Development of computer aided design for the effective design of micro-catchments in arid climates
Development of computer aided design for the effective design of micro-catchments in arid climates
In arid regions, where water-harvesting techniques can be applied to use surface runoff for agricultural production, long term meteorological records of data are often scarce, micro-catchment systems have attracted significant developments in design and operation of water delivery in arid climate areas. In contrast, advances in exploiting the potential of methods to conserve water and increase crop yield by accurate control of rain water and moisture regime through the soil were made at a much slower pace.
An attempt is made to model and calculate actual runoff water received in infiltration basins from runoff areas based on changes in rainfall intensity, infiltration, size and slope of a Micro-Catchment system. A soil moisture simulation model is developed, relating to fundamental physical principles, to provide the necessary data for evaluating the potential success of rainfed agriculture in infiltration basins of. The model considers infiltration, evaporation, redistribution, and water uptake by plant roots. Based on a survey of existing techniques and their limitations, a generalised water balance model is proposed as a tool to analyse the performance of the system, and to locate problems in the water harvesting process. The combined models are interpreted numerically by finite difference methods and a number of numerical techniques are developed to treat time-dependent, non linear and moving boundary conditions. When tested by comparison with analytical solutions and field experiments that have been published in recent literature, the results were favourable.
The proposed water balance model is used to obtain an insight into the generation of actual runoff, the dynamics of moisture movement in the root zone and to examine the role of crop water demands in controlling the size of Micro-Catchment systems. The numerical investigation has significant implications on micro-catchment system design and estimates of actual evapotranspiration and water use (yield relations).
University of Southampton
Nourad, Nader
2a5fd5f2-7c72-432a-a647-efcd2adda261
2002
Nourad, Nader
2a5fd5f2-7c72-432a-a647-efcd2adda261
Nourad, Nader
(2002)
Development of computer aided design for the effective design of micro-catchments in arid climates.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
In arid regions, where water-harvesting techniques can be applied to use surface runoff for agricultural production, long term meteorological records of data are often scarce, micro-catchment systems have attracted significant developments in design and operation of water delivery in arid climate areas. In contrast, advances in exploiting the potential of methods to conserve water and increase crop yield by accurate control of rain water and moisture regime through the soil were made at a much slower pace.
An attempt is made to model and calculate actual runoff water received in infiltration basins from runoff areas based on changes in rainfall intensity, infiltration, size and slope of a Micro-Catchment system. A soil moisture simulation model is developed, relating to fundamental physical principles, to provide the necessary data for evaluating the potential success of rainfed agriculture in infiltration basins of. The model considers infiltration, evaporation, redistribution, and water uptake by plant roots. Based on a survey of existing techniques and their limitations, a generalised water balance model is proposed as a tool to analyse the performance of the system, and to locate problems in the water harvesting process. The combined models are interpreted numerically by finite difference methods and a number of numerical techniques are developed to treat time-dependent, non linear and moving boundary conditions. When tested by comparison with analytical solutions and field experiments that have been published in recent literature, the results were favourable.
The proposed water balance model is used to obtain an insight into the generation of actual runoff, the dynamics of moisture movement in the root zone and to examine the role of crop water demands in controlling the size of Micro-Catchment systems. The numerical investigation has significant implications on micro-catchment system design and estimates of actual evapotranspiration and water use (yield relations).
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Published date: 2002
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Local EPrints ID: 464844
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/464844
PURE UUID: 54b666d9-44a1-423e-b063-70f25716ac66
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Date deposited: 05 Jul 2022 00:04
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 19:47
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Author:
Nader Nourad
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