Estimation of Surface Volume in Hydrological Models for Border Irrigation

Abstract

A procedure was developed to obtain better estimations of the surface volumes than in hydrological models and more rapid results than running zero inertia models. Using a zero inertia model, a database was created of the surface volume during advance in dimensionless form. Through an interpolation process it is possible to calculate the surface volume using the independent variables of the phenomenon. The empirical estimates of the surface volume and the method presented in this work were compared with the results of the zero inertia model, and it was found that the empirical estimates have a validity that is restricted to particular conditions. The proposed procedure rapidly provides precise values of this volume. The error in the estimate of the infiltrated volume that occurs in the inverse methods based on the hydrological model, due to the empirical estimates of the surface volume, was also calculated, and it was found that this error is great for short distances and low values of the dimensionless parameters.