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Massimo Iovino - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Comparing Beerkan infiltration tests with rainfall simulation experiments for hydraulic characterization of a sandy-loam soil
Hydrological Processes, 2017Co-Authors: Simone Di Prima, Rafael Angulo-jaramillo, Laurent Lassabatere, Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo Iovino, Inmaculada Bautista, Maria Burguet, Artemi Cerdà, Massimo ProsdocimiAbstract:Saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks, data collected by ponding Infiltrometer methods and usual experimental procedures could be unusable for interpreting field hydrological processes and particularly rainfall infiltration. The Ks values determined by an Infiltrometer experiment car- ried out by applying water at a relatively large distance from the soil surface could however be more appropriate to explain surface runoff generation phenomena during intense rainfall events. In this study, a link between rainfall simulation and ponding Infiltrometer experiments was established for a sandy‐loam soil. The height of water pouring for the Infiltrometer run was cho- sen, establishing a similarity between the gravitational potential energy of the applied water, Ep, and the rainfall kinetic energy, Ek. To test the soundness of this procedure, the soil was sampled with the Beerkan estimation of soil transfer parameters procedure of soil hydraulic characteriza- tion and two heights of water pouring (0.03 m, i.e., usual procedure, and 0.34 m, yielding Ep = Ek). Then, a comparison between experimental steady‐state infiltration rates, isR, measured with rainfall simulation experiments determining runoff production and Ks values for the two water pouring heights was carried out in order to discriminate between theoretically possible (isR ≥ Ks) and impossible (isR < Ks) situations. Physically possible Ks values were only obtained by applying water at a relatively large distance from the soil surface, because isR was equal to 20.0 mm h−1 and Ks values were 146.2–163.9 and 15.2–18.7 mm h−1 for a height of water pouring of 0.03 and 0.34 m, respectively. This result suggested the consistency between Beerkan runs with a high height of water pouring and rainfall simulator experiments. Soil compaction and mechanical aggregate breakdown were the most plausible physical mechanisms determining reduction of Ks with height. This study demonstrated that the height from which water is poured onto the soil surface is a key parameter in Infiltrometer experiments and can be adapted to mimic the effect of high intensity rain on soil hydraulic properties.
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Testing a new automated single ring Infiltrometer for Beerkan infiltration experiments
Geoderma, 2016Co-Authors: Simone Di Prima, Laurent Lassabatere, Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo Iovino, Rafael Angulo-jaramilloAbstract:Abstract The Beerkan method along with BEST algorithms is an alternative technique to conventional laboratory or field measurements for rapid and low-cost estimation of soil hydraulic properties. The Beerkan method is simple to conduct but requires an operator to repeatedly pour known volumes of water through a ring positioned at the soil surface. A cheap Infiltrometer equipped with a data acquisition system was recently designed to automate Beerkan infiltration experiments. In this paper, the current prototype of the automated Infiltrometer was tested to validate its applicability to the Beerkan infiltration experiment under several experimental circumstances. In addition, the accuracy of the estimated saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks, and sorptivity, S, was assessed by applying different BEST algorithms to the data obtained with the Infiltrometer. At this purpose, both analytically generated and real experimental data were used. The analytical assessment showed that the use of the Infiltrometer along with BEST methods could lead to accurate estimates of the considered soil properties in most cases, which validated the design of the Infiltrometer and its combination with BEST algorithms. Loamy soils and high initial water contents led to misestimating Ks and S or to failure of BEST algorithms, but advices about the Infiltrometer design were developed to alleviate such problems. A comparison between the automated procedure and the original BEST procedure was made at three field sites in Sicily (Italy). Other experiments were carried out in an infiltration basin located in the pumping well field of Crepieux-Charmy (Lyon, France), in order to assess the ability of the automated Infiltrometer to check clogging effects on Ks. The experiments showed that the automatic data collection increased measurement speed, allowed a more efficient data handling and analysis, and reduced sensitivity of the calculated hydraulic parameters on the applied BEST algorithm.
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testing steady state analysis of single ring and square pressure Infiltrometer data
Geoderma, 2016Co-Authors: Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo IovinoAbstract:Testing reliability of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, K-s, estimated by applying the steady-state single-ring (SR) model to the quasi steady-state infiltration rates obtained with a single-ring pressure Infiltrometer (PI) increases confidence in the estimated K-s values. Determining a means to estimate K-s from infiltration data collected with a square Infiltrometer allows the use of sources of different shapes. Using numerically simulated infiltration rates for six homogeneous soils ranging in texture from sand to silty clay loam, this investigation suggested an overall good performance of the SR model, with estimated K-s values differing by not more than 25% from the true values for the 90% of the 96 considered runs. Larger errors were generally obtained for the silty clay loam soil. Even in this case, however, a small ring radius (0.038 m), a relatively high initial soil water content (initial effective saturation = 0.4) and a relatively high depth of ponding (0.10 m) allowed the obtainment of accurate predictions of K-s (error = 13%) with a run of practically sustainable duration (4 h). The SR model was also usable to analyze quasi steady-state infiltration data collected with a square Infiltrometer when infiltration was assumed to occur through a circular source having the same area of the square Infiltrometer. With this assumption, the estimates of K-s differed from the true values by not more than a practically negligible 16%. The results of this investigation should help better interpret K-s values obtained with the PI and also improve the experimental methodology, depending on the soil. Moreover, a wider applicability of the Infiltrometer techniques, i.e. not limited to a circular source, can be expected. Soil heterogeneity should be taken into account in the future since heterogeneity is common in the field. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Determining hydraulic properties of a loam soil by alternative Infiltrometer techniques
Hydrological Processes, 2015Co-Authors: Vincenzo Alagna, Simone Di Prima, Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo IovinoAbstract:Testing Infiltrometer techniques to determine soil hydraulic properties is necessary for specific soils. For a loam soil, the water retention and hydraulic conductivity predicted by the BEST (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) procedure of soil hydraulic characterization was compared with data collected by more standard laboratory and field techniques. Six Infiltrometer techniques were also compared in terms of saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks. BEST yielded water retention values statistically similar to those obtained in the laboratory and Ks values practically coinciding with those determined in the field with the pressure Infiltrometer (PI). The unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity measured with the tension Infiltrometer (TI) was reproduced satisfactorily by BEST only close to saturation. BEST, the PI, one-potential experiments with both the TI and the mini disk Infiltrometer (MDI), the simplified falling head (SFH) technique and the bottomless bucket (BB) method yielded statistically similar estimates of Ks, differing at the most by a factor of three. Smaller values were obtained with longer and more soil-disturbing infiltration runs. Any of the tested infiltration techniques appears usable to obtain the order of magnitude of Ks at the field site, but the BEST, BB and PI data appear more appropriate to characterize the soil at some stage during a rainfall event. Additional investigations on both similar and different soils would allow development of more general procedures to apply Infiltrometer techniques for soil hydraulic characterization. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Borja Latorre - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Microflowmeter-tension disc Infiltrometer – Part I: Measurement of the transient infiltration rate
Journal of Hydrology, 2012Co-Authors: David Moret-fernández, César González-cebollada, Borja LatorreAbstract:Summary The tension disc Infiltrometer is a useful tool for in situ measurements of soil hydraulic characteristics in the vadose zone. Soil hydraulic properties can be estimated from an analysis of the transient section of the cumulative infiltration curve, which is commonly measured from the water-level drop in the reservoir tower. This paper presents a new design of tension disc Infiltrometer with the disc separated from a Mariotte tube, the bubble tower and the water-supply reservoir, in which the full infiltration rate curve is measured with a microflowmeter plus Mariotte tube system (MF). This disc Infiltrometer was tested in the laboratory on two 1D sand columns and two 1D and 3D 2-mm sieved loam soil columns, and in the field in three different soil-structure conditions. The cumulative infiltration and infiltration rate curves recorded with the MF method were subsequently compared with the corresponding curves measured from the water-level drop in the water-reservoir tower (WLD). Although the cumulative infiltration curves calculated with the MF method fitted well with those obtained using the WLD technique, the laboratory experiments showed that the MF system allowed more accurate estimates of the infiltration rate curves. Smoothing data using a simple moving average algorithm made it possible to improve the characterization of the infiltration rate curves. These results were corroborated in field experiments, in which the MF system proved to be more robust than the standard WLD procedure. These results confirm that the disc Infiltrometer design proposed here can provide a solid alternative to the classical disc Infiltrometer, and, as described in the second paper of this series ( Moret-Fernandez et al., 2012a ), offers an alternative for estimating the soil hydraulic properties from an analysis of the infiltration rate curves.
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microflowmeter tension disc Infiltrometer part i measurement of the transient infiltration rate
Journal of Hydrology, 2012Co-Authors: David Moretfernandez, Cesar Gonzalezcebollada, Borja LatorreAbstract:Summary The tension disc Infiltrometer is a useful tool for in situ measurements of soil hydraulic characteristics in the vadose zone. Soil hydraulic properties can be estimated from an analysis of the transient section of the cumulative infiltration curve, which is commonly measured from the water-level drop in the reservoir tower. This paper presents a new design of tension disc Infiltrometer with the disc separated from a Mariotte tube, the bubble tower and the water-supply reservoir, in which the full infiltration rate curve is measured with a microflowmeter plus Mariotte tube system (MF). This disc Infiltrometer was tested in the laboratory on two 1D sand columns and two 1D and 3D 2-mm sieved loam soil columns, and in the field in three different soil-structure conditions. The cumulative infiltration and infiltration rate curves recorded with the MF method were subsequently compared with the corresponding curves measured from the water-level drop in the water-reservoir tower (WLD). Although the cumulative infiltration curves calculated with the MF method fitted well with those obtained using the WLD technique, the laboratory experiments showed that the MF system allowed more accurate estimates of the infiltration rate curves. Smoothing data using a simple moving average algorithm made it possible to improve the characterization of the infiltration rate curves. These results were corroborated in field experiments, in which the MF system proved to be more robust than the standard WLD procedure. These results confirm that the disc Infiltrometer design proposed here can provide a solid alternative to the classical disc Infiltrometer, and, as described in the second paper of this series ( Moret-Fernandez et al., 2012a ), offers an alternative for estimating the soil hydraulic properties from an analysis of the infiltration rate curves.
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Microflowmeter-tension disc Infiltrometer – Part I: Measurement of the transient infiltration rate
Journal of Hydrology, 2012Co-Authors: David Moret-fernández, César González-cebollada, Borja LatorreAbstract:30 Pags., 6 Figs., 5 Tabls. The definitive version is available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00221694The tension disc Infiltrometer is a useful tool for in situ measurements of soil hydraulic characteristics in the vadose zone. Soil hydraulic properties can be estimated from an analysis of the transient section of the cumulative infiltration curve, which is commonly measured from the water-level drop in the reservoir tower. This paper presents a new design of tension disc Infiltrometer with the disc separated from a Mariotte tube, the bubble tower and the water-supply reservoir, in which the full infiltration rate curve is measured with a microflowmeter plus Mariotte tube system (MF). This disc Infiltrometer was tested in the laboratory on two 1D sand columns and two 1D and 3D 2-mm sieved loam soil columns, and in the field in three different soil-structure conditions. The cumulative infiltration and infiltration rate curves recorded with the MF method were subsequently compared with the corresponding curves measured from the water-level drop in the water-reservoir tower (WLD). Although the cumulative infiltration curves calculated with the MF method fitted well with those obtained using the WLD technique, the laboratory experiments showed that the MF system allowed more accurate estimates of the infiltration rate curves. Smoothing data using a simple moving average algorithm made it possible to improve the characterization of the infiltration rate curves. These results were corroborated in field experiments, in which the MF system proved to be more robust than the standard WLD procedure. These results confirm that the disc Infiltrometer design proposed here can provide a solid alternative to the classical disc Infiltrometer, and, as described in the second paper of this series (Moret-Fernández et al., 2012a), offers an alternative for estimating the soil hydraulic properties from an analysis of the infiltration rate curves.This paper describes a modification of an original Infiltrometer design for which a patent was applied (Infiltrómetro de disco y procedimiento de medida de la tasa de infiltración en un suelo empleando dicho infiltrometro.; P200930735; D. Moret-Fernández and C. González-Cebollada, Priority Date: 25th spetember 2009; Withdrawal Date: 25th spetember 2010). The research was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of Spain (Grant AGL2010-22050-C03-02).Peer reviewe
Simone Di Prima - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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An open-source instrumentation package for intensive soil hydraulic characterization
Journal of Hydrology, 2020Co-Authors: Paola Concialdi, Simone Di Prima, Harsh Bhanderi, Ryan Stewart, Majdi Abou Najm, Murari Lal Gaur, Rafael Angulo-jaramillo, Laurent LassabatereAbstract:We present a new open-source and modular instrumentation package composed of up to ten automatic in- filtrometers connected to data acquisition systems for automatic recording of multiple infiltration experiments. The Infiltrometers are equipped with differential transducers to monitor water level changes in a Mariotte re- servoir, and, in turn, to quantify water infiltration rates. The data acquisition systems consist of low-cost components and operate on the open-source microcontroller platform Arduino. The devices were tested both in the laboratory and on different urban and agricultural soils in France and India. More specifically, we tested three procedures to treat the transducers readings, including a filtering algorithm that substantially improved the ability to determine cumulative infiltration from raw data. We combined these three procedures with four methods for estimating the soil parameters from Infiltrometer data, showing pros and cons of each scenario. We also demonstrated advantages in using the automatic Infiltrometers when infiltration measurements were hin- dered by: i) linearity in cumulative infiltration curves owing to gravity-driven flow, ii) an imprecise description of the transient state of infiltration, and iii) the occurrence of soil water repellency. The use of the automatic Infiltrometers allows the user to obtain more accurate estimates of soil hydraulic parameters, while also reducing the amount of effort needed to run multiple experiments.
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Comparing Beerkan infiltration tests with rainfall simulation experiments for hydraulic characterization of a sandy-loam soil
Hydrological Processes, 2017Co-Authors: Simone Di Prima, Rafael Angulo-jaramillo, Laurent Lassabatere, Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo Iovino, Inmaculada Bautista, Maria Burguet, Artemi Cerdà, Massimo ProsdocimiAbstract:Saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks, data collected by ponding Infiltrometer methods and usual experimental procedures could be unusable for interpreting field hydrological processes and particularly rainfall infiltration. The Ks values determined by an Infiltrometer experiment car- ried out by applying water at a relatively large distance from the soil surface could however be more appropriate to explain surface runoff generation phenomena during intense rainfall events. In this study, a link between rainfall simulation and ponding Infiltrometer experiments was established for a sandy‐loam soil. The height of water pouring for the Infiltrometer run was cho- sen, establishing a similarity between the gravitational potential energy of the applied water, Ep, and the rainfall kinetic energy, Ek. To test the soundness of this procedure, the soil was sampled with the Beerkan estimation of soil transfer parameters procedure of soil hydraulic characteriza- tion and two heights of water pouring (0.03 m, i.e., usual procedure, and 0.34 m, yielding Ep = Ek). Then, a comparison between experimental steady‐state infiltration rates, isR, measured with rainfall simulation experiments determining runoff production and Ks values for the two water pouring heights was carried out in order to discriminate between theoretically possible (isR ≥ Ks) and impossible (isR < Ks) situations. Physically possible Ks values were only obtained by applying water at a relatively large distance from the soil surface, because isR was equal to 20.0 mm h−1 and Ks values were 146.2–163.9 and 15.2–18.7 mm h−1 for a height of water pouring of 0.03 and 0.34 m, respectively. This result suggested the consistency between Beerkan runs with a high height of water pouring and rainfall simulator experiments. Soil compaction and mechanical aggregate breakdown were the most plausible physical mechanisms determining reduction of Ks with height. This study demonstrated that the height from which water is poured onto the soil surface is a key parameter in Infiltrometer experiments and can be adapted to mimic the effect of high intensity rain on soil hydraulic properties.
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Testing a new automated single ring Infiltrometer for Beerkan infiltration experiments
Geoderma, 2016Co-Authors: Simone Di Prima, Laurent Lassabatere, Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo Iovino, Rafael Angulo-jaramilloAbstract:Abstract The Beerkan method along with BEST algorithms is an alternative technique to conventional laboratory or field measurements for rapid and low-cost estimation of soil hydraulic properties. The Beerkan method is simple to conduct but requires an operator to repeatedly pour known volumes of water through a ring positioned at the soil surface. A cheap Infiltrometer equipped with a data acquisition system was recently designed to automate Beerkan infiltration experiments. In this paper, the current prototype of the automated Infiltrometer was tested to validate its applicability to the Beerkan infiltration experiment under several experimental circumstances. In addition, the accuracy of the estimated saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks, and sorptivity, S, was assessed by applying different BEST algorithms to the data obtained with the Infiltrometer. At this purpose, both analytically generated and real experimental data were used. The analytical assessment showed that the use of the Infiltrometer along with BEST methods could lead to accurate estimates of the considered soil properties in most cases, which validated the design of the Infiltrometer and its combination with BEST algorithms. Loamy soils and high initial water contents led to misestimating Ks and S or to failure of BEST algorithms, but advices about the Infiltrometer design were developed to alleviate such problems. A comparison between the automated procedure and the original BEST procedure was made at three field sites in Sicily (Italy). Other experiments were carried out in an infiltration basin located in the pumping well field of Crepieux-Charmy (Lyon, France), in order to assess the ability of the automated Infiltrometer to check clogging effects on Ks. The experiments showed that the automatic data collection increased measurement speed, allowed a more efficient data handling and analysis, and reduced sensitivity of the calculated hydraulic parameters on the applied BEST algorithm.
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Automated single ring Infiltrometer with a low-cost microcontroller circuit
Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 2015Co-Authors: Simone Di PrimaAbstract:Automation of a new single ring Infiltrometer.Data acquisition system based on the open source microcontroller platform Arduino.New method to minimize the disturbance of the soil surface.New approach to process transducer output. A method to automate data collection with a compact Infiltrometer under constant head conditions was developed. The Infiltrometer consists of a containment ring with a small quasi-constant head of water (i.e., 2-3mm) that is controlled by a Mariotte reservoir and a data acquisition system based on the open source microcontroller platform Arduino and a differential pressure transducer. The presented design can be easily reproduced and operated.The Infiltrometer was tested in a citrus orchard on a sandy loam soil. A simple methodology was applied for accurate data acquisition from the initial stage of the process and to minimize the disturbance of the soil surface. A new approach to process the data was proposed for determining an accurate cumulative infiltration curve from transducer output. The BEST algorithm by Lassabatere et al. (2006) was applied to determine the hydraulic properties of the soil. A comparison between the automated procedure and the original BEST procedure was made.Automatic data collection increases measurement speed, permits measurement at shorter time intervals, improves measurement precision, and allows for more efficient data handling and analysis. The proposed electronic data acquisition system based on the open source Arduino board has proved to be accurate and reliable, constituting a very cost effective alternative to previous proposed equipment. The very limited cost could represent a step toward a cheaper and widespread application of accurate and automated infiltration rate measurement. This Infiltrometer could be used for situations where a large number of readings need to be collected.
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Determining hydraulic properties of a loam soil by alternative Infiltrometer techniques
Hydrological Processes, 2015Co-Authors: Vincenzo Alagna, Simone Di Prima, Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo IovinoAbstract:Testing Infiltrometer techniques to determine soil hydraulic properties is necessary for specific soils. For a loam soil, the water retention and hydraulic conductivity predicted by the BEST (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) procedure of soil hydraulic characterization was compared with data collected by more standard laboratory and field techniques. Six Infiltrometer techniques were also compared in terms of saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks. BEST yielded water retention values statistically similar to those obtained in the laboratory and Ks values practically coinciding with those determined in the field with the pressure Infiltrometer (PI). The unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity measured with the tension Infiltrometer (TI) was reproduced satisfactorily by BEST only close to saturation. BEST, the PI, one-potential experiments with both the TI and the mini disk Infiltrometer (MDI), the simplified falling head (SFH) technique and the bottomless bucket (BB) method yielded statistically similar estimates of Ks, differing at the most by a factor of three. Smaller values were obtained with longer and more soil-disturbing infiltration runs. Any of the tested infiltration techniques appears usable to obtain the order of magnitude of Ks at the field site, but the BEST, BB and PI data appear more appropriate to characterize the soil at some stage during a rainfall event. Additional investigations on both similar and different soils would allow development of more general procedures to apply Infiltrometer techniques for soil hydraulic characterization. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Laurent Lassabatere - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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An open-source instrumentation package for intensive soil hydraulic characterization
Journal of Hydrology, 2020Co-Authors: Paola Concialdi, Simone Di Prima, Harsh Bhanderi, Ryan Stewart, Majdi Abou Najm, Murari Lal Gaur, Rafael Angulo-jaramillo, Laurent LassabatereAbstract:We present a new open-source and modular instrumentation package composed of up to ten automatic in- filtrometers connected to data acquisition systems for automatic recording of multiple infiltration experiments. The Infiltrometers are equipped with differential transducers to monitor water level changes in a Mariotte re- servoir, and, in turn, to quantify water infiltration rates. The data acquisition systems consist of low-cost components and operate on the open-source microcontroller platform Arduino. The devices were tested both in the laboratory and on different urban and agricultural soils in France and India. More specifically, we tested three procedures to treat the transducers readings, including a filtering algorithm that substantially improved the ability to determine cumulative infiltration from raw data. We combined these three procedures with four methods for estimating the soil parameters from Infiltrometer data, showing pros and cons of each scenario. We also demonstrated advantages in using the automatic Infiltrometers when infiltration measurements were hin- dered by: i) linearity in cumulative infiltration curves owing to gravity-driven flow, ii) an imprecise description of the transient state of infiltration, and iii) the occurrence of soil water repellency. The use of the automatic Infiltrometers allows the user to obtain more accurate estimates of soil hydraulic parameters, while also reducing the amount of effort needed to run multiple experiments.
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Comparing Beerkan infiltration tests with rainfall simulation experiments for hydraulic characterization of a sandy-loam soil
Hydrological Processes, 2017Co-Authors: Simone Di Prima, Rafael Angulo-jaramillo, Laurent Lassabatere, Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo Iovino, Inmaculada Bautista, Maria Burguet, Artemi Cerdà, Massimo ProsdocimiAbstract:Saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks, data collected by ponding Infiltrometer methods and usual experimental procedures could be unusable for interpreting field hydrological processes and particularly rainfall infiltration. The Ks values determined by an Infiltrometer experiment car- ried out by applying water at a relatively large distance from the soil surface could however be more appropriate to explain surface runoff generation phenomena during intense rainfall events. In this study, a link between rainfall simulation and ponding Infiltrometer experiments was established for a sandy‐loam soil. The height of water pouring for the Infiltrometer run was cho- sen, establishing a similarity between the gravitational potential energy of the applied water, Ep, and the rainfall kinetic energy, Ek. To test the soundness of this procedure, the soil was sampled with the Beerkan estimation of soil transfer parameters procedure of soil hydraulic characteriza- tion and two heights of water pouring (0.03 m, i.e., usual procedure, and 0.34 m, yielding Ep = Ek). Then, a comparison between experimental steady‐state infiltration rates, isR, measured with rainfall simulation experiments determining runoff production and Ks values for the two water pouring heights was carried out in order to discriminate between theoretically possible (isR ≥ Ks) and impossible (isR < Ks) situations. Physically possible Ks values were only obtained by applying water at a relatively large distance from the soil surface, because isR was equal to 20.0 mm h−1 and Ks values were 146.2–163.9 and 15.2–18.7 mm h−1 for a height of water pouring of 0.03 and 0.34 m, respectively. This result suggested the consistency between Beerkan runs with a high height of water pouring and rainfall simulator experiments. Soil compaction and mechanical aggregate breakdown were the most plausible physical mechanisms determining reduction of Ks with height. This study demonstrated that the height from which water is poured onto the soil surface is a key parameter in Infiltrometer experiments and can be adapted to mimic the effect of high intensity rain on soil hydraulic properties.
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Testing a new automated single ring Infiltrometer for Beerkan infiltration experiments
Geoderma, 2016Co-Authors: Simone Di Prima, Laurent Lassabatere, Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo Iovino, Rafael Angulo-jaramilloAbstract:Abstract The Beerkan method along with BEST algorithms is an alternative technique to conventional laboratory or field measurements for rapid and low-cost estimation of soil hydraulic properties. The Beerkan method is simple to conduct but requires an operator to repeatedly pour known volumes of water through a ring positioned at the soil surface. A cheap Infiltrometer equipped with a data acquisition system was recently designed to automate Beerkan infiltration experiments. In this paper, the current prototype of the automated Infiltrometer was tested to validate its applicability to the Beerkan infiltration experiment under several experimental circumstances. In addition, the accuracy of the estimated saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks, and sorptivity, S, was assessed by applying different BEST algorithms to the data obtained with the Infiltrometer. At this purpose, both analytically generated and real experimental data were used. The analytical assessment showed that the use of the Infiltrometer along with BEST methods could lead to accurate estimates of the considered soil properties in most cases, which validated the design of the Infiltrometer and its combination with BEST algorithms. Loamy soils and high initial water contents led to misestimating Ks and S or to failure of BEST algorithms, but advices about the Infiltrometer design were developed to alleviate such problems. A comparison between the automated procedure and the original BEST procedure was made at three field sites in Sicily (Italy). Other experiments were carried out in an infiltration basin located in the pumping well field of Crepieux-Charmy (Lyon, France), in order to assess the ability of the automated Infiltrometer to check clogging effects on Ks. The experiments showed that the automatic data collection increased measurement speed, allowed a more efficient data handling and analysis, and reduced sensitivity of the calculated hydraulic parameters on the applied BEST algorithm.
Vincenzo Bagarello - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Comparing Beerkan infiltration tests with rainfall simulation experiments for hydraulic characterization of a sandy-loam soil
Hydrological Processes, 2017Co-Authors: Simone Di Prima, Rafael Angulo-jaramillo, Laurent Lassabatere, Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo Iovino, Inmaculada Bautista, Maria Burguet, Artemi Cerdà, Massimo ProsdocimiAbstract:Saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks, data collected by ponding Infiltrometer methods and usual experimental procedures could be unusable for interpreting field hydrological processes and particularly rainfall infiltration. The Ks values determined by an Infiltrometer experiment car- ried out by applying water at a relatively large distance from the soil surface could however be more appropriate to explain surface runoff generation phenomena during intense rainfall events. In this study, a link between rainfall simulation and ponding Infiltrometer experiments was established for a sandy‐loam soil. The height of water pouring for the Infiltrometer run was cho- sen, establishing a similarity between the gravitational potential energy of the applied water, Ep, and the rainfall kinetic energy, Ek. To test the soundness of this procedure, the soil was sampled with the Beerkan estimation of soil transfer parameters procedure of soil hydraulic characteriza- tion and two heights of water pouring (0.03 m, i.e., usual procedure, and 0.34 m, yielding Ep = Ek). Then, a comparison between experimental steady‐state infiltration rates, isR, measured with rainfall simulation experiments determining runoff production and Ks values for the two water pouring heights was carried out in order to discriminate between theoretically possible (isR ≥ Ks) and impossible (isR < Ks) situations. Physically possible Ks values were only obtained by applying water at a relatively large distance from the soil surface, because isR was equal to 20.0 mm h−1 and Ks values were 146.2–163.9 and 15.2–18.7 mm h−1 for a height of water pouring of 0.03 and 0.34 m, respectively. This result suggested the consistency between Beerkan runs with a high height of water pouring and rainfall simulator experiments. Soil compaction and mechanical aggregate breakdown were the most plausible physical mechanisms determining reduction of Ks with height. This study demonstrated that the height from which water is poured onto the soil surface is a key parameter in Infiltrometer experiments and can be adapted to mimic the effect of high intensity rain on soil hydraulic properties.
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Testing a new automated single ring Infiltrometer for Beerkan infiltration experiments
Geoderma, 2016Co-Authors: Simone Di Prima, Laurent Lassabatere, Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo Iovino, Rafael Angulo-jaramilloAbstract:Abstract The Beerkan method along with BEST algorithms is an alternative technique to conventional laboratory or field measurements for rapid and low-cost estimation of soil hydraulic properties. The Beerkan method is simple to conduct but requires an operator to repeatedly pour known volumes of water through a ring positioned at the soil surface. A cheap Infiltrometer equipped with a data acquisition system was recently designed to automate Beerkan infiltration experiments. In this paper, the current prototype of the automated Infiltrometer was tested to validate its applicability to the Beerkan infiltration experiment under several experimental circumstances. In addition, the accuracy of the estimated saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks, and sorptivity, S, was assessed by applying different BEST algorithms to the data obtained with the Infiltrometer. At this purpose, both analytically generated and real experimental data were used. The analytical assessment showed that the use of the Infiltrometer along with BEST methods could lead to accurate estimates of the considered soil properties in most cases, which validated the design of the Infiltrometer and its combination with BEST algorithms. Loamy soils and high initial water contents led to misestimating Ks and S or to failure of BEST algorithms, but advices about the Infiltrometer design were developed to alleviate such problems. A comparison between the automated procedure and the original BEST procedure was made at three field sites in Sicily (Italy). Other experiments were carried out in an infiltration basin located in the pumping well field of Crepieux-Charmy (Lyon, France), in order to assess the ability of the automated Infiltrometer to check clogging effects on Ks. The experiments showed that the automatic data collection increased measurement speed, allowed a more efficient data handling and analysis, and reduced sensitivity of the calculated hydraulic parameters on the applied BEST algorithm.
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testing steady state analysis of single ring and square pressure Infiltrometer data
Geoderma, 2016Co-Authors: Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo IovinoAbstract:Testing reliability of the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, K-s, estimated by applying the steady-state single-ring (SR) model to the quasi steady-state infiltration rates obtained with a single-ring pressure Infiltrometer (PI) increases confidence in the estimated K-s values. Determining a means to estimate K-s from infiltration data collected with a square Infiltrometer allows the use of sources of different shapes. Using numerically simulated infiltration rates for six homogeneous soils ranging in texture from sand to silty clay loam, this investigation suggested an overall good performance of the SR model, with estimated K-s values differing by not more than 25% from the true values for the 90% of the 96 considered runs. Larger errors were generally obtained for the silty clay loam soil. Even in this case, however, a small ring radius (0.038 m), a relatively high initial soil water content (initial effective saturation = 0.4) and a relatively high depth of ponding (0.10 m) allowed the obtainment of accurate predictions of K-s (error = 13%) with a run of practically sustainable duration (4 h). The SR model was also usable to analyze quasi steady-state infiltration data collected with a square Infiltrometer when infiltration was assumed to occur through a circular source having the same area of the square Infiltrometer. With this assumption, the estimates of K-s differed from the true values by not more than a practically negligible 16%. The results of this investigation should help better interpret K-s values obtained with the PI and also improve the experimental methodology, depending on the soil. Moreover, a wider applicability of the Infiltrometer techniques, i.e. not limited to a circular source, can be expected. Soil heterogeneity should be taken into account in the future since heterogeneity is common in the field. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Determining hydraulic properties of a loam soil by alternative Infiltrometer techniques
Hydrological Processes, 2015Co-Authors: Vincenzo Alagna, Simone Di Prima, Vincenzo Bagarello, Massimo IovinoAbstract:Testing Infiltrometer techniques to determine soil hydraulic properties is necessary for specific soils. For a loam soil, the water retention and hydraulic conductivity predicted by the BEST (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) procedure of soil hydraulic characterization was compared with data collected by more standard laboratory and field techniques. Six Infiltrometer techniques were also compared in terms of saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks. BEST yielded water retention values statistically similar to those obtained in the laboratory and Ks values practically coinciding with those determined in the field with the pressure Infiltrometer (PI). The unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity measured with the tension Infiltrometer (TI) was reproduced satisfactorily by BEST only close to saturation. BEST, the PI, one-potential experiments with both the TI and the mini disk Infiltrometer (MDI), the simplified falling head (SFH) technique and the bottomless bucket (BB) method yielded statistically similar estimates of Ks, differing at the most by a factor of three. Smaller values were obtained with longer and more soil-disturbing infiltration runs. Any of the tested infiltration techniques appears usable to obtain the order of magnitude of Ks at the field site, but the BEST, BB and PI data appear more appropriate to characterize the soil at some stage during a rainfall event. Additional investigations on both similar and different soils would allow development of more general procedures to apply Infiltrometer techniques for soil hydraulic characterization. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.