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Rainfall Infiltration Modeling

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2020) | Viewed by 39135

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Prof. Dr. Renato Morbidelli

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Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia, via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Interests: water resource management; hydrological modeling; hydrology; hydrologic and water resource modeling and simulation; water balance; watershed hydrology; surface hydrology; watershed management; evapotranspiration; rainfall runoff modelling; flood modelling; rainfall; soil physics; watershed modeling; surface water; hydrological data management; evaporation; climate change and water; time domain reflectometry (TDR)
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Dr. Carla Saltalippi

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Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Universita degli Studi di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Interests: hydrological modeling; hydrology; water engineering; watershed hydrology; surface hydrology; rainfall runoff modelling; flood modelling; rainfall; open channel hydraulics; river engineering; time domain reflectometry
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Dr. Alessia Flammini

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Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Interests: environment; water resource management; soil; hydrological modeling; hydrology; environmental engineering; water balance; watershed hydrology; meteorology; precipitation; rainfall; time domain reflectometry
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Dear Colleagues,

Rainfall infiltration is an important part of the physics of the hydrologic cycle and plays a crucial role in the formation of surface runoff, providing subsurface water that governs the water supply for agriculture, the transport of pollutants through the vadose zone and the recharge of aquifers.

The spatio-temporal evolution of the infiltration rate under natural conditions cannot be currently deduced by direct measurement at any scale of interest in applied hydrology, therefore the use of infiltration modeling that allows it to be described through measurable quantities is of fundamental importance.

In spite of the continuous development of infiltration modeling, the estimation of infiltration at different spatial scales, i.e. from the local to the watershed scale, is a complex problem because of the natural spatial variability of both soil hydraulic characteristics and rainfall.

For many years, research activity has been limited to the development of local or point infiltration models for vertically homogeneous soils. However, in addition to deepening this modeling, other interesting open problems should be addressed, including the modeling of point infiltration into vertically non-uniform soils, infiltration over horizontal heterogeneous areas and infiltration into soil surfaces with significant slopes.

Prof. Renato Morbidelli
Prof. Carla Saltalippi
Dr. Alessia Flammini
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Hydrology
Infiltration process
Overland flow
Local infiltration modeling
Areal-average infiltration modeling
Non-uniform soils
Layered soils
Hillslope hydrology
Saturated–unsaturated flow model
Field and laboratory experiments

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 1067 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Wastewater in Irrigation: The Effects on Infiltration Process in a Clayey Soil

by Ammar A. Albalasmeh, Mamoun A. Gharaibeh, Ma’in Z. Alghzawi, Renato Morbidelli, Carla Saltalippi, Teamrat A. Ghezzehei and Alessia Flammini

Water 2020, 12(4), 968; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12040968 - 29 Mar 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2683

Abstract

Soil water infiltration is a critical process in the soil water cycle and agricultural practices, especially when wastewater is used for irrigation. Although research has been conducted to evaluate the changes in the physical and chemical characteristics of soils irrigated by treated wastewater, a quantitative analysis of the effects produced on the infiltration process is still lacking. The objective of this study is to address this issue. Field experiments previously conducted on three adjacent field plots characterized by the same clayey soil but subjected to three different irrigation treatments have been used. The three irrigation conditions were: non-irrigated (natural conditions) plot, irrigated plot with treated wastewater for two years, and irrigated plot with treated wastewater for five years. Infiltration measurements performed by the Hood infiltrometer have been used to estimate soil hydraulic properties useful to calibrate a simplified infiltration model widely used under ponding conditions, that were existing during the irrigation stage. Our simulations highlight the relevant effect of wastewater usage as an irrigation source in reducing cumulative infiltration and increasing overland flow as a result of modified hydraulic properties of soils characterized by a lower capacity of water drainage. These outcomes can provide important insights for the optimization of irrigation techniques in arid areas where the use of wastewater is often required due to the chronic shortage of freshwater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rainfall Infiltration Modeling)

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16 pages, 4294 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modelling Groundwater Returns to Streams From Irrigation Areas with Perched Water Tables

by Dougal Currie, Tariq Laattoe, Glen Walker, Juliette Woods, Tony Smith and Kittiya Bushaway

Water 2020, 12(4), 956; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12040956 - 27 Mar 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2657

Abstract

Quantifying the magnitude and timing of groundwater returns to streams from irrigation is important for the management of natural resources in irrigation districts where the quantity or quality of surface water can be affected. Deep vadose zones and perched water tables can complicate the modelling of these fluxes, and model outputs may be biased if these factors are misrepresented or ignored. This study was undertaken in the Murray Basin in southern Australia to develop and test an integrated modelling method that links irrigation activity to surface water impacts by accounting for all key hydrological processes, including perching and vadose zone transmission. The method incorporates an agronomic water balance to simulate root zone processes, semi-analytical transfer functions to simulate the deeper vadose zone, and an existing numerical groundwater model to simulate irrigation returns to the Murray River and inform the management of river salinity. The integrated modelling can be calibrated by various means, depending on context, and has been shown to be beneficial for management purposes without introducing an unnecessary level of complexity to traditional modelling workflows. Its applicability to other irrigation settings is discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rainfall Infiltration Modeling)

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23 pages, 2756 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Modelling Recharge from Irrigation Developments with a Perched Water Table and Deep Unsaturated Zone

by Glen R. Walker, Dougal Currie and Tony Smith

Water 2020, 12(4), 944; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12040944 - 26 Mar 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4722

Abstract

Modelling of recharge under irrigation zones for input to groundwater modelling is important for assessment and management of environmental risks. Deep vadose zones, when coupled with perched water tables, affect the timing and magnitude of recharge. Despite the temporal and spatial complexities of irrigation areas; recharge in response to new developments can be modelled semi-analytically, with most outputs comparing well with numerical models. For parameter ranges relevant to the western Murray Basin in southern Australia, perching can reduce the magnitude of recharge relative to irrigation accessions and will cause significant time lags for changes to move through vadose zone. Recharge in the vicinity of existing developments was found to be similar to that far from existing developments. This allows superposition to be implemented spatially for new developments, thus simplifying estimation of recharge. Simplification is further aided by the use of exponential approximants for recharge responses from individual developments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rainfall Infiltration Modeling)

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22 pages, 3734 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modelling the Effect of Efficiency Measures and Increased Irrigation Development on Groundwater Recharge through a Deep Vadose Zone

by Glen R. Walker, Dougal Currie and Tony Smith

Water 2020, 12(4), 936; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12040936 - 26 Mar 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2076

Abstract

Water use measures are being implemented in irrigation areas to make better use of limited water resources and reduce adverse environmental impacts. A semi-analytical model is developed and tested with a numerical model to estimate changes in timing and magnitude of recharge from such measures in irrigation areas to support management of impacts, especially for areas with deep vadose zones and perched water tables. Low hydraulic conductivity of soil layers will lengthen time delays between actions and changes to recharge in addition to limiting the maximum recharge. Despite variations in detailed processes, the recharge outputs from models are surprisingly similar, irrespective of whether lateral effects are major. Superposition may be used to simplify the modelling of the total change in recharge from successive actions, including the initial development. Further simplification is possible, using an exponential conceptual model to approximate recharge responses to individual actions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rainfall Infiltration Modeling)

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18 pages, 6074 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sensibility Analysis of the Hydraulic Conductivity Anisotropy on Seepage and Stability of Sandy and Clayey Slope

by Shuyang Yu, Xuhua Ren, Jixun Zhang, Haijun Wang and Zhitao Zhang

Water 2020, 12(1), 277; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12010277 - 18 Jan 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2867

Abstract

Evaluation of slope stability under rainfall is an important topic of Geotechnical Engineering. In order to study the influence of anisotropy ratio (k_r = k_x/k_y) and anisotropy direction (α) on the seepage and stability of a slope, the SEEP/W and SLOPE/W modules in Geo-studio were utilized to carry out the numerical analysis of a homogeneous slope in Luogang District, Guangzhou City, China, which is based on the theory of unsaturated seepage and stability. Two kinds of soils (clay and sand) were included. Results show that: For sandy soil slope, the increase of k_r promotes the rainfall infiltration, and the decrease of α prevents the rainfall infiltration. The maximum water content of the surface (MWCS) reaches maximum with the increase of k_r and α. The rising height of groundwater (RHG) is −3–4 m and the safety factor (SF) is 1.3–1.7. For clayey soil slope, variations of k_r and α have little impact on the seepage characteristics and slope stability. The MWCS remains almost the same. The rainfall infiltration depth (RID) is 0.5–1 m and the SF is about 1.7. Therefore, for sandy soil slope, it is not only necessary to consider the influence of k_r, but also the influence of α. For clayey soil slope, it can be treated as isotropic material to simplify calculation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rainfall Infiltration Modeling)

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14 pages, 3760 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sensitivity Analysis on the Rising Relation between Short-Term Rainfall and Groundwater Table Adjacent to an Artificial Recharge Lake

by Sheng-Hsin Hsieh, Li-Wei Liu, Wen-Guey Chung and Yu-Min Wang

Water 2019, 11(8), 1704; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11081704 - 16 Aug 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2909

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the highly sensitive variables for a groundwater simulation model adjacent to an artificial recharge lake (ARL) using short-term rainfall events. The model was established using an artificial neural network (ANN) with rainfall events. Normalized rainfall, rainfall intensity, and groundwater data were selected as model variables. The coefficient of determination (R²) was used for model performance assessment. Finally, a sensitivity analysis (SA) was conducted to evaluate the importance of each model input. The study results indicated that the R² of the ANN model ranged between 0.759 and 0.914. The SA showed that the rainfall was more sensitive than rainfall intensity in the study area. Based on the SA results and relevant geological characteristics, it was observed that the rainfall of past 1-day, past 2-day, and past 3-day responded faster than the other variables to the wells near the river and the ARL. In addition, the past 2-day rainfall was highly sensitive to the groundwater table; this may be due to the fact that the well screen location was above sea level as observed in Wells 1, 2, and 6. The results indicate that the groundwater table variation is response-related to the distance from the wells to the river and the ARL, and the rainfall time-lag. This SA study is helpful to researchers wishing to study related ARL efficiency issues. Full article

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17 pages, 2335 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Sensitivity Analysis of Simulated Infiltration Rates to Uncertain Discretization in the Moisture Content Domain

by Lulu Liu and Han Yu

Water 2019, 11(6), 1192; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11061192 - 07 Jun 2019

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2596

Abstract

An unconditionally mass conservative hydrologic model proposed by Talbot and Ogden provides an effective and fast technique for estimating region-scale water infiltration. It discretizes soil moisture content into a proper but uncertain number of hydraulically interacting bins such that each bin represents a collection of pore sizes. To simulate rainfall-infiltration, a two-step alternating process runs until completion; and these two steps are surface water infiltration into bins and redistribution of inter-bin flow. Therefore, a nonlinear dynamical system in time is generated based on different bin front depths. In this study, using rigorous mathematical analysis first reveals that more bins can produce larger infiltration fluxes, and the overall flux variation is nonlinear with respect to the number of bins. It significantly implies that a greater variety of pore sizes produces a larger infiltration rate. An asymptotic analysis shows a finite change in infiltration rates for an infinite number of bins, which maximizes the heterogeneity of pore sizes. A corollary proves that the difference in the predicted infiltration rates using this model can be quantitatively bounded under a specific depth ratio of the deepest to the shallowest bin fronts. The theoretical results are demonstrated using numerical experiments in coarse and fine textured soils. Further studies will extend the analysis to the general selection of a suitable number of bins. Full article

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16 pages, 4360 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Effects of Rainfall Intensity and Hydraulic Conductivity on Riverbank Stability

by Toan Thi Duong, Duc Minh Do and Kazuya Yasuhara

Water 2019, 11(4), 741; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11040741 - 10 Apr 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4085

Abstract

Riverbank failure often occurs in the rainy season, with effects from some main processes such as rainfall infiltration, the fluctuation of the river water level and groundwater table, and the deformation of transient seepage. This paper has the objective of clarifying the effects of soil hydraulic conductivity and rainfall intensity on riverbank stability using numerical analysis with the GeoSlope program. The initial saturation condition is first indicated as the main factor affecting riverbank stability. Analyzing high-saturation conditions, the obtained result can be used to build an understanding of the mechanics of riverbank stability and the effect of both the rainfall intensity and soil hydraulic conductivity. Firstly, the rainfall intensity is lower than the soil hydraulic conductivity; the factor of safety (FOS) reduces with changes in the groundwater table, which is a result of rainwater infiltration and unsteady state flow through the unsaturated soil. Secondly, the rainfall intensity is slightly higher than the soil hydraulic conductivity, the groundwater table rises slowly, and the FOS decreases with both changes in the wetting front and groundwater table. Thirdly, the rainfall intensity is much higher than the soil hydraulic conductivity, and the FOS decreases dominantly by the wetting front and pond loading area. Finally, in cases with no pond, the FOS reduces when the rainfall intensity is lower than hydraulic conductivity. With low hydraulic conductivity, the wetting front is on a shallow surface and descends very slowly. The decreasing of FOS is only due to transient seepage changes of the unsaturated soil properties by losing soil suction and shear strength. These obtained results not only build a clearer understanding of the filtration mechanics but also provide a helpful reference for riverbank protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rainfall Infiltration Modeling)

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13 pages, 2995 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Conceptual Model for Slope-Infiltration

by Renato Morbidelli, Corrado Corradini, Carla Saltalippi, Alessia Flammini, Jacopo Dari and Rao S. Govindaraju

Water 2019, 11(4), 678; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11040678 - 01 Apr 2019

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3922

Abstract

Rainfall infiltration modeling over surfaces with significant slopes is an unsolved problem. Even though water infiltration occurs over soil surfaces with noticeable gradients in most real situations, the typical mathematical models used were developed for infiltration over horizontal surfaces. In addition, recent investigations on infiltration over sloping surfaces have provided conflicting results, suggesting that our understanding of the process may still be lacking. In this study, our objective is to specifically examine if the surface water velocity that is negligible over near horizontal soil surfaces can affect the infiltration process over steep slopes. A new conceptual model representing a wide range of experimental results is proposed. The model represents water flow as an ensemble of infinitesimal “particles” characterized by specific velocities and assumes that only “particles” with velocity less than a threshold value can contribute to the infiltration process. The velocity distribution and the threshold value depend on slope and soil type, respectively. This conceptual model explains observed results and serves as a foundation for developing further experiments and refining models that offer more realistic representations of infiltration over sloping surfaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rainfall Infiltration Modeling)

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Review

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20 pages, 1558 KiB

Open AccessReview

Rainfall Infiltration Modeling: A Review

by Renato Morbidelli, Corrado Corradini, Carla Saltalippi, Alessia Flammini, Jacopo Dari and Rao S. Govindaraju

Water 2018, 10(12), 1873; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10121873 - 18 Dec 2018

Cited by 45 | Viewed by 9712

Abstract

Infiltration of water into soil is a key process in various fields, including hydrology, hydraulic works, agriculture, and transport of pollutants. Depending upon rainfall and soil characteristics as well as from initial and very complex boundary conditions, an exhaustive understanding of infiltration and its mathematical representation can be challenging. During the last decades, significant research effort has been expended to enhance the seminal contributions of Green, Ampt, Horton, Philip, Brutsaert, Parlange and many other scientists. This review paper retraces some important milestones that led to the definition of basic mathematical models, both at the local and field scales. Some open problems, especially those involving the vertical and horizontal inhomogeneity of the soils, are explored. Finally, rainfall infiltration modeling over surfaces with significant slopes is also discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rainfall Infiltration Modeling)

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