Soil pipe contribution to steady subsurface stormflow

Abstract

Abstract Flow through a saturated idealized hillslope with a single soil pipe was simulated using a finite difference solution to the equation for three‐dimensional Darcian flow in saturated heterogeneous media. The proportions of hillslope discharge originating from flow through the soil matrix and from flow through a soil pipe were determined, considering such factors as the radius, depth and length of the pipe, pipe spacing, and the length and slope of the hillslope. Results demonstrate that soil pipes can contribute a significant amount, and in many instances, the majority of total subsurface stormflow.