More adequate probability distributions to represent the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity

Abstract

The saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) is one of the most relevant variables in studies of water and solute movement in the soil. Its determination in the laboratory and in the field yields high dispersion results, which could be an indication that this variable has a no symmetrical distribution. Adjustment of the normal, lognormal, gamma and beta distributions were examined in order to search for a probability were density function that would more adequately describe the distribution of this variable. The experiment consisted in determining the saturated hydraulic conductivity, through the constant head permeameter method, in undisturbed samples of three soils of different textures from the central western region of the São Paulo State, Brazil, and submitting the results to the statistical tests for identification of the most adequate asymmetrical distribution to represent them. Ksat presented high variability, non normal distribution and lognormal, gamma and beta distributions fit. The lognormal probability density function was the most indicated to describe the variable, due to the verified greater agreement.

Keywords

• water movement
• variability
• probability functions