Lateral Moisture Movements in Unsaturated Anisotropic Media

摘要

Traditionally, in the area of water resources, interests are focused on contamination of groundwater basins and surface water basins, and the subsequent distribution of those contaminants in our environment. In the study presented in the report, it is emphasized that the contamination processes involve, additionally, the vadose zone below the soil surface. In this respect, the classical approach, which assumes only vertical infiltration, is abandoned and a more comprehensive theory which includes inclination of the soil surface and anisotropic hydraulic conductivity, is developed. For these more general conditions, an infiltration model is presented, which is in form and structure similar to the eauation of solely vertical infiltration. It is shown that, under particular conditions which are chosen so as to emphasize the importance of the problem, lateral infiltration occurs and that it may be more dominant than vertical infiltration.