Kehua You

Analytical Solution to Subsurface Air Pressure in a Three-Layer Unsaturated Zone with Atmospheric Pressure Changes

In this study, a solution to one-dimensional vertical airflow induced by the time-dependent atmospheric pressure fluctuations is developed in a three-layer unsaturated zone. The discrete atmospheric pressure data are transformed into a continuous boundary condition using the Fourier series analysis. The solution is applied to interpret the field air pressure data in a three-layer unsaturated zone reported in previous studies. The new solution improves the previous solution by reducing the required data measurement and input. The new solution is found to be accurate enough for the purpose of this study by comparing with a numerical solution developed in COMSOL Multiphysics. Given the necessary hydrogeological parameters, the new solution is capable of calculating the air permeability of each layer above a specified depth where the air pressures are known. Sensitivity analysis of the new solution shows that location, thickness, and air permeability of the less permeable layer impose large influence on the propagation of the atmospheric pressure fluctuations. Variations of air-filled porosity in soil layers in/below the less permeable layer may lead to greater amplitude attenuation and phase lag of air pressure than those in soil layers above the less permeable layer.

Determining air permeability in reclaimed coastal land based on tidal fluctuations

Coastal land reclamation is a common practice in many regions around the World. A reclaimed coastal land often has a two-layer system: a highly permeable layer consisting of crushed rock fragments underneath a less permeable layer. This study deals with vertical airflow in a reclaimed coastal land induced by the periodic variations of water table elevation due to tide fluctuations. The influence of atmospheric pressure fluctuations can be easily dealt with through a simple superposition procedure reported by Li and Jiao, thus is not considered here. A time-series Fourier analysis method is developed to determine air permeability based on a tide-induced airflow model reported by Li and Jiao for the reclaimed coastal land. This method employs the amplitude attenuations of subsurface air pressure to search for values of dimensionless air-leaking-resistance which can be subsequently used to calculate air permeability. Two types of data, the air pressure data in the upper less permeable layer and the tidal fluctuation data, are required to calculate the air permeability. Type curves relating to the amplitude attenuations and the relative depth can also be used to determine the values of air permeability. A field site in Hong Kong International Airport is used to demonstrate the applicability of this method for reclaimed coastal land consisting of a marine sand layer above a layer of crushed rock fragments. The application shows that the amplitude attenuations of diurnal and semi-diurnal components in the Fourier series are most reliable for determining the value of air permeability.