Articles | Volume 16, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-659-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-659-2023
Development and technical paper
 | 
27 Jan 2023
Development and technical paper |  | 27 Jan 2023

A simple, efficient, mass-conservative approach to solving Richards' equation (openRE, v1.0)

Andrew M. Ireson, Raymond J. Spiteri, Martyn P. Clark, and Simon A. Mathias

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Cited articles

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Short summary
Richards' equation (RE) is used to describe the movement and storage of water in a soil profile and is a component of many hydrological and earth-system models. Solving RE numerically is challenging due to the non-linearities in the properties. Here, we present a simple but effective and mass-conservative solution to solving RE, which is ideal for teaching/learning purposes but also useful in prototype models that are used to explore alternative process representations.
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