EFFECT OF SPATIAL VARIABILITY IN HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY ON WATER TABLE DRAWDOWN

1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-375
Author(s):  
S. O. Prasher ◽  
M. Singh ◽  
A. K. Maheshwari ◽  
R. S. Clemente
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Water Table

Spatial Variability of Contaminant Transport in a Fractured Till, Avedøre Denmark

1999 ◽  
Vol 30 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 333-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry McKay ◽  
Johnny Fredericia ◽  
Melissa Lenczewski ◽  
Jørn Morthorst ◽  
Knud Erik S. Klint
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Contaminant Transport ◽  
Tracer Test ◽  
Conductivity Measurements ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Downward Migration ◽  
Rapid Transport ◽  
High Degree

A field experiment shows that rapid downward migration of solutes and microorganisms can occur in a fractured till. A solute tracer, chloride, and a bacteriophage tracer, PRD-1, were added to groundwater and allowed to infiltrate downwards over a 4 × 4 m area. Chloride was detected in horizontal filters at 2.0 m depth within 3-40 days of the start of the tracer test, and PRD-1 was detected in the same filters within 0.27 - 27 days. At 2.8 m depth chloride appeared in all the filters, but PRD-1 appeared in only about one-third of the filters. At 4.0 m depth chloride appeared in about one-third of the filters and trace amounts of PRD-1 were detected in only 2 of the 36 filters. Transport rates and peak tracer concentrations decreased with depth, but at each depth there was a high degree of variability. The transport data is generally consistent with expectations based on hydraulic conductivity measurements and on the observed density of fractures and biopores, both of which decrease with depth. Transport of chloride was apparently retarded by diffusion into the fine-grained matrix between fractures, but the rapid transport of PRD-1, with little dispersion, indicates that it was transported mainly through the fractures.

scholarly journals Experimental investigation to characterize simple versus multi scaling analysis of hydraulic conductivity at a mesoscale

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guglielmo Federico Antonio Brunetti ◽  
Samuele De Bartolo ◽  
Carmine Fallico ◽  
Ferdinando Frega ◽  
Maria Fernanda Rivera Velásquez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Hydraulic Properties ◽  
Scaling Laws ◽  
Scaling Analysis ◽  
Field Scale ◽  
Porous Formation ◽  
Proper Design ◽  
First Time

AbstractThe spatial variability of the aquifers' hydraulic properties can be satisfactorily described by means of scaling laws. The latter enable one to relate the small (typically laboratory) scale to the larger (typically formation/regional) ones, therefore leading de facto to an upscaling procedure. In the present study, we are concerned with the spatial variability of the hydraulic conductivity K into a strongly heterogeneous porous formation. A strategy, allowing one to identify correctly the single/multiple scaling of K, is applied for the first time to a large caisson, where the medium was packed. In particular, we show how to identify the various scaling ranges with special emphasis on the determination of the related cut-off limits. Finally, we illustrate how the heterogeneity enhances with the increasing scale of observation, by identifying the proper law accounting for the transition from the laboratory to the field scale. Results of the present study are of paramount utility for the proper design of pumping tests in formations where the degree of spatial variability of the hydraulic conductivity does not allow regarding them as “weakly heterogeneous”, as well as for the study of dispersion mechanisms.

scholarly journals Large-scale lateral saturated soil hydraulic conductivity as metric for the connectivity of the subsurface flow paths at hillslope scale

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Pirastru ◽  
Massimo Iovino ◽  
Hassan Awada ◽  
Roberto Marrosu ◽  
Simone Di Prima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Spatial Scale ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Subsurface Flow ◽  
Lateral Flow ◽  
Saturated Soil ◽  
Flow Paths ◽  
Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Hillslope Scale

Lateral saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks,l, is the soil property governing subsurface water transfer in hillslopes, and the key parameter in many numerical models simulating hydrological processes both at the hillslope and catchment scales. Likewise, the hydrological connectivity of lateral flow paths plays a significant role in determining the intensity of the subsurface flow at various spatial scales. The objective of the study is to investigate the relationship between Ks,l and hydraulic connectivity at the hillslope spatial scale. Ks,l was determined by the subsurface flow rates intercepted by drains, and by water table depths observed in a well network. Hydraulic connectivity of the lateral flow paths was evaluated by the synchronicity among piezometric peaks, and between the latter and the peaks of drained flow. Soil moisture and precipitation data were used to investigate the influence of the transient hydrological soil condition on connectivity and Ks,l. It was found that the higher was the synchronicity of the water table response between wells, the lower was the time lag between the peaks of water levels and those of the drained subsurface flow. Moreover, the most synchronic water table rises determined the highest drainage rates. The relationships between Ks,l and water table depths were highly non-linear, with a sharp increase of the values for water table levels close to the soil surface. Estimated Ks,l values for the full saturated soil were in the order of thousands of mm h-1, suggesting the activation of macropores in the root zone. The Ks,l values determined at the peak of the drainage events were correlated with the indicators of synchronicity. The sum of the antecedent soil moisture and of the precipitation was correlated with the indicators of connectivity and with Ks,l. We suggest that, for simulating realistic processes at the hillslope scale, the hydraulic connectivity could be implicitly considered in hydrological modelling through an evaluation of Ks,l at the same spatial scale.

Distribution, origin, and hydraulic influence of fractures in a clay-rich glacial deposit

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 957-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.D. McKay ◽  
J. Fredericia
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Groundwater Flow ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Stress Relief ◽  
Fracture Density ◽  
Lacustrine Environment ◽  
Tritium Content ◽  
Glacial Deposit ◽  
A Site

In the unconsolidated clay-rich glacial deposits underlying a site in southwestern Ontario, fractures and root casts greatly influence hydraulic conductivity and groundwater flow. The fractures are predominantly vertical and have visible oxidation staining from surface to a depth of 6 m. Root casts commonly occur along fracture surfaces in the upper 3 m, but can also occur as holes in apparently unfractured blocks. The fractures are believed caused mainly by dessication during past periods of low water table. This hypothesis is supported by a decrease in fracture density with depth and the presence of a stiff crust, presumably caused by desiccation-induced consolidation. The random pebble fabric and faint layering indicate deposition in a calm lacustrine environment, which precludes the possibility of the fractures having been caused by overriding ice. Fractures were found below the depth of oxidation staining (6 m) but most of these appear to have been caused by stress-relief due to the excavation and subsequent drying. In the upper 3 m the fractures and root casts are responsible for field-measured hydraulic conductivity values that are up to 3 orders of magnitude greater than measured in the laboratory for samples of the unfractured matrix. High values of field-measured hydraulic conductivity, seasonal head variations greater than 0.5 m, and high tritium content all persist below the depth of root casts, indicating that hydraulically conductive fractures do exist to depths of at least 6 m and possibly as great as 12–15 m, which is well below the depth of oxidation staining. However, there is some uncertainty in this assessment of the extent of hydraulically conductive fractures because of the sensitivity to small leaks in the piezometer installations. Key words : clay, glacial, fractures, desiccation, hydraulic conductivity.

Spatial patterns of aerobic limit depth and oxygen diffusion rate at two peatlands drained for forestry in Alberta

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
U Silins ◽  
R L Rothwell
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Oxygen Diffusion ◽  
Diffusion Rate ◽  
Drainage Ditches ◽  
Soil Aeration ◽  
Rooting Zone ◽  
Capillary Zone ◽  
Oxygen Diffusion Rate

The spatial variability of soil aeration (aerobic limit depth and oxygen diffusion rate (ODR)) among different drainage ditch spacings and at various distances from drainage ditches was examined at two peatlands drained for forestry in north-central Alberta. Drainage lowered mean water table levels (p < 0.001) at both peatlands. Lower water table levels within drained areas were associated with greater aerobic limit depths (p < 0.001) and greater ODR (p < 0.001 at Saulteaux River; p < 0.027 at Wolf Creek) compared with undrained areas of both peatlands. Spatial patterns of aerobic limit depth and ODR indicated strong spatial variability of soil aeration in the immediate vicinity of drainage ditches. However, little sensitivity of soil aeration to different ditch spacings was evident. Potential effects of post-drainage subsidence on soil aeration was evident as increased distance of both the aerobic limit, and near-zero oxygen diffusion rates above the water table surface at both peatlands. One effect of post-drainage peatland subsidence may be to increase the thickness of the capillary zone above the water table. However, reduction of aeration within the rooting zone of peatland trees due to subsidence was not observed because of low water tables within the drained areas of both peatlands.

Identifying Covariates to Assess the Spatial Variability of Saturated Soil Hydraulic Conductivity Using Robust Cokriging at the Watershed Scale

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 1491-1502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Fornalski Soares ◽  
Luana Nunes Centeno ◽  
Luís Carlos Timm ◽  
Carlos Rogério Mello ◽  
Douglas Rodrigo Kaiser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Saturated Soil ◽  
Watershed Scale ◽  
Soil Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Soil Hydraulic
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