Check and compare for the Green-Ampt model, Philip model, Kostiakov model, Horton model and Mezencev model. A paper by Wang et al. (2017) that used five infiltration models to compare simulated infiltration rates in soils amended with biochar could be useful.

Wang, T., Stewart, C E., Ma, J., Zheng, J., Zhang, X., 2017. Applicability of five models to simulate water infiltration into soil with added biochar

Reading this review article may help you a lot:

Article Rainfall Infiltration Modeling: A Review

Would this be a modeling study?

Hi Miyuru Bandara Gunathilake

One of the goals of this project is modeling

Yasin Salehi ,

There are several infiltration methods in the HEC-HMS model. You could further read about them.

BR

Miyuru

An important criterion in selecting a model is deciding if it will be used to calculate event infiltration under extreme flooding conditions. In such case, a physically-based model such as the Green-Ampt would be sufficient, since it requires that rainfall intensity exceeds the infiltration rate capacity at all times. On the other hand, if the purpose is continuous simulation, that is for periods of intense rainfall as well as not so intense periods when the infiltration capacity is not exceeded –the most common condition–, then other models are more appropriate. My colleagues above already mentioned some of those traditional empirical models which allow the estimation of infiltration intensity and commutative infiltration depth for both circumstances. Nevertheless, I prefer physically-based models and recent research has produced new ones I would consider. My book “Hydrology for Engineers,” chapter 4, discusses some of them and includes simple programs of application. Good luck with your study, Sergio

Sergio E. Serrano

Dear Sergio Thank you for your good suggestions

Dear Yasin,

As Sergio said, a physical model is in principle preferable. However such models need more data (and/or relations between parameters) than stochastical models, data which is not always available. Both types of models need anyhow calibration.

HEC-HMS would be a good start, but you can easily model it yourself in Excel, which gives you the opportunity to fine-tune certain routines in the model.

Good luck and best regards, Gert

Gert Soer

Dear Gert, Thank you for your suggestion

Many infiltration models have been applied to homogeneous vertical soils with the same initial moisture content. Also, in designing these models, complex rainfall patterns such as rainfall interruption, amount, type and intensity of rainfall have not been considered, so I feel that the proposed models for estimating rainfall infiltration are not very reliable.

The concept of popular and widely used infiltration estimation models is generally designed for double ring , not for real rain conditions

"It's just my attitude about infiltration models and can be wrong."

Dear Yasin,

You are absolutely right. Physical models for the movement of water in the unsaturated zone are very difficult to build. I tried once long-time ago based on finite-difference modelling with FORTRAN (now one would probably do that in C++). This is due to very large changes in the relation between soil moisture pressure and soil humidity (water retention curve; as it can only be presented on a logarithmic scale, one can understand that changes in soil moisture pressure are very abrupt) in a certain reach of this relation. I actually never got the model stable (it kept iterating). I am sure I would have succeeded with time, but I changed jobs and had to concentrate on other issues... Maybe I try again after retirement...

As a consequence, everyone resorts to semi-empirical models (tank models) that grossly simplify what is really happening in the unsaturated soil. HEC is a tank model for instance

I guess you have little choice there unless you would spend years of research on establishing a full physical model.

I send you annexed a publication of a widely used model. When you build the model yourself in Excel you can adapt it to your conditions and add better procedures. It is similar to the HEC-HMC model, which usually does a good job. The publication calculates recharge, but it is a water balance model that also calculates runoff as another component of the water balance.

For routing your point runoff, please investigate also the AVSWAT model form ArcGIS.

Take care and best regards, Gert

Hydrus 2D

Dear Yasin,

We can not decide which model is required to a basin or it is not for another until we test a large group of models. For my opinion you can start by comparing different models (SCS-CN, Green & Ampt, Initial and constant...) and then you decide.

Dear Yasin Salehi ,

infiltration is the most complex and determining hydrological process. There was many infiltration models from the simplest to the most complex. you can read :

- Mishra, S.K., Tyagi, J.V., Singh, V.P., 2003. Comparison of infiltration models. Hydrological Processes, 17(13): 2629-2652. DOI:10.1002/hyp.1257

and the reserchs of Parveen Sihag (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Parveen-Sihag-2) and Mohammad Zakwan ( https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohammad-Zakwan/research)

I recommend that you take measurements of the infiltration capacity combined with the characteristics of the soil. With the experimental mesurments you can have a realistic idea .

Deer Boutaghane Hamouda

thank you for your recommendation

Dear yasin Salehi

Most studies have showed that the predicted cumulative infiltrations using Kostiakov, Philip, and Horton models performed well in arid regions with very close fit to the field measurements.

Dear Dahak Asma

Thank you for your comment

We are studying the efficiency of these models on a relatively large scale in semi-arid regions of Iran under different conditions. We will report the results in the next few months

Dear Yasin Salehi

I wish you best of luck, we have also worked on the same research axis, and actually we find that the Horton model is the most efficient model for our watershed, seen that three of its parameters are measured experimentally.