Abstract
Field scale tracer testing in partially saturated sediments has proven to be extremely challenging due, in part, to limitations of available monitoring instrumentation. Recent developments and applications of time-domain reflectometry (TDR) techniques to measure volumetric water content and solute mass flux rapidly and non-destructively have provided new flexibility in tracer testing design. Installation of networks of thin TDR probes in the subsurface have very little influence on natural flow conditions and can permit detailed spatial and temporal monitoring of transient water content distributions and solute migration in three dimensions. The TDR techniques are described in this paper along with two field-scale tracer tests to illustrate the application of the TDR methods to evaluating water flow and solute transport behaviour in the unsaturated zone.
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Rudolph, D.L., Ferré, P. (1995). Applications of Time-Domain Reflectometry Techniques to Field-Scale Tracer Testing in Unsaturated Sediments. In: Gambolati, G., Verri, G. (eds) Advanced Methods for Groundwater Pollution Control. International Centre for Mechanical Sciences, vol 364. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-2696-7_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-2696-7_14
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