October 1, 1982Water Resources Research
Macropores and water flow in soils
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Discussion
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Implication
Literature review demonstrates that macropores cause preferential water flow in unsaturated soils, suggesting conventional flow models fail to predict rapid pollutant transport.
Key Points
- To review the physical influence of macropores on water flow through unsaturated soils and assess the limitations of traditional porous media models.
- Synthesized experimental and theoretical studies examining continuous soil openings, infiltration dynamics, and subsurface storm flow.
- Evaluated classical Darcy-based flow formulations and dual-domain modeling frameworks that treat macropores and matrix porosity separately.
- Macropores create localized concentrations of water flow in unsaturated soils that violate standard Darcy-flow assumptions.
- Dual-domain representations of macropore and matrix porosity exhibit significant theoretical limitations, highlighting the need for a unified structured-soil flow theory.
- Non-uniform flow through macropores substantially accelerates subsurface storm discharge and facilitates rapid, deep transport of solutes and environmental pollutants.
Cite This Study
Beven et al. (1982) studied this question.