A Soil Water Hysteresis Model for Fingered Flow Data

Wetting and drying boundaries of a hysteresis loop were measured for fingered flow in a uniform sand, as well as drying scanning curves within the loop. The data are described by a soil water hysteresis model that uses a Brooks and Corey (1964) type main wetting boundary curve to predict the boundaries and scanning curves. The model requires as input parameters the bulk density, matric potential, water content at the two intersection points between the wetting and drying boundary curves, and one parameter obtained by curve fitting. The analysis is used to explain a fingered flow pattern in an uniform sand with different initial moisture contents.