AUTHOR(S):

Shervin Hashemi, Farid Hashemi, Siamak Boudaghpour, Seth Engel

TITLE

Comparing the Applicability of Soil Water Retention Models

ABSTRACT

Recently, the public has become more aware of the environmental problems facing our planet today. Underground water pollution is one of these problems, and it requires serious attention. As a result, many studies have been performed to examine the movement of water within soil. These studies present many new models for determining soil water retention rates. It is essential that these models be investigated for accuracy and applicability. This study attempts to analyze three of these well-known water retention models: Campbell, Saxton, and Huston-Cass. To analyze these models, the pressure plate test (ASTM C199-09) was performed on soil samples with different soil textures and from different geographical locations within the country of Iran. Using these results, the general applicability of each model was measured using the 1:1 slope line correlation method. In addition, the accuracy and applicability of each model was measured by calculating the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) for major samples with different soil textures. The results indicate that the Huston-Cass model is the most applicable for predicting soil water retention rates regardless of soil texture. Further results show that the Campbell model is more applicable relative to the Saxton model with regards to loamy soil. The Saxton model shows low accuracy and applicability, and should therefore only be used in cases where a high level of accuracy in the estimating process is not essential, or in cases with high pressure or suction terms.

KEYWORDS

Applicability, Pressure Plate Test, Site Investigations, Soil Water Retention Models.

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Cite this paper

Shervin Hashemi, Farid Hashemi, Siamak Boudaghpour, Seth Engel. (2016) Comparing the Applicability of Soil Water Retention Models. International Journal of Environmental Science, 1, 114-118

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