Mathematical Models for the Interpretation of Environmental Radioisotopes in Groundwater Systems

Zuber, A.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-42225-5.50006-1

Cited by 110 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 51 publications

(31 reference statements)

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“…piston flow (PFM), exponential piston flow (EPM), exponential mixing (EMM) and binary mixing (BMM) (Cook and Böhlke, 2000;Zuber, 1986). In some cases, water reaching the open interval of a borehole or discharging from a spring is nearly uniform and can be approximated with a piston-flow model, analogous to water flowing through a pipe from the point of recharge to the point of discharge without mixing during transit.…”

Section: Groundwater Mixing Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) to characterise groundwater movement and residence time in a lowland Chalk catchment

Gooddy

Darling

Abesser

et al. 2006

Journal of Hydrology

123

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Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF 6 ) provide a technique for dating groundwater up to 50 years old. When used together, CFCs and SF 6 can help to resolve the extent to which groundwater mixing occurs, and therefore provide indicators of the likely groundwater flow mechanisms. Modelling shows that diffusive retardation of these tracers is likely to be low owing to the high moisture content of the chalk unsaturated zone. Data collected from groundwater and surface water from a lowland Chalk catchment in southern England suggest that groundwater movement can be divided into three regimes: on the interfluves of the catchment, 'piston' flow dominates with a bulk groundwater age of several decades; at the valley bottom, there is mixing between shallow groundwater and stream water; and in an intermediate zone between the top and the bottom of the valley there is approximately 3:1 mixing between new and pre-tracer groundwaters. A conceptual model of groundwater movement has been developed to describe the catchment processes. Surface water-groundwater interactions are found to take place down to depths in excess of 10 metres bgl.The nitrate found at the greatest depth are thought to originate from the mid 1950s.

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Section: Groundwater Mixing Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) to characterise groundwater movement and residence time in a lowland Chalk catchment

Gooddy

Darling

Abesser

et al. 2006

Journal of Hydrology

123

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“…This can be easily 248 done by using the solver of any of the commonly available spreadsheet software or manually. (a) The lumped models PFM and DM can be used to simulate confined aquifers with a narrow 271 recharge area located far from the groundwater sampling zone (Zuber, 1986 The lumped-parameter approach transforms in (t) into out (t), according to Eq. 6, which is known 301 as the convolution integral.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertical variation in the amplitude of the seasonal isotopic content of rainfall as a tool to jointly estimate the groundwater recharge zone and transit times in the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park aquifer system, north-eastern Spain

Jódar

Custódio

Lambán

et al. 2016

Science of The Total Environment

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The time series of stable water isotope composition relative to meteorological stations and springs located in the high mountainous zone of the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park are analyzed in order to study how the seasonal isotopic content of precipitation propagates through the hydrogeological system in terms of the aquifer recharge zone elevation and transit time. The amplitude of the seasonal isotopic composition of precipitation and the mean isotopic content in rainfall vary along a vertical transect, with altitudinal slopes for d18O of 0.9‰/km for seasonal amplitude and - 2.2‰/km for isotopic content. The main recharge zone elevation for the sampled springs is between 1950 and 2600 m·a.s.l. The water transit time for the sampled springs ranges from 1.1 to 4.5 yr, with an average value of 1.85 yr and a standard deviation of 0.8 yr. The hydrological system tends to behave as a mixing reservoir.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

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“…First, the convolution integral equation is modified to take multiple input zones and several transfer compartments into account. Second, the exponential model of transfer function, which is one of the most commonly used models to describe the transfer in the unsaturated zone of shallow unconfined aquifers (Zuber 1986), is derived to include partial input zones in the recharge area. Most results described in this article originate from Baillieux (2012, PhD thesis), completed by an additional review of scientific findings published since 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Uncertainties regarding the boundaries of the model domain and unknown model parameters that lead to a high predictive flux in the input zone of the aquifer system. A homogenous input can generally be accepted for the study of environmental tracers that are associated with precipitation (Zuber 1986). However, it is rarely observed in the context of contaminant input in aquifers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing groundwater quality trends in pumping wells using spatially varying transfer functions

et al. 2015

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When implementing remediation programs to mitigate diffuse-source contamination of aquifers, tools are required to anticipate if the measures are sufficient to meet groundwater quality objectives and, if so, in what time frame. Transfer function methods are an attractive approach, as they are easier to implement than numerical groundwater models. However, transfer function approaches as commonly applied in environmental tracer studies are limited to a homogenous input of solute across the catchment area and a unique transfer compartment. The objective of this study was to develop and test an original approach suitable for the transfer of spatially varying inputs across multiple compartments (e.g. unsaturated and saturated zone). The method makes use of a double convolution equation accounting for transfer across two compartments separately. The modified transfer function approach was applied to the Wohlenschwil aquifer (Switzerland), using a formulation of the exponential model of solute transfer for application to subareas of aquifer catchments. A minimum of information was required: (1) delimitation of the capture zone of the outlet of interest; (2) spatial distribution of historical and future pollution input within the capture zone; (3) contribution of each subarea of the recharge zone to the flow at the outlet; (4) transfer functions of the pollutant in the aquifer. A good fit to historical nitrate concentrations at the pumping well was obtained. This suggests that the modified transfer function approach is suitable to explore the effect of environmental projects on groundwater concentration trends, especially at an early screening stage.

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Mathematical Models for the Interpretation of Environmental Radioisotopes in Groundwater Systems

Cited by 110 publications

References 51 publications

Using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) to characterise groundwater movement and residence time in a lowland Chalk catchment

Using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) to characterise groundwater movement and residence time in a lowland Chalk catchment

Vertical variation in the amplitude of the seasonal isotopic content of rainfall as a tool to jointly estimate the groundwater recharge zone and transit times in the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park aquifer system, north-eastern Spain

Assessing groundwater quality trends in pumping wells using spatially varying transfer functions

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