Analysis of the Role of Tortuosity and Infiltration Constants in the Beerkan Method

It has recently been proposed to couple the Beerkan method with the Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters (BEST) algorithm to facilitate the estima- tion of soil hydraulic parameters from an infiltration experiment. Although this simplified field procedure is relatively rapid and inexpensive, it has been doubt - ed if the Beerkan method can represent a valid and reliable alternative to other conventional methods. This study explored the impact of the tortuosity param- eter (p) and two infiltration constants included in the BEST algorithm using a sensitivity analysis applied to three experimental soils. The analysis that was validated using the numerical model HYDRUS 2D/3D indicates that the tortuosity is relatively insignificant compared to parameters b and g that have a large impact on the estimation procedure.