We are happy having our new paper published and featured in the Vadose Zone Journal:
https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/vzj2.20177
Florians work as part of a DFG project focuses on the relationship between fracture network geometry/topology and the complex percolation dynamics in fractured-porous systems. While dual-domain models exist for various application scales and types of media (soils, consolidated material) we found that the occurrence of preferential pathways in fractured systems may dominate the discharge behavior and invalidate typical assumptions made for the sake of analytical modeling, even if dual-domain coupling is considered. In his experiments Florian was able to show that the dynamics between fractures and porous matrix system can be modeled via analytical approaches when REV scales are met, yet the coupling terms require modifications and deviate from their original definition.
Ongoing work focus on the relationship between fracture/matrix properties and coupling terms both on laboratory and field scales. While fracture network formations are typically extremely complex we hope to contribute to a better convergence of structural characterization and the encountered flow dynamics that require special attention if preferential flows are present.
VZJ, Rüdiger et al. (2022)