

L
Conductivity, K
Wetting Front

n
z

Dry Soil

Green-Ampt soil water variables

= moisture content
(volume of water/total
volume of soil)
= initial moisture
content of dry soil
before infiltration
happens
= increase in moisture
content as wetting front
passes
= residual water content
r of very dry soil

Wetted Zone

Wetting Front

= effective porosity

= porosity

e
n

Ground Surface

Dry Soil

Green ampt equation:

Infiltration rate:

The cool thing is, though, that what we want (F

or f) is a function of only things we can figure out
(porosity, initial moisture content, soil
conductivity, and soil capillary pressure). The
problem is that you cant easily put F on one
side, and all the other stuff on the other. This
inability to separate the equation means that the

Ponding time
Elapsed time between the time rainfall

begins and the time water begins to pond

on the soil surface (tp)

Up to the time of

f K
1
F

1
i *t

i K

K
tp
i (i K )

Potential
Infiltration

Rainfall

Actual Infiltration

Cumulative
Infiltration, F

ponding, all rainfall has

infiltrated (i = rainfall
rate)
f i
F i *t p

Infiltration rate, f

Ponding Time

Accumulated
Rainfall

Time
Infiltration

Fp i * t p

tp

Time

References
enchartedlearning.com
tutor.com
Huggett, J. (2005) Fundamentals of Geomorphology,

Routeledge,
Horton, Robert E (1933)
"The role of infiltration in the hydrologic cycle"
Transactions of the American Geophysics Union, 14th
Annual Meeting, pp. 446460.
Horton, Robert E (1945)"Erosional
development of streams and their drainage basins;
Hydrophysical approach to quantitative morphology"
Geological Society of America Bulletin,56(3): 275
370.doi:10.1130/0016-7606

Thank you