SIMULATION OF THE TRANSIENT SOIL-WATER CONTENT PROFILE FOR A HOMOGENEOUS BARE SOIL

Characterization of the fate and transport of solutes through the vadose zone requires estimation of average water contents and travel times through the unsaturated profiles. This paper reviews a model for long-term simulation of the soil water content profile for a homogeneous bare soil using physically based parameters. For an arbitrary rainfall record, the model calculates the cumulative infiltration, runoff, evaporation, and recharge components, as well as the time average reduced saturation and its variance as a function of depth. The model is computationally efficient and easily allows long-term simulation for parameter sensitivity investigations.