WWRC 94-11
The Transfer Function for Solute Transport
Abstract
The transfer function is used to study solute transport in complex soil
systems in a simple way by characterizing the output flux as a function
of the input flux. The stochastic convective model of the transfer
function assumes that solute travel time spreads out at a rate
proportional to the square of the distance from the inlet end. Data from
a laboratory experiment conducted through long soil columns are used
to validate the intrinsic assumptions of the stochastic convective model.
Analyses of the experimental data in the homogeneous and
heterogeneous soil columns support the assumptions of the transfer
function. It is shown that the mean of the probability density function
of the travel time is a linear function of log of the travel distance, while
the standard deviation is a constant. The stochastic convective model
predicts reasonably accurate results of solute transport in the
homogeneous and heterogeneous media. Because of the spatial
variability of soils, using information obtained at a location closer to the
predicting place provides better predictions than using information at
farther locations.
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