scholarly journals Field investigation of preferential fissure flow paths with hydrochemical analysis of small-scale sprinkling experiments

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 637-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Krzeminska ◽  
T. A. Bogaard ◽  
T.-H. Debieche ◽  
F. Cervi ◽  
V. Marc ◽  
...  

Abstract. The unsaturated zone largely controls groundwater recharge by buffering precipitation but at the same time providing preferential flow paths for infiltration. The importance of preferential flow on landslide hydrology is recognized in literature, but its monitoring and quantification remains difficult. This paper presents a combined hydrological and hydrochemical analysis of small-scale sprinkling experiments with the aim to show the potential of such experiments for studying the spatial differences in dominant hydrological processes within a landslide. This methodology was tested in the highly heterogeneous black marls of the Super-Sauze landslide. The tests were performed in three areas characterised by different displacement rates, surface morphology and local hydrological conditions. Special attention was given to test the potential of small-scale sprinkling experiments to identify and characterise preferential flow patterns and dominating hydrological processes.

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Krzeminska ◽  
T. A. Bogaard ◽  
T.-H. Debieche ◽  
F. Cervi ◽  
V. Marc ◽  
...  

Abstract. The unsaturated zone largely controls groundwater recharge by buffering precipitation while at the same time providing preferential flow paths for infiltration. The importance of preferential flow on landslide hydrology is recognised in the literature; however, its monitoring and quantification remain difficult. This paper presents a combined hydrological and hydrochemical analysis of small-scale sprinkling experiments. It aims at showing the potential of such experiments for studying the spatial differences in dominant hydrological processes within a landslide. This methodology was tested in the highly heterogeneous black marls of the Super-Sauze landslide. The tests were performed in three areas characterised by different displacement rates, surface morphology and local hydrological conditions. Special attention was paid to testing the potential of small-scale sprinkling experiments for identifying and characterising preferential flow patterns and dominant hydrological processes.


1997 ◽  
Vol 28 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 307-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nils-Otto Kitterød ◽  
E. Langsholt ◽  
W. K. Wong ◽  
L. Gottschalk

The spatial distribution of soil moisture defines preferential flow paths in the unsaturated zone. Hence, three dimensional (3D) estimates of soil moisture are of great importance to understand transport of contaminants as well as remediation processes in the unsaturated zone. In this study 3D estimates conditioned on spatially frequent observations of soil moisture, have been obtained by kriging. The observations were divided into subdomains consistent with the local stratigraphy and directional semivariogram analysis was applied. It was found difficult to clearly identify a 3D semivariogram function in this case, but from a georadar survey two semivariogram functions were derived, describing two different sedimentological units. By conditioning the estimates of soil moisture on the sedimentological architecture computed by indicator kriging, more accurate estimates were achieved. These improvements were quantified by a ‘jackknife’ cross validation procedure. Besides the practical aspects of finding the most important flow paths estimates of soil moisture are valuable when validating unsaturated flow models.


2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 11039-11073 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Krzeminska ◽  
T. A. Bogaard ◽  
Th. W. J. van Asch ◽  
L. P. H. van Beek

Abstract. Hydrological processes control the behaviour of many unstable slopes and their importance for landslide activity is generally accepted. In slow-moving landslides differential displacement complicates the hydrological regime due to continuous opening and closing of the fissures and cracks, creating dynamic preferential flow path systems. The consequences of the appearance and destruction of these preferential flow paths is thus closely related to the formation of critical pore pressure and the resulting movement and persistence of fissure systems. This interaction may account for the seasonal nature of the slow-moving landslide activity, including the often observed shifts and delays. This research aims to investigate this interaction between slope stability and spatial and temporal variations in fissure patterns, which makes fissures act both as preferential flow paths for infiltration and as lateral groundwater drains. To this end, the hydrological processes that control exchange of water between the fissure network and the matrix has been included in a spatially distributed hydrological and slope stability model. The ensuing feedbacks in landslide activity were explored by running the model with the meteorological forcing of one year until a dynamic steady-state was achieved. The effect of fissure dynamics was evaluated by comparing simulations with static fissure patterns to those in which these patterns deform as function of the local stability.


2002 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi Wang ◽  
Jianhang Lu ◽  
Laosheng Wu ◽  
Thomas Harter ◽  
William A. Jury

2005 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Jin Kim ◽  
Christophe J. G. Darnault ◽  
Nathan O. Bailey ◽  
J.-Yves Parlange ◽  
Tammo S. Steenhuis

SPE Journal ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (04) ◽  
pp. 689-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.. Ameen ◽  
A. Dahi Taleghani

Summary Injectivity loss is a common problem in unconsolidated-sand formations. Injection of water into a poorly cemented granular medium may lead to internal erosion, and consequently formation of preferential flow paths within the medium because of channelization. Channelization in the porous medium might occur when fluid-induced stresses become locally larger than a critical threshold and small grains are dislodged and carried away; hence, porosity and permeability of the medium will evolve along the induced flow paths. Vice versa, flowback during shut-in might carry particles back to the well and cause sand accumulation inside the well, and subsequently loss of injectivity. In most cases, to maintain the injection rate, operators will increase injection pressure and pumping power. The increased injection pressure results in stress changes and possibly further changes in channel patterns around the wellbore. Experimental laboratory studies have confirmed the presence of the transition from uniform Darcy flow to a fingered-pattern flow. To predict these phenomena, a model is needed to fill this gap by predicting the formation of preferential flow paths and their evolution. A model based on the multiphase-volume-fraction concept is used to decompose porosity into mobile and immobile porosities where phases may change spatially, evolve over time, and lead to development of erosional channels depending on injection rates, viscosity, and rock properties. This model will account for both particle release and suspension deposition. By use of this model, a methodology is proposed to derive model parameters from routine injection tests by inverse analysis. The proposed model presents the characteristic behavior of unconsolidated formation during fluid injection and the possible effect of injection parameters on downhole-permeability evolution.


Biofouling ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (9) ◽  
pp. 1069-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Bottero ◽  
Tomas Storck ◽  
Timo J. Heimovaara ◽  
Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht ◽  
Michael V. Enzien ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 5503-5515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Hirashima ◽  
Francesco Avanzi ◽  
Satoru Yamaguchi

Abstract. The heterogeneous movement of liquid water through the snowpack during precipitation and snowmelt leads to complex liquid water distributions that are important for avalanche and runoff forecasting. We reproduced the formation of capillary barriers and the development of preferential flow through snow using a three-dimensional water transport model, which was then validated using laboratory experiments of liquid water infiltration into layered, initially dry snow. Three-dimensional simulations assumed the same column shape and size, grain size, snow density, and water input rate as the laboratory experiments. Model evaluation focused on the timing of water movement, thickness of the upper layer affected by ponding, water content profiles and wet snow fraction. Simulation results showed that the model reconstructs relevant features of capillary barriers, including ponding in the upper layer, preferential infiltration far from the interface, and the timing of liquid water arrival at the snow base. In contrast, the area of preferential flow paths was usually underestimated and consequently the averaged water content in areas characterized by preferential flow paths was also underestimated. Improving the representation of preferential infiltration into initially dry snow is necessary to reproduce the transition from a dry-snow-dominant condition to a wet-snow-dominant one, especially in long-period simulations.


2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 947-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Krzeminska ◽  
T. A. Bogaard ◽  
J.-P. Malet ◽  
L. P. H. van Beek

Abstract. The importance of hydrological processes for landslide activity is generally accepted. However, the relationship between precipitation, hydrological responses and movement is not straightforward. Groundwater recharge is mostly controlled by the hydrological material properties and the structure (e.g., layering, preferential flow paths such as fissures) of the unsaturated zone. In slow-moving landslides, differential displacements caused by the bedrock structure complicate the hydrological regime due to continuous opening and closing of the fissures, creating temporary preferential flow paths systems for infiltration and groundwater drainage. The consecutive opening and closing of fissure aperture control the formation of a critical pore water pressure by creating dynamic preferential flow paths for infiltration and groundwater drainage. This interaction may explain the seasonal nature of the slow-moving landslide activity, including the often observed shifts and delays in hydrological responses when compared to timing, intensity and duration of precipitation. The main objective of this study is to model the influence of fissures on the hydrological dynamics of slow-moving landslide and the dynamic feedbacks between fissures, hydrology and slope stability. For this we adapt the spatially distributed hydrological and slope stability model (STARWARS) to account for geotechnical and hydrological feedbacks, linking between hydrological response of the landside and the dynamics of the fissure network and applied the model to the hydrologically controlled Super-Sauze landslide (South French Alps).


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