LATERALLY CONFINED FLOW FROM A POINT SOURCE AT THE SURFACE OF AN INHOMOGENEOUS SOIL COLUMN

Solution of a linearized flow equation for steady, axisymmetric, laterally confined infiltration from a point source located at the soil surface is compared with pressure head patterns measured in an undisturbed column of sandy loam. The geometry approximates an array of trickle irrigation emitters. The hydraulic conductivity could be represented as an exponential function of both the pressure head and the depth in the column. This implies that steady, multidimensional flow in the column is described by a linear flow equation.