An analytical solution to one-dimensional thermal conduction-convection in soil

The equation of one-dimensional thermal conduction and convection in soil is solved analytically by applying the traditional harmonic method (HM) and the Laplace transform method (LTM). A simple method to determine accurate values of soil heat diffusivity and liquid water flux density is given. Using this method, we determined the soil thermal diffusivity, k = 0.85 X 10(-6) m(2) s(-1), and liquid water flux density, W = 4.3 X 10(-6) m(3) s(-1) m(-2), for the Naqu site in the summer of 1998. An experimental evaluation of the proposed methods is also given.