Estimation of vertical water fluxes from temperature time series by the inverse numerical computer program FLUX‐BOT

The application of heat as a hydrological tracer has become a standard method for quantifying water fluxes between groundwater and surface water. The typical application is to estimate vertical water fluxes in the shallow subsurface beneath streams or lakes. For this purpose, time series of temperatures in the surface water and in the sediment are measured and evaluated by a vertical 1D representation of heat transport by advection and conduction. Several analytical solutions exist to calculate the vertical water flux from the measured temperatures. Although analytical solutions can be easily implemented, they are restricted to specific boundary conditions such as a sinusoidal upper temperature boundary. Numerical solutions offer higher flexibility in the selection of the boundary conditions. This, in turn, reduces the effort of data preprocessing, such as the extraction of the diurnal temperature variation from the raw data. Here, we present software to estimate water fluxes based on temperatures—FLUX‐BOT. FLUX‐BOT is a numerical code written in MATLAB that calculates vertical water fluxes in saturated sediments based on the inversion of measured temperature time series observed at multiple depths. FLUX‐BOT applies a centred Crank–Nicolson implicit finite difference scheme to solve the one‐dimensional heat advection–conduction equation. FLUX‐BOT includes functions for the inverse numerical routines, functions for visualizing the results, and a function for performing uncertainty analysis. We present applications of FLUX‐BOT to synthetic and to real temperature data to demonstrate its performance.     

Measuring and interpreting heat fluxes from shallow volcanic bodies using vertical temperature profiles: a preliminary test

 To test the potential of heat flux prospecting in active volcanic areas using shallow temperature data taken along vertical profiles, we carried out two thermal profile surveys, one not far from Yasur cone on Tanna Island, and another inside the caldera of Ambrym (New Hebrides arc, southwestern Pacific). The basic steady heat flux of internal volcanic origin was determined, taking into account both conductive and convective heat transfers. At both locations there exists, over small distances, significant differences in the heat flux. These differences correspond to shallow sources of heat. The use of a network of vertical profiles allowed: (a) heat flux mapping; (b) location of shallow volcanic heat sources; and (c) observation of the detailed structure of the heat release at quiescent but active volcanoes. Received: 18 July 1997 / Accepted: 13 May 1998     

Heat as a groundwater tracer in shallow and deep heterogeneous media: Analytical solution,spreadsheet tool,and field applications

Groundwater flow advects heat, and thus, the deviation of subsurface temperatures from an expected conduction‐dominated regime can be analysed to estimate vertical water fluxes. A number of analytical approaches have been proposed for using heat as a groundwater tracer, and these have typically assumed a homogeneous medium. However, heterogeneous thermal properties are ubiquitous in subsurface environments, both at the scale of geologic strata and at finer scales in streambeds. Herein, we apply the analytical solution of Shan and Bodvarsson ( 2004 ), developed for estimating vertical water fluxes in layered systems, in 2 new environments distinct from previous vadose zone applications. The utility of the solution for studying groundwater‐surface water exchange is demonstrated using temperature data collected from an upwelling streambed with sediment layers, and a simple sensitivity analysis using these data indicates the solution is relatively robust. Also, a deeper temperature profile recorded in a borehole in South Australia is analysed to estimate deeper water fluxes. The analytical solution is able to match observed thermal gradients, including the change in slope at sediment interfaces. Results indicate that not accounting for layering can yield errors in the magnitude and even direction of the inferred Darcy fluxes. A simple automated spreadsheet tool (Flux‐LM) is presented to allow users to input temperature and layer data and solve the inverse problem to estimate groundwater flux rates from shallow (e.g., <1 m) or deep (e.g., up to 100 m) profiles. The solution is not transient, and thus, it should be cautiously applied where diel signals propagate or in deeper zones where multi‐decadal surface signals have disturbed subsurface thermal regimes.     

Water, heat fluxes and water use efficiency measurement and modeling above a farmland in the North China Plain

Net radiation (Rn), water vapor flux (LE), sensible heat flux (Hs) and soil heat flux (G)were measured above a summer maize field with the eddy-covariance technique, simulation and analysis of water, heat fluxes and crop water use efficiency were made with the RZ-SHAW model at the same time in this study. The results revealed significant diurnal and seasonal variability of water vapor flux for summer maize. Most part of Rn was consumed by the evapotranspiration of the summer maize. The proportion of water vapor flux to net radiation ((LE/Rn) increased with the crop development and peaked around milk-filling stage with a value of 60%, a slightly lower than that obtained by the RZ-SHAW model. Daily evapotranspiration estimated by the model agreed with the results measured with the eddy-covariance technique, indices of agreement (IA) for hourly water vapor fluxes simulated and measured were above 0.75, root mean square errors (RMSE) were no more than 1.0. Diurnal patterns of Hs showed the shape of inverted "U" shifted to the forenoon with a maximum value around 11:30 (Beijing time), while LE exhibited an inverted "V" with a maximum value at around 13:00, about an hour later than Hs. Diurnal change of CO2showed an asymmetrical "V" curve and its maximal rates occurred at about 11:30. Variations of water use efficiency during the phonological stages of the summer maize showed a rapid increase with the photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) after sunrise, a state of equilibrium around 10:00 followed a decrease. Maximum values of water use efficiency were 24.3, and its average value ranged from 7.6 to 10.3 g kg-1.     

Evaluation of hydrologic data obtained from a local groundwater monitoring network in a metropolitan city,Korea

In the late 1980s, dramatic increases in water use caused over‐exploitation of groundwater resources and deterioration of water quality in Seoul metropolitan city. To monitor changes in quantity of groundwater resources and their quality, the metropolitan government established a local groundwater monitoring network in 1997 consisting of 119 monitoring wells. Groundwater resources in the urban area were affected by various human activities, including underground construction such as subways, pumping for public or private water use, leaky sewer systems and pavements. The variation patterns of the groundwater levels were mainly classified into four types, reflecting natural recharge due to rainfall events during the wet season, artificial recharge from leaky sewer or water supply systems, and heavy groundwater pumping for drainage or flood control purposes at underground construction sites. Significantly decreasing trends of groundwater levels in the suburbs of Seoul indicate groundwater use for various agricultural activities. Subway construction lowered the water level by an average of 25 m. Electrical conductivity values showed a wide range, from 100 to 1800 µS/cm (mean 470 µS/cm). Groundwater temperature generally showed a stable pattern, except for some sensitive increases at relatively shallow monitoring wells. Detailed analysis of the monitored groundwater data would provide some helpful implications for optimal and efficient management of groundwater resources in this metropolitan city. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A preliminary study on the heat storage fluxes of a tropical seasonal rain forest in Xishuangbanna

In order to discuss the values and daily variation characteristics of heat storage fluxes in a tropical seasonal rain forest in Xishuangbanna, the sensible and latent heat storage flux within air column, canopy heat storage flux, energy storage by photosynthesis and ground heat storage above the soil heat flux plate, as well as the ratios of these heat storage fluxes to the net radiation in the cool-dry, hot-dry and rainy season were compared and analyzed based on the observation data of carbon fluxes, meteorological factors and biomass within this tropical seasonal rain forest from January 2003 to December 2004. The findings showed that heat storage terms ranged significantly in the daytime and weakly in the nighttime, and the absolute values of sensible and latent heat storage fluxes were obviously greater than other heat storage terms in all seasons. In addition, the absolute values of total heat storage fluxes reached the peak in the hot-dry season, then were higher in the rainy season, and reached the minimum in the cool-dry season. The ratios of heat storage fluxes to net radiation generally decreased with time in the daytime, moreover, the sensible and latent heat storage dominated a considerable fraction of net radiation, while other heat storage contents occupied a smaller fraction of the net radiation and the peak value was not above 3.5%. In the daytime, the ratios of the total heat storage to net radiation were greater and differences in these ratios were distinct among seasons before 12:00, and then they became lower and differences were small among seasons after 12:00. The energy closure was improved when the storage terms were considered in the energy balance, which indicated that heat storage terms should not been neglected. The energy closure of tropical seasonal rain forest was not very well due to effects of many factors. The results would help us to further understand energy transfer and mass exchange between tropical forest and atmosphere. Moreover, they would supply a research basis for studying energy closure at other places.     

Determination of regional land surface heat fluxes over a heterogeneous landscape of the Jiddah area of Saudi Arabia by using Landsat‐7 ETM data

In this study, a parameterization method based on Landsat‐7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) data and field observations is presented and tested for deriving the regional land surface variables, vegetation variables and land surface heat fluxes over a heterogeneous landscape. As a case study, the method and two Landsat‐7 ETM images are applied to the Jiddah area of Saudi Arabia. The regional distribution maps of surface reflectance, normalized difference vegetation index, modified soil adjusted vegetation index (MSAVI), vegetation coverage, leaf area index, surface temperature, net radiation flux, soil heat flux, sensible heat flux and latent heat flux have been determined over the Jiddah area. The derived results have been validated by using the ‘ground truth’. The results show that the more reasonable regional distributions of land surface variables (surface reflectance, surface temperature), vegetation variables (MSAVI and vegetation coverage), net radiation, soil heat flux and sensible heat flux can be obtained by using the method proposed in this study. Further improvement of the method is also discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

不同强度冷空气对太湖水热交换的定量影响

作为冷季主要的天气事件,冷空气过境会改变湖泊上方的气团性质,对湖泊的水热通量产生影响,进而影响湖泊的生物物理和化学过程.以亚热带大型浅水湖泊——太湖为研究对象,基于2012-2017年5个冷季（11月-翌年3月）的太湖中尺度通量网观测数据,量化不同强度冷空气（寒潮、强冷空气和较强冷空气）对太湖水热通量的影响.结果表明：在5个冷季中,寒潮、强冷空气和较强冷空气发生的总次数分别为4、11和33次,累积持续天数分别为14、31和78天.冷空气过境显著增强太湖的水热通量,3种冷空气过境使太湖的感热通量分别增至无冷空气时的10.3、6.0和4.3倍,潜热通量分别增至无冷空气时的4.0、2.1和2.7倍.虽然冷空气影响天数仅占冷季天数的16.4%,但对整个冷季的潜热和感热通量贡献分别为34.9%和51.7%,以较强冷空气贡献最大.冷空气影响时,水-气界面的温度梯度是太湖感热通量的主控因子,而潜热通量的主控因子为风速.与深水湖泊相比,太湖等浅水湖泊对冷空气过境的响应更快,寒潮过境时尤为明显.     

大型浅水湖泊与大气之间的动量和水热交换系数——以太湖为例

湖泊水面与大气之间垂直方向的动量、水汽和热量通量与风速、湿度和温度梯度之间存在比例关系,因此在湖泊水-气相互作用研究中,这比例系数(交换系数)是关键因子.在以往的研究中,交换系数通常直接采用水面梯度观测法或海洋大气近地层的参数化方案进行计算.本文采用涡度相关系统和小气候系统仪器在太湖平台上直接观测的通量和气象要素,对上述交换系数(最小均方差原则)进行优化,结果为:动量交换系数C_D10N=1.52×10^-3、水汽交换系数C_E10N=0.82×10^-3、热量交换系数CH10N=1.02×10^-3,与其他内陆湖泊涡度相关观测数据的推导结果一致.本文的研究结果表明:与海洋参数化方案相比,在相同的风速条件下,湖面的空气动力学粗糙度比海洋高,这可能是由于受到水深的影响;如果采用海洋参数化方案,会导致湖泊年蒸发量的估算值偏大40%.太湖的动量、水汽和热量交换系数可以视为常数,可以不考虑稳定度和风速的影响.这是因为本文中83%的数据为近中性条件.敏感性分析表明:如果考虑稳定度的影响,LE模拟值的平均误差降低了0.5 W/m²,H的平均误差降低了0.4 W/m²,u*的计算值没有变化;如果考虑风速的影响,u*模拟值的平均误差降低了0.004 m/s,LE的平均误差升高了1.3 W/m²,H的模拟结果几乎不受影响.这一结果能为湖气相互作用研究提供参考.     

Characterization of the aquifers of the Bangui urban area,Central African Republic,as an alternative drinking water supply resource

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a survey carried out in 2010 aimed at evaluating the type and quality of the groundwater resources of the Bangui region of the Central African Republic. This work is the first step towards the development of groundwater resources in the Central African Republic in order to find alternatives to direct pumping from the Ubangi River and provide the population of the suburbs with a safer drinking water supply from deep boreholes. By combining both geological and hydrogeochemical approaches, it appears that the geology of Bangui is favourable to the development of a secure and sustainable water supply from groundwater provided that the conditions of exploitation would be constrained by the local authorities. The deep Precambrian carbonate aquifers, known as the Bimbo and Fatima formations, are identified as target resources in view of the relatively good quality of their water from the chemical point of view, and the semi-confined structure of the aquifers that prevents the mixing with shallow aquifers that are already strongly affected by domestic and industrial pollution. The main difficulty in terms of exploitation is to appreciate the depth of the resource and the more or less fractured/palaeo-karstified type of the porosity.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz

Citation Djebebe-Ndjiguim, C.L., Huneau, F., Denis, A., Foto, E., Moloto-a-Kenguemba, G., Celle-Jeanton, H., Garel, E., Jaunat, J., Mabingui, J., and Le Coustumer, P., 2013. Characterization of the aquifers of the Bangui urban area, Central African Republic, as an alternative drinking water supply resource. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (8), 1760–1778.     

三峡水库香溪河库湾水-气界面热交换过程及水体稳定性

水库或湖泊的热分层结构是其动力与环境过程的重要研究方面,虽然很多学者针对水体分层结构和演变机理开展了大量研究,但水体通过水-气界面与大气进行热交换的过程,各气象因子的贡献机理等研究成果还很缺乏。本文基于三峡水库香溪河库湾2019年3月-2020年2月期间的水温、水位及气象等监测数据,针对水-气界面热交换过程如何影响水温垂向结构及表层水体湍流混合作用开展研究。结果表明,(1)香溪河水体年内呈高温期分层、低温期混合的基本特征,高温期混合层深度小于8 m,低温期混合层深度超过30 m。(2)太阳短波辐射是香溪河水体的主要热源,潜热通量和长波辐射是香溪河水体的主要冷源,感热通量贡献极小。(3)香溪河平均风速较弱,约为1.6 m/s,主要通过增强潜热和感热通量的方式影响水体垂向稳定性结构特征,其机械扰动作用较弱。(4)表层水体湍能通量在高温期较低(10^-7m³/s³量级),此时水体处于分层状态,风应力大概率主导表层水体湍流发育;低温期表层水体湍能通量较高(10^-6 m³/s^3<...     

Study of stream temperature dynamics and corresponding heat fluxes within Miramichi River catchments (New Brunswick,Canada)

Water temperature is a key physical habitat determinant in lotic ecosystems as it influences many physical, chemical, and biological properties of rivers. Hence, a good understanding of the thermal regime of rivers and river heat fluxes is essential for effective management of water and fisheries resources. This study dealt with the modelling of river water temperature using a deterministic model. This model calculated the different heat fluxes at the water surface and from the streambed using different hydrometeorological conditions. The water temperature model was applied on two watercourses of different sizes and thermal characteristics, but within a similar meteorological region, namely, the Little Southwest Miramichi River and Catamaran Brook (New Brunswick, Canada). The model was also applied using microclimate data, i.e. meteorological conditions within the river environment (1–2 m above the water surface), for a better estimation of river heat fluxes. Water temperatures at different depths within the riverbed were also used to estimate the streambed heat fluxes. Results showed that microclimate data were essential to get accurate estimates of the surface heat fluxes. Results also showed that for larger river systems, the surface heat fluxes were generally the dominant component of the heat budget with a correspondingly smaller contribution from the streambed. As watercourses became smaller and groundwater contribution more significant, the streambed contribution became important. For instance, approximately 80% of the heat fluxes occurred at the surface for Catamaran Brook (20% from the streambed) whereas the Little Southwest Miramichi River showed values closer to 90% (10% from the streambed). As was reported in previous studies, the solar radiation input dominated the contribution to the heat gain at 63% for Catamaran Brook and 89% for Little Southwest Miramichi River. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of floodwaters on vertical water fluxes in the deep vadose zone of an alluvial aquifer in a semi-arid region

The spatial and temporal variation of moisture distribution, overall water balance and quantity of infiltrated water in the vadose zone of the Sidi Bouzid Plain (Tunisia) during successive flooding events is quantified in this study. The variation in water content in response to environmental factors such as evaporation and water root uptake is also highlighted. One-dimensional flow simulations in the deep vadose zone were conducted at three spreading perimeters located near Wadi El Fekka. The hydraulic boundary conditions of a time-dependent water blade applied to the soil surface were determined from measured flood hydrographs. For the chosen wet year, the successive flooding events contributed to a significant artificial recharge of the natural groundwater. Although the soil hydraulic parameters did not vary strongly in space, flow simulations showed significant differences in the overall water balance of approximately 9–16% for the various spreading perimeters.     

Observational estimation of heat budgets on drifting ice and open water over the Arctic Ocean

It is of major scientific interests to determine the parameters of momentum, heat and vapor exchange in the planetary boundary layer in order to study the effects of ocean-ice-atmosphere interactions and their feedback mechanisms on global climate[1]. Lin…     

Improved spatial delineation of streambed properties and water fluxes using distributed temperature sensing

A new method was developed for analysing and delineating streambed water fluxes, flow conditions and hydraulic properties using coiled fibre‐optic distributed temperature sensing or closely spaced discrete temperature sensors. This method allows for a thorough treatment of the spatial information embedded in temperature data by creating a matrix visualization of all possible sensor pairs. Application of the method to a 5‐day field dataset reveals the complexity of shallow streambed thermal regimes. To understand how velocity estimates are affected by violations of assumptions of one‐dimensional, saturated, homogeneous flow and to aid in the interpretation of field observations, the method was also applied to temperature data generated by numerical models of common field conditions: horizontal layering, presence of lateral flow and variable streambed saturation. The results show that each condition creates a distinct signature visible in the triangular matrices. The matrices are used to perform a comparison of the behaviour of one‐dimensional analytical heat‐tracing models. The results show that the amplitude ratio‐based method of velocity calculation leads to the most reliable estimates. The minimum sensor spacing required to obtain reliable velocity estimates with discrete sensors is also investigated using field data. The developed method will aid future heat‐tracing studies by providing a technique for visualizing and comparing results from fibre‐optic distributed temperature sensing installations and testing the robustness of analytical heat‐tracing models. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantification of river water infiltration in shallow aquifers using acesulfame and anthropogenic gadolinium

This study has investigated the use of the artificial sweetener acesulfame and the magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent gadolinium as quantitative tracers for river water infiltration into shallow groundwater. The influence of a river on alluvial groundwater in a subalpine catchment in western Europe has been assessed using the ‘classical’ hydrochemical tracer chloride and the trace contaminants acesulfame and anthropogenic gadolinium. Mixing ratios for riverine bank filtrate with ambient groundwater and the uncertainties associated with the temporal and spatial tracer variability were calculated using acesulfame and gadolinium and compared with those obtained using chloride. The temporal variability of tracer concentrations in river water of gadolinium (standard deviation SD: 63%) and acesulfame (SD: 71%) both exceeded that of chloride (SD: 27%), and this was identified as the main source of uncertainty in the mixing analysis. Similar spatial distributions were detected in the groundwater for chloride and gadolinium, but not for acesulfame. Mixing analyses using acesulfame resulted in calculated mixing ratios that differed from those obtained using gadolinium and chloride by up to 83% and 92%, respectively. At the investigated site, which had oxic conditions and moderate temperatures, acesulfame was found to be a less reliable tracer than either gadolinium or chloride, probably because of natural attenuation and input from other sources. There was no statistically significant difference between the mixing ratios obtained using chloride or gadolinium, the mixing ratios obtained using gadolinium were 40–50% lower than those obtained using chloride. This is mainly due to a bias of the mean gadolinium concentration in river water towards higher values. In view of the uncertainties of the two tracers, neither could be preferred over the other for the quantification of bank filtrate in groundwater. At this specific site gadolinium was able to reliably identify river water infiltration and was a more precise tracer than chloride at low mixing ratios (<20%), because of the exclusive occurrence of gadolinium in river water and its high dynamic range. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of small water bodies on the atmospheric heat and water budgets over the MacKenzie River Basin

The effects of small water bodies or lakes on the surface sensible and latent heat fluxes and the transport of heat and water vapour in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over the Mackenzie River Basin (MRB) are studied from two cases, which occurred on 2 and 8 June 1999 during the warm season. The synoptic condition for the cases is representative of about 33% of the synoptic situation over the MRB. The two events are simulated using the Canadian mesoscale compressible community (MC2) model. A one‐way nesting grid approach is employed with the highest resolution of 100 m over a domain of 100 km². Experiments were conducted with (LAKE) and without (NOLAKE) the presence of small water bodies, whose size distribution is obtained through an inversion algorithm using information of their linear dimension determined from aircraft measurement of surface temperature during MAGS (the Mackenzie GEWEX (Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment) Study) in 1999. The water bodies are assumed to be distributed randomly in space with a fractional area coverage of 10% over the MRB. The results show that, in the presence of lakes, the domain‐averaged surface sensible heat flux on 2 June 1999 (8 June 1999) decreases by 9·3% (6·6%). The surface latent heat flux is enhanced by 18·2% (81·5%). Low‐level temperature advection and the lake surface temperature affect the air–land/lake temperature contrast, which in turn controls the sensible heat flux. In the absence of lakes the surface wind speed impacts the latent heat flux, but in the presence of lakes the moisture availability and the atmospheric surface layer stability control the latent heat flux. The enhancement is smaller on 2 June 1999 as a result of a stable surface layer caused by the presence of colder lake temperatures. The domain‐averaged apparent heat source and moisture sink due to turbulent transports were also computed. The results show that, when lakes are present, heating and drying occur in the lowest 100 m from the surface. Above 100 m and within the ABL, there was apparent cooling. However, the apparent moistening profiles reveal that lakes tend to moisten the ABL through transfer of moisture from the lowest 50–100 m layer. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Horizontal and vertical fluxes of particulate matter during wind erosion on arable land in the province La Pampa,Argentina

A detailed analysis of horizontal and vertical particulate matter (PM) fluxes during wind erosion has been done, based on measurements of PM smaller than 10, 2.5, and 1.0 μm, at windward and leeward positions on a measuring field. The three fractions of PM measurement are differently influenced by the increasing wind and shear velocities of the wind. The measured concentrations of the coarser fractions of the fine dust, PM₁₀, and PM_2.5, increase with wind and shear velocity, whereas the PM_1.0 concentrations show no clear correlation to the shear velocity. The share of PM_2.5 on PM₁₀ depends on the measurement height and wind speed and varies between 4 and 12 m/s at the 1 m height ranging from 25% to 7% (average 10%), and at the 4 m height from 39% to 23% (average 30%). Although general relationships between wind speed, PM concentration, and horizontal and vertical fluxes could be found, the contribution of the measuring field was very low, as balances of incoming and outgoing fluxes show. Consequently, the measured PM concentrations are determined from a variety of sources, such as traffic on unpaved roads, cattle drives, tillage operations, and wind erosion, and thus, represent all components of land use and landscape structure in the near and far surroundings of the measuring field. The current results may reflect factors from the landscape scale rather than the influence of field-related variables. The measuring devices used to monitor PM concentrations showed differences of up to 20%, which led to considerable deviations when determining total balances. Differences up to 67% between the calculated fluxes prove the necessity of a previous calibration of the devices used.     

Quantification of vertical water fluxes in the vadose zone using particle‐size distribution and pedology‐based approaches to model soil heterogeneities

One‐dimensional flow simulations were conducted at four locations of the shallow alluvial aquifer of the upper Rhine River (at the Erstein polder) to quantify the time‐dependent moisture distribution, the water flux and the water volume infiltrated in the unsaturated zone as a function of soil heterogeneities during a five‐day‐long flooding event. Three methods of estimating the hydraulic parameters of soil in the vadose zone were tested. They are based on the following: (1) experimental data, (2) soil particle‐size distribution and (3) pedology information on soils. Water fluxes calculated from modelling approaches 2 and 3 were compared with those of the experiment‐based values and the effect of these differences on the arrival time and velocity of water at the water table were analysed. Major differences in water fluxes were found among the methods of estimating the hydrodynamic parameters. At the Terrace location, the groundwater recharge predicted using soil data from methods 1 and 2 are approximately 4500 and 2400 mm, respectively. Flow simulations using soil data and the experiment‐based method show the highest velocities of infiltrating water at the soil surface and largest volume of groundwater infiltration but result in the lowest centres of the moisture content mass. The results obtained using soil data based on the pedological method are similar to those calculated using soil parameters based on the particle‐size distribution of extracted soil samples. Water pressure profiles calculated on Terrace and Channel location, 3 and 7 days after the inundation event agreed reasonably well with those observed when using hydrodynamic parameters from the experiment‐based method. However, the flow model using the pedology‐based parameters largely underestimates the time needed to achieve hydrostatic conditions of the soil water profile once water flooding at the soil surface stops. This can be mainly attributed to the low values of estimated van Genuchten parameter α. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.