Use of Brooks-Corey parameters to improve estimates of saturated conductivity from effective porosity. Soil Sci

ABSTRACT tating a large number of samples. For this reason indirect methods have held promise as an alternative to makingEffective porosity, defined here as the difference between satiated direct measurements. A further advantage of indirecttotal porosity and water-filled porosity at a matric potential of 33 kPa, has been shown to be a good predictor for saturated hydraulic methods is that they allow researchers to obtain an conductivity (Ks) using a modified Kozeny-Carman equation. This estimate of the variability of saturated conductivities equation is of the form of a coefficient (B) multiplied by effective based on the variability of an easily measured predictor porosity raised to a power (n). The purpose of this study was to variable (Ahuja et al., 1989). improve the predictive capability of the modified Kozeny-Carman A number of relationships have been developed that equation by including information from moisture release curves (soil can be used to calculate Ks with easily measured soilwater content vs. matric potential relation). We fitted the Brooks-properties. Some are purely empirical and are oftenCorey (B-C) equation parameters (pore size distribution index an