Investigation of hydrogeologic processes in a dipping layer structure: 1. The flow barrier effect

Numerical simulations of a field experiment were performed in order to study the processes contributing to lateral diversion of water flow in the unsaturated zone. The experimental site is a glacial delta with dipping layers of alternating finer and coarser sand. Model soil physical parameters for each of the stratigraphic layers were estimated from soil grain size distributions. Anisotropy of the hydraulic conductivity within the layers was critical in order to reproduce the flow pattern observed in the experiment. Capillary and hydraulic barriers were of minor importance for the observed lateral diversion.