An analytical solution for vertical infiltration in bounded profiles

Abstract

In this study, we derive an analytical solution to address the problem of one-dimensional vertical infiltration within bounded profiles. We consider the Richards equation together with various boundary conditions, simulating different scenarios of water application onto the surface of a homogeneous and bounded medium. To solve the corresponding initial boundary value problem over a finite interval, we apply the unified transform, commonly known as the Fokas method. Through this methodology, we obtain an integral representation that can be efficiently and directly computed numerically, yielding a convergent scheme.