Biomechanics of Surface Runoff and Soil Water Percolation

Abstract

In this study, the complex interaction of surface runoff with the biomechanics of soil water transport and heat transfer rate is theoretically investigated using a mathematical model that relies on the two phase flows of an incompressible Newtonian fluid (stormwater) within the soil (porous medium) and on the soil surface (runoff). The flow and heat transfer characteristics within the soil are determined numerically based on Darcy-Brinkman-Forchheimer model for porous medium coupled with the appropriate energy equation while analytical approach is employed to tackle the model for interacting surface runoff stormwater. The effects of various embedded biophysical parameters on the temperature distribution and stormwater transport within the soil and across the soil surface together with soil-runoff interface skin friction and Nusselt number are display graphically and discussed quantitatively. It is found that an increase in surface runoff over tightly packed soil lessens stormwater percolation rate but enhances both soil erosion and surface heat transfer rate.