Performance Evaluation of Infiltration Models in a Hydromorphic Soil

Abstract

Four infiltration models were investigated for their capacity to describe water infiltration into hydromorphic (gleysol) soil. The Models were Kostiakov\'s (1932), Philip\'s (1957) Kostiakov- Lewis\'(1982) and Modified Kostiakov (1978). Field measurement of infiltration was made using double ring infiltrometers on an hydromorphic soil of the flood plain in Zango village, Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria. Infiltration tests were carried out in a land area of 80 m by 240 m divided into four strips of 20 m by 240 m, with the top strip located 90 m away from the main watercourse of the area. A total of 16 infiltration tests
were carried out over the area. A set of the field-measured cumulative infiltration depths were used for estimation of parameters of the models studied, and the other set was used to evaluate the performance of the infiltration models in simulating cumulative infiltration depths. All four models studied provided good overall agreement with field-measured
data. However, Kostiakov and Modified kostiakov models provided the best fit with experimental data for the hydromorphic soil.

Keywords: Infiltration, Hydromorphic soil, Ring Infiltrometer, Infiltration models.

Nigerian Journal of Soil and Environmental Research Vol. 7 2007: pp. 53-59