1 AIT Asian Institute of Technology

Development of field water balance models for predicting effective rainfall

AuthorVergara, Artemio Manuel
Call NumberAIT Thesis no. WA-88-19
Subject(s)Water balance (Hydrology)
NoteA thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology
PublisherAsian Institute of Technology
AbstractStorage of rain water in the soil is a primary concern in field management of agricultural lands. Th e basic knowledge whether the expected rainfall within a specified time is enough to sustain the requirement of the crop being grown in a particular field in a certain season is a very important consideration. The present study ha s been undertake n along with this motivation to develop field water balance models for upland fields to be used in the prediction of effective rainfall . The model con siders the following hydrologic processes such as interception , infiltration , runoff, moisture redistribution, evapotranspiration and deep percolation. The model simulates leaf area index which is used in modeling of interception and actual ev apo transpiration . Root depth is also simulated to determine the depth of the soil profile during simulation of moisture redistribution. Aside from effective rainfall the model also predicts runoff , actual evapotranspiration , soil moisture storage a nd deep percolation. The model is tested with data from a watershed which is said to have a relatively uniform rainfall intensity. Comparison with a simple model with simple assumptions is also being carried out u sing the same input data. Sensitivity analysis is being done to i nvestiga t e the relative importance of the model parameters in the simulation. The application of the model produced considerably good results which seem qualitatively to match real field systems. The mode l can be applied to aid field planners to solve field problems such as irrigation water management, efficient field operations management and design of field drainage systems.
Year1988
TypeThesis
SchoolSchool of Engineering and Technology (SET)
DepartmentOther Field of Studies (No Department)
Academic Program/FoSWater Resources Research Engineering (WA)
Chairperson(s)Nielsen, Steen Asger
Examination Committee(s)Mizutani, Masakazu ;Loof, Rainer
Scholarship Donor(s)Australian Government
DegreeThesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1988


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