The role of moisture fluctuations in unsaturated transport

Within the framework of stochastic theory and the spectral perturbation techniques, three-dimensional dispersion in partially saturated soils with a finite correlation scale of log-hydraulic conductivity is analyzed. The effects of spatial variability of the moisture distribution parameter on the asymptotic spreading behavior of a unsaturated solute plume are assessed. This is accomplished by comparing two asymptotic macrodispersivities and two variance of solute concentration, obtained for a constant moisture content and spatially varied moisture, respectively.