Redistribution of water in homogeneous soil

Abstract

The post-infiltration process of water movement in the soil root zone is known as soil-water redistribution. Understanding the redistribution process is important to prevent infiltrated water to penetrate below the soil root zone and thus decrease the amount of soil-water available for plants and increase the risk of groundwater pollution. The process of soil-water redistribution is described, as well as the influence of soil properties and boundary/initial conditions on the rate of redistribution. The quantification of the redistribution process by the solution of the Richards equation assuming constant hydraulic conductivity of soil demonstrates the logarithmic decrease of soil-water movement during redistribution, thus preserving soil water for plants.