Steady Lateral Flow in Sloping Soils: Which is the Effect of the Conductivity at Saturation Profile?

The effect of the shape of the decreasing conductivity at saturation profile with depth on the steady lateral flow was investigated. The Zaslavsky transformation provided a synthetic, graphically based, approach which resumes the infiltration thresholds to characterize a perched water table and its thickness. It moreover allowed to easily compare the effect of different conductivity at saturation profiles on the capability of subsurface runoff production of the slope. As a case study, a reconstructed layered soil was described by means of two different conductivity profiles. The effect of the two models on the flow field is presented and discussed.