title: A new method for laboratory estimation of the transverse dispersion coefficient.
abstract: We introduce a method for identifying the transverse dispersion coefficient in laboratory experiments based on the analytical solution of a pulse injection of a nonreactive solute in a soil column (cylindrical geometry) packed with a homogeneous porous medium. This method takes into account the effect of boundary conditions such as no flux on the column perimeter, and it does not need a priori knowledge of the longitudinal dispersion coefficient. Numerical applications of the method show that it is stable and robust and that the results are reasonably in accordance with those found using the classical maximum likelihood method.
authors.affiliation: DIST-Dipartimento di Informatica, Sistemistica e Telematica, University of Genoa, Via Cadorna 7, 17100 Savona, Italy. m.marco@cima.unige.it
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Massabò
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Catania
authors.forename: Ombretta
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Paladino
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D004058:Diffusion; D007700:Kinetics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D014872:Water Movements
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D014867:Water