Comparison between Soil Water Dynamics Simulated by the Isothermal and Non-Isothermal Models

Abstract:

To obtain a better understanding of the role of non-isothermal flow in the unsaturated zone in the presence of the water table, the isothermal and non-isothermal models driven by the observed atmospheric data were used to reproduce soil moisture dynamics observed in the lysimeter with a 100-cm water table level over one year period. Results from the simulations indicated that although the isothermal and non-isothermal models both captured the general trend of soil water content dynamics during one year period, simulated values by the isothermal model presented less dynamic variations, which overestimated the soil water content during the rainy season and underestimated it during other periods. On the other hand, the non-isothermal model not only reproduced well the seasonal variations of soil temperatures but also reproduced more reasonably soil water dynamics in the whole profile and during the whole simulation period.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volumes 864-867)
• Pages: 2298-2301
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.864-867.2298
• Online since: December 2013
• Authors: Jiang Bo Han, Zhi Fang Zhou*
• Keywords: Non-Isothermal Flow, Numerical Analysis, Soil Water Dynamics, Unsaturated Zone

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