Predicting flow and transport in highly heterogeneous alluvial aquifers

Free to read Successful prediction of groundwater flow and solute transport through highly heterogeneous aquifers has remained elusive due to the limitations of methods to characterize hydraulic conductivity (K) and generate realistic stochastic fields from such data. As a result, many studies have suggested that the classical advective-dispersive equation (ADE) cannot reproduce such transport behavior. Here we demonstrate that when high-resolution K data are used with a fractal stochastic method that produces K fields with adequate connectivity, the classical ADE can accurately predict solute transport at the macrodispersion experiment site in Mississippi. This development provides great promise to accurately predict contaminant plume migration, design more effective remediation schemes, and reduce environmental risks. Key Points Non-Gaussian transport behavior at the MADE site is unraveledADE can reproduce tracer transport in heterogeneous aquifers with no calibrationNew fractal method generates heterogeneous K fields with adequate connectivity

[1]  Paul P. Wang,et al.  MT3DMS: A Modular Three-Dimensional Multispecies Transport Model for Simulation of Advection, Dispersion, and Chemical Reactions of Contaminants in Groundwater Systems; Documentation and User's Guide , 1999 .

[2]  Rina Schumer,et al.  Fractional Dispersion, Lévy Motion, and the MADE Tracer Tests , 2001 .

[3]  Fred J. Molz,et al.  Performance, Analysis, and Simulation of a Two‐Well Tracer Test at the Mobile Site , 1986 .

[4]  L. Gelhar,et al.  Field study of dispersion in a heterogeneous aquifer: 2. Spatial moments analysis , 1992 .

[5]  E. Eric Adams,et al.  Field study of dispersion in a heterogeneous aquifer , 1992 .

[6]  S.P. Garabedian,et al.  Large-scale natural gradient tracer test in sand and gravel, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 2. Analysis of spatial moments for a nonreactive tracer , 1991 .

[7]  J. Butler,et al.  Hydrostratigraphic analysis of the MADE site with full‐resolution GPR and direct‐push hydraulic profiling , 2011 .

[8]  D. Hyndman,et al.  A three‐dimensional model of microbial transport and biodegradation at the Schoolcraft, Michigan, site , 2005 .

[9]  James J. Butler,et al.  A new method for high‐resolution characterization of hydraulic conductivity , 2009 .

[10]  Marco Bianchi,et al.  Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Research at the MADE Site , 2011, Ground water.

[11]  D. Freyberg,et al.  A natural gradient experiment on solute transport in a sand aquifer: 1. Approach and overview of plume movement , 1986 .

[12]  W. W. Wood,et al.  Large-Scale Natural Gradient Tracer Test in Sand and Gravel, , 1991 .

[13]  James J. Butler,et al.  Geostatistical analysis of centimeter‐scale hydraulic conductivity variations at the MADE site , 2012 .

[14]  Jack Eggleston,et al.  Identification of large‐scale hydraulic conductivity trends and the influence of trends on contaminant transport , 1998 .

[15]  G. Dagan,et al.  A solute flux approach to transport in heterogeneous formations: 1. The general framework , 1992 .

[16]  David M Gute,et al.  Drinking water and cancer. , 2004, Epidemiology.

[17]  David A. Benson,et al.  Lagrangian simulation of multidimensional anomalous transport at the MADE site , 2008 .

[18]  James M. Tiedje,et al.  Hydraulic Characterization and Design of a Full‐Scale Biocurtain , 2000 .

[19]  Warren W. Wood,et al.  Large-scale natural gradient tracer test in sand and gravel, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 1. Experimental design and observed tracer movement , 1991 .

[20]  Aldo Fiori,et al.  The plume spreading in the MADE transport experiment: Could it be predicted by stochastic models? , 2013 .

[21]  Rina Schumer,et al.  Fractal mobile/immobile solute transport , 2003 .

[22]  Chunmiao Zheng,et al.  Analysis of Solute Transport in Flow Fields Influenced by Preferential Flowpaths at the Decimeter Scale , 2003, Ground water.

[23]  D. Benson,et al.  Fractional calculus in hydrologic modeling: A numerical perspective. , 2013, Advances in water resources.

[24]  L. Gelhar.  Stochastic Subsurface Hydrology , 1992 .

[25]  M. Celia,et al.  Large-scale natural gradient tracer test in sand and gravel, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2, Analysis of spatial moments for a nonreactive tracer , 1991 .

[26]  David L. Freyberg,et al.  A natural gradient experiment on solute transport in a sand aquifer: 2. Spatial moments and the advection and dispersion of nonreactive tracers , 1986 .

[27]  S. Gorelick,et al.  Rate‐limited mass transfer or macrodispersion: Which dominates plume evolution at the macrodispersion experiment (MADE) site? , 2000 .

[28]  Heidi Christiansen Barlebo,et al.  Investigating the Macrodispersion Experiment (MADE) site in Columbus, Mississippi, using a three‐dimensional inverse flow and transport model , 2004 .

[29]  Mark M Meerschaert,et al.  Hydraulic conductivity fields: Gaussian or not? , 2013, Water resources research.

[30]  K. Cantor,et al.  Drinking water and cancer , 1997, Cancer Causes & Control.

[31]  Georg Teutsch,et al.  Numerical simulation of subsurface characterization methods : application to a natural aquifer analogue , 1999 .