SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF INFILTRATION CAPACITY IN AN EXPERIMENTAL CATCHMENT IN THE ANDES MOUNTAINS, IX REGION, CHILE

Abstract

Field infiltration tests were carried out in a sandy-loam soil at the Tres Arroyos experimental catchment, IX^th Region of Chile. For the difierent sites final infiltration rates ranged between 25 and 200 cm h^-1 in summer and from 25 to 100 cm h^-1 in winter measurements.
The parameters of the Green-Ampt, Horton, Philip and Kostiakov infiltration models were calculated from field data. Infiltration estimated with these models were compared with field measurements.
Relationships between the parameters of the four models and some soil properties were developed. With organic matter, clay content, soil moisture, bulk density and soil shear re-sistance data it is possible to estimate the parameters of the Kostiakov infiltration model, and use this model as a predictor of the spatial and temporal variability of infiltration throughout the experimental catchment.