Application of unknown groundwater pollution source release history estimation methodology to distributed sources incorporating surface-groundwater interactions

Jha, Manish, and Datta, Bithin (2015) Application of unknown groundwater pollution source release history estimation methodology to distributed sources incorporating surface-groundwater interactions. Environmental Forensics, 16 (2). pp. 143-162.

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Abstract

Sources of contamination of groundwater are often difficult to characterize. However, it is essential for effective remediation of polluted groundwater resources. This study demonstrates an application of the linked simulation-optimization based methodology to estimate the release history from spatially distributed sources of pollution at an illustrative abandoned mine-site. In linked simulation-optimization approaches a numerical groundwater flow and transport simulation model is linked to the optimization model. In this study, topographic and geologic characteristics of the abandoned mine-site were simulated using a three-dimensional (3D) numerical groundwater flow model. Transport of contaminant in the groundwater was simulated using a 3D transient advective-dispersive contaminant transport model. Adsorption or chemical reaction of the contaminant was not considered in the contaminant transport model. Adaptive simulated annealing (ASA) was employed for solving the optimization problem. An optimization algorithm generates the candidate solutions corresponding to various unknown groundwater source characteristics. The candidate solutions are used as input in the numerical groundwater transport simulation model to generate the concentration of pollutant in the study area. This information is used to calculate the objective function value, which is utilized by the optimization algorithm to improve the candidate solution. This process continues until an optimal solution is obtained. Optimal solutions obtained in this study show that the linked simulation-optimization based methodology is potentially applicable for the characterization of spatially distributed pollutant sources, typically present at abandoned mine-sites.

Item ID: 41868
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1527-5922
Keywords: groundwater contamination, source characterization, reliability of estimate, hydraulic conductivity, linked simulation optimization, parameter uncertainty, contaminant source characterization
Funders: CRC CARE, Australia
Date Deposited: 08 Dec 2015 18:14
FoR Codes: 09 ENGINEERING > 0905 Civil Engineering > 090509 Water Resources Engineering @ 100%
SEO Codes: 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9609 Land and Water Management > 960999 Land and Water Management of Environments not elsewhere classified @ 100%
96 ENVIRONMENT > 9609 Land and Water Management > 960908 Mining Land and Water Management @ 0%
96 ENVIRONMENT > 9609 Land and Water Management > 960908 Mining Land and Water Management @ 0%
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