Links
- The Publications Warehouse does not have links to digital versions of this publication at this time
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
This paper investigates the effects of transient groundwater flow on dispersion of a waste chloride plume in the basaltic aquifer beneath the Idaho (USA) National Engineering Laboratory. In an early application of numerical modeling techniques to the two-dimensional simulation of field-scale plumes, previous investigators identified longitudinal and transverse dispersivities using an independently calibrated steady-state flow model and matching contours of observed and simulated concentrations. The unusual result of calibrated transverse dispersivity (140 m) being significantly larger than longitudinal dispersivity (90 m) has been attributed to spatial heterogeneity, the fractured nature of the aquifer, and to the use of a two-dimensional model. New calibrations of the solute-transport model are performed on point concentration observations using a flow model incorporating transient recharge conditions that cause significant fluctuations in velocity. Under transient flow conditions, lowest calibration errors are achieved with significantly larger dispersivities than previously hypothesized, and with the longitudinal component larger than the transverse component. Unfortunately, the sensitivity of the model calibration error to dispersivity is low. Incorporating transient flow in this two-dimensional porous-media model does not significantly improve our understanding of the processes controlling chloride transport at this site.
| Publication type | Conference Paper |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Conference Paper |
| Title | Reevaluation of large-scale dispersivities for a waste chloride plume: Effects of transient flow |
| Year Published | 1990 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | International Association of Hydrological Sciences |
| Contributing office(s) | Pennsylvania Water Science Center |
| Description | 10 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Conference Paper |
| Larger Work Subtype | Conference Paper |
| Larger Work Title | ModelCARE 90: Calibration and Reliability in Groundwater Modelling |
| First page | 417 |
| Last page | 426 |
| Conference Title | ModelCARE 90: Calibration and Reliability in Groundwater Modelling |
| Conference Location | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Conference Date | September 1990 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |