Numerical Analysis of Water Movement in Agricultural Fields …
9
Fig. 3 Mean hydraulic conductivity profile for six successive days after irrigation (64th day of the
simulation) in homogeneous (σ 2 = 0) and heterogeneous sandy clay soil (σ 2 = 0.3 and σ 2 = 0.6)
with (a, c, e) and without (b, d, f) root water uptake
4 Conclusion
In this study, the effect of soil heterogeneity and root water uptake on subsurface
water flow in agricultural fields was investigated. A 3D numerical approach coupled
with the turning bands method to generate soil formation properties realizations
with different heterogeneity levels to solve the governing partial differential equation in heterogeneous and variably saturated soils was used to simulate field scale
water flow to investigate the impact of soil heterogeneity and root water uptake
on subsurface flow dynamics in cropped fields. Soil hydraulic properties spatial
heterogeneity, evaporation, irrigation, and root water uptake were coupled into the
simulation model to mimic the real-world scenarios. Soil moisture dynamics was
observed to be significantly affected by soil heterogeneity and root water uptake.