Infiltration under rapidly varying surface water depths

Abstract

Effects of fluctuations in surface water depth on infiltration rates into initially unsaturated soils were investigated by numerically solving the Richards equation. The numerical model was verified through comparison with published solutions of Philip and with the results of laboratory experiments on a well‐graded crushed dune sand. It was found that infiltration rates may incease with time in response to rapid rates of increase in water depth. Conditions under which this will occur are identified.