This book provides the state of the art of the investigation and the in-depth analysis of hydraulic conductivity from the theoretical to semi-empirical models perspective as well as policy development associated with management of land resources emanating from drainage-problem soils. A group of international experts contributed to the development of this book. It is envisaged that this thought provoking book will excite and appeal to academics, engineers, researchers and University students who seek to explore the breadth and in-depth knowledge about hydraulic conductivity. Investigation into hydraulic conductivity is important to the understanding of the movement of solutes and water in the terrestrial environment. Transport of these fluids has various implications on the ecology and quality of environment and subsequently sustenance of livelihoods of the increasing world population. In particular, water flow in the vadose zone is of fundamental importance to geoscientists, soil scientists, hydrogeologists and hydrologists and allied professionals.

There are several books on broad aspects of hydrogeology, groundwater hydrology and geohydrology, which do not discuss in detail on the intrigues of hydraulic conductivity elaborately. However, this book on Hydraulic Conductivity presents comprehensive reviews of new measurements and numerical techniques for estimating hydraulic conductivity. This is achieved by the chapters written by various experts in this field of research into a number of clustered themes covering different aspects of hydraulic conductivity. The sections in the book are: Hydraulic conductivity and its importance, Hydraulic conductivity and plant systems, Determination by mathematical and laboratory methods, Determination by field techniques and Modelling and hydraulic conductivity. Each of these sections of the book includes chapters highlighting the salient aspects and most of these chapters explain the facts with the help of some case studies. Thus this book has a good mix of chapters dealing with various and vital aspects of hydraulic conductivity from various authors of different countries.

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Rainfall infiltration is an important component of the hydrologic cycle and plays a crucial role in the formation of surface runoff, providing subsurface water that governs the water supply for agriculture, the transport of pollutants through the vadose zone, and the recharge of aquifers. The spatiotemporal evolution of the infiltration rate under natural conditions cannot currently be deduced by direct measurements at any scale of interest. Therefore, the use of infiltration modeling is of fundamental importance in applied hydrology and allows this process to be described through measurable quantities. In spite of the continuous development of infiltration modeling in recent decades, the estimation of infiltration at different spatial scales, i.e., from the local to watershed scales, remains a complex problem because of the natural spatial variability of both soil hydraulic characteristics and rainfall. For many years, research activity has been limited to the development of local or point infiltration models for vertically homogeneous soils with flat surfaces. Recent scientific literature has extended infiltration modeling to many other involved elements whose representation, however, still represents an open problem. In this context, this volume attempts to make a contribution to the modeling of point infiltration into vertically non-uniform soils or soils modified by human activities, infiltration over horizontal heterogeneous areas, infiltration into soil surfaces with significant slopes, interaction between the infiltration process and the groundwater system, and infiltration due to irrigation and the surface water–groundwater dynamics.

Environmental and agricultural modeling and assessment have a multitude of uses for soil parameters governing retention and transport of water and chemicals in soils. These parameters are notorious for the difficulties and high labor costs involved in measuring them. Good estimates instead of direct measurements may be accurate enough for many applications. Pedotransfer functions provide such estimates by utilizing available soil survey information to translate data we have into data we need. This book is the first book on the topic. It provides the unique compendium of pedotransfer functions, summarizes the vast international experience in this field, and shows how the value of soil data can be increased by using them in pedotransfer functions to predict soil hydrologic and related properties. The book is a rich source of information crucial for environmental research and applications.