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Highlights • This work analyses the influence of the β on the estimate of K and S. • Early infiltration times (i.e. 100 s) promoted good estimations for S. • Longer infiltrations (i.e. 1.000 s) were required to estimate accurately K s. • Only very long infiltration (i.e. 10.000 s) allowed defining the actual β value. • S and K s can be accurately estimated using a constant β. Abstract Soil water infiltration can be described with the quasi-analytical Haverkamp et al. (1994) equation, defined by the hydraulic conductivity (K s), sorptivity (S) and the β parameter. K s and S are commonly estimated from the transient cumulative infiltration curve, using a constant β value. The objective of this work was to study the influence of β on the estimation of K s and S. The study was first performed on synthetic 1-D infiltration curves generated at different infiltration times for loam sandy, loamy and silty soils, and next extrapolated to a 3-D loam synthetic soil and on 10 infiltrations curves measured on the field with a disc infiltrometer on different types of soils. The infiltration measurements lasted between 600 and 900 s. The results showed that, while early infiltration times (i.e. 100 s) promoted good estimations for S , longer infiltrations (i.e. 1.000 s) were required to estimate accurately K s. Only very long infiltration (i.e. 10.000 s) allowed defining the actual β value. A similar behaviour was observed for the 3-D infiltration measurements. Except for β , significant relationships (R2 = 0.99) were obtained between the K s and S of the three theoretical soils and the corresponding values calculated by optimizing the three hydraulic parameters on 2.000 s 1-D infiltration curves. The large confidence interval observed in β (between 0.3 and 2.0) resulted from the fact that β had a small effect on the infiltration curve. A significant relationship (R2 = 0.99) was also obtained between the K s and S optimized from the experimental curves using a β = 1.1 and the corresponding values obtained by simultaneous optimization of the three hydraulic parameters. These results demonstrated that S and K s can be accurately estimated using a constant β and that downward infiltration is not an appropriate procedure to estimate β. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary In-situ measurements of soil hydraulic properties on covered soil surfaces (i.e. vegetated or residue covered surfaces) are of paramount importance in many agronomic or hydrological researches. These soil parameters are commonly estimated with the tension infiltrometry technique. This paper presents a portable and modified design of the hood infiltrometer (MHI) that, unlike to the original hood infiltrometer, allows estimating the soil hydraulic properties from the transient cumulative infiltration curve. The MHI consists of a water-supply reservoir attaches to a hat-shaped base placed on the soil surface. The base of the hat is closed by a system of sticks and a malleable material ring. To test the viability of this new design, the hydraulic conductivity ( K s ) estimated with MHI in a loam soil using the multiple head approach was compared to the corresponding values calculated from the transient infiltration curve analysis. Next, the MHI was tested on three different soils at saturated conditions, and the sorptivity ( S ) and K s estimated by the transient infiltration curve analysis were compared to the corresponding values obtained with a disc infiltrometer (DI). An additional field experiment was performed to compare the hydraulic properties measured with MHI on a bare soil and a soil covered with plants. Results demonstrated that this design allows hermetically closing the base of the hat without disturbing the soil surface. The K s estimated with the multiple head approach was not statistically different ( p = 0.61) to that obtained with the transient infiltration curve analysis. No significant differences between the K s ( p = 0.66) and S ( p = 0.50) values estimated with DI and MHI were observed. The S values measured with MHI on the covered soil surface were significantly higher than that measured on the adjacent bare soil. These results indicate that MHI can be a viable alternative to estimate the hydraulic properties of covered soils from the measured transient infiltration curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a new design of disc infiltrometer, which, associated with a microflowmeter (MF) and a solenoid valve set, makes it possible to automate the infiltration rate ( Q) measurements at different soil pressure heads (ψ). The MF consists of a 13·8-cm long and 1·5 mm i.d. pipe, with a pressure transducer connecting the two ends of the MF, inserted in a water-flow pipe that connects the Mariotte tube and the water-supply reservoir of the disc infiltrometer. Water flow is calculated from the head losses in the MF. Changes in ψ in the bubble tower, automatically affected when the infiltration rate reaches steady state, are controlled by a datalogger connected to four solenoid valves. The new design was tested in laboratory and field conditions, and the results showed that the MF allows the soil water infiltration rates to be correctly estimated for different soil characteristics. The solenoid valve set plus datalogger system satisfactorily monitored the changes in ψ and allowed the measurement time to be optimized. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new compact 10 cm height and diameter tension disc infiltrometer is presented. • The water level is monitored by a smartphone camera. • The device was satisfactory compared in laboratory with V and PT methods. • Accurate estimate of hydraulic conductivity and sorptivity were obtained. • The method is an accurate, low-cost, portable and easy to use in field. The tension disc infiltrometer has become a widespread method to measure soil hydraulic properties under unsaturated conditions. Although several automated devices have been developed, most designs include an elongated water reservoir and a pressure transducer with electronic components to register the water level, increasing its cost and limiting its application. The objective of this work is to present a new tension disc infiltrometer with a compact design of 10 cm diameter and height, where the water level is monitored by a smartphone camera. The infiltration curve is determined from the automated analysis of the images recorded by the smartphone without additional electronic components. The device was first validated in the laboratory by comparing visual measurements (V), the camera imagery (Ca) and a pressure transducer (PT). Next, it was tested on field infiltration experiments. Robust fits (R2 = 0.99) were found between the water level measured with Ca in the laboratory and those obtained with V and PT procedures. The Ca method is accurate, robust and independent of the relative camera position. Good fits were also observed between Ca water level and those obtained with PT in the field experiments. Similar hydraulic conductivity and sorptivity values were obtained with both sensors using the numerical solution of the Haverkamp (NSH) equation. The compact infiltrometer, in conjunction with the smartphone camera, is an accurate, accessible, portable and easy-to-use field-based device for soil hydraulic characterisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Based on the analysis of Haverkamp et al. (1994), this paper presents a new technique to estimate the soil hydraulic properties (sorptivity, S , and hydraulic conductivity, K ) from the full-time cumulative infiltration curves. The proposed method, which will be named as the Numerical Solution of the Haverkamp equation (NSH), was validated on 12 synthetic soils simulated with HYDRUS-3D. The K values used to simulate the synthetic curves were compared to those estimated with the NSH method. A procedure to detect and remove the effect of the contact sand layer on the cumulative infiltration curve was also developed. A sensitivity analysis was performed using the water level measurement as uncertainty source and the procedure was evaluated considering different infiltration times and data noise (e.g. air-bubbling in the infiltrometer). The good correlation between the K used in HYDRUS-3D to model the infiltration curves and those obtained by the NSH method ( R 2 = 0.98) indicates this technique is robust enough to estimate the soil hydraulic conductivity from complete infiltration curves. The numerical procedure to detect and remove the influence of the contact sand layer on the K and S estimates resulted to be robust and efficient. A negative effect of the curve infiltration noise on the K estimate was observed. The results showed that infiltration time was an important factor to estimate K . Smaller values of K or lower uncertainty required longer infiltration times. In a second step, the technique was tested in field conditions on 266 different soils at saturation conditions, using a 10 cm diameter disc infiltrometer. The NSH method was compared to the standard differentiated linearization procedure (DL), which estimates the hydraulic parameters using the simplified Haverkamp et al. (1994) equation, valid only for short to medium times. Compared to DL, NSH was considerably less affected by the infiltration bubbling and the contact sand layer, and allowed more robust estimates of K and S . Although comparable S values were obtained with both methods, the NSH technique, which is not limited to short times, resulted in more accurate and robust estimates for K . This paper demonstrates the NSH method is a significant advance to estimate of the soil hydraulic properties from the transient water flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]