Author
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SCHAAP, MARCEL - U.C. RIVERSIDE, CA |
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Submitted to: Development of Pedotransfer Functions in Soil Hydrology
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 12/2/2003 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Quantitative knowledge of the unsaturated soil hydraulic properties is required in most studies involving water flow and solute transport in the vadose zone. Unfortunately, direct measurement of such properties is often difficult, expensive and time-consuming. Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) offer a means to estimate soil hydraulic properties based on predictors like texture, bulk density and other soil variables. This book chapter contributes to a wider understanding of the methods behind PTFs. The intended audience ranges from hydraulic engineers, conservationists, to agronomy scientists. Technical Abstract: Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) can be established with a number of methods, yielding models that can range from very simple, such as univariate expressions or lookup tables to more complex multivariate expression. Direct implementation of such PTFs with some kind of user-interface is often the only way to make them useful for a wider audience. Several PTF implementations have emerged in recent years and the third chapter discusses four codes that can be easily obtained through the world-wide-web. |
