Abstract
Much information is available today about the dynamics of water and solute in porous media, and many theoretical explanations have been developed based on laboratory experiments (Nielsen et al. 1986). However, the application of these theories to natural systems is quite limited. Transport in the unsaturated zone, from the land surface down to the water table, differs significantly from transport in laboratory experiments using columns filled with various granules. It is different not only because of its scale and its boundary conditions, but also because of the complex structure of natural materials and the slow rate of processes taking place there. Consequently, in situ field measurements are necessary in order to understand these complex phenomena in a quantitative mode. This review summarizes the methodology of three field studies, in which water from the unsaturated zone was dated in a way that allows selection of a transport model best describing the transport mechanism in the studied medium.
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© 1989 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Gvirtzman, H., Magaritz, M. (1989). Water and Anion Transport in the Unsaturated Zone Traced by Environmental Tritium. In: Bar-Yosef, B., Barrow, N.J., Goldshmid, J. (eds) Inorganic Contaminants in the Vadose Zone. Ecological Studies, vol 74. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74451-8_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74451-8_13
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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