A modified method for measuring saturated hydraulic conductivity and anisotropy of fen peat samples

The determination of the anisotropic and heterogeneous character of the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) of wetland soils is technically challenging, but is crucial for the accurate quantification of flow and transport processes. We modified a laboratory method to determine Ks both in the vertical (Ks,v) and horizontal directions (Ks,h), and tested it on the same undisturbed peat samples using a constant head upward flow permeameter. The first results showed that Ks,v was greater than Ks,h in the majority of samples from two profiles of a degraded fen peat, indicating that Ks was anisotropic. In conclusion, the described method was suitable to determine Ks,v and Ks,h and can be recommended to estimate the anisotropy of Ks in wetland soils.