The hydrological cycle is strongly affected by climate changes causing extreme weather events with long drought periods and heavy rainfall events. To predict the hydrological functioning of Tunisian catchments, modelling is an essential tool to estimate the consequences on water resources and to test the sustainability of the different land uses. Soil physical properties describing water flow are essential to feed the models and must therefore be determined all over the watershed. A simple but robust ring infiltration method combined with particle size distribution (PSD) analysis (BEST method) was used to evaluate and derive the retention properties and the hydraulic conductivities. Physically based and statistical pedotransfer functions based on PSD were compared to test their potential use for different types of Tunisian soils. The functional sensitivity of these parameters was assessed by employing the Hydrus-1D software (PC Progress, Prague, Czech Republic) for water balance computations. This evaluation process involved testing the responsiveness and accuracy of the parameters in simulating various water balance components within the model. The evaluation of soil hydraulic parameters across the three used models highlighted significant variations, demonstrating distinct characteristics in each model. While notable differences were evident overall, intriguing similarities emerged, particularly regarding saturated hydraulic conductivity between BEST and Rosetta, and the shape parameter (n) between Arya–Paris and Rosetta. These parallels indicate shared hydraulic properties among the models, underscoring areas of agreement amid their diverse results. Significant differences were shown for scale parameter α for the various methods employed. Marginal differences in evaporation and drainage were observed between the BEST and Arya–Paris methods, with Rosetta distinctly highlighting a disparity between physically based models and statistical models.

中文翻译：

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评估突尼斯北部和中部土壤的水力特性，以改进水文模型

水文循环受到气候变化的强烈影响，导致极端天气事件，包括长期干旱和强降雨事件。为了预测突尼斯流域的水文功能，建模是估计对水资源的影响和测试不同土地利用的可持续性的重要工具。描述水流的土壤物理特性对于模型至关重要，因此必须确定整个流域的土壤物理特性。使用简单但稳健的环渗透方法与粒度分布 (PSD) 分析（BEST 方法）相结合来评估和推导保留性能和导水率。对基于 PSD 的基于物理和统计的 PedoTransfer 函数进行了比较，以测试它们在突尼斯不同类型土壤中的潜在用途。通过使用 Hydrus-1D 软件（PC Progress，布拉格，捷克共和国）进行水平衡计算来评估这些参数的功能敏感性。该评估过程涉及测试模型内模拟各种水平衡组件时参数的响应性和准确性。对三个使用模型的土壤水力参数的评估突出了显着的差异，展示了每个模型的独特特征。虽然总体上存在明显的差异，但出现了有趣的相似之处，特别是在 BEST 和 Rosetta 之间的饱和导水率以及 Arya-Paris 和 Rosetta 之间的形状参数 (n) 方面。这些相似之处表明模型之间具有共同的水力特性，强调了不同结果中的一致之处。对于所采用的各种方法，尺度参数 α 表现出显着差异。在 BEST 和 Arya-Paris 方法之间观察到蒸发和排水的边际差异，Rosetta 明显强调了基于物理的模型和统计模型之间的差异。