Comparison of seven water retention functions used for modelling soil hydraulic conductivity due to film flow

Abstract The unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity accounting for film flow is important for understanding soil hydrological and biological processes, especially in arid and semi‐arid regions. Recently, a theoretically based hydraulic conductivity model was developed to describe the hydraulic conductivity as a function of water content. We have used this model to compare seven soil water retention functions commonly used for predicting soil hydraulic conductivity due to film flow. A total of 30 soils, varying in basic properties, were selected from the Unsaturated Soil Hydraulic Database to evaluate the seven functions. The Webb method was applied to identify the critical soil matric potential ( h c ) below which thin film flow controls water movement. Soil hydraulic conductivity measurements at matric potential below h c were then used for curve fitting according to the seven functions. Slight differences were observed among the functions in predicting soil hydraulic conductivity due to film flow. Six of the seven functions in combination with the hydraulic conductivity model described the hydraulic conductivity due to film flow well, according to the terms of the coefficient of efficiency. The relatively poor performance of the one exception was due to the fact that the linear shape of the function made it less flexible at low matric potentials. In addition, the effect of textural class on its performance was substantial, showing a poorer fit for the sand soil compared with the loam and clay soils. These findings have important applications related to soil and water resources conservation especially in arid and semi‐arid regions.