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Debates—Stochastic subsurface hydrology from theory to practice: The relevance of stochastic subsurface hydrology to practical problems of contaminant transport and remediation. What is characterization and stochastic theory good for?
Author(s) -
Fiori A.,
Cvetkovic V.,
Dagan G.,
Attinger S.,
Bellin A.,
Dietrich P.,
Zech A.,
Teutsch G.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1002/2015wr017525
Subject(s) - relevance (law) , hydrology (agriculture) , aquifer , subsurface flow , environmental science , principal (computer security) , realization (probability) , computer science , geology , groundwater , geotechnical engineering , mathematics , statistics , political science , law , operating system
The emergence of stochastic subsurface hydrology stemmed from the realization that the random spatial variability of aquifer properties has a profound impact on solute transport. The last four decades witnessed a tremendous expansion of the discipline, many fundamental processes and principal mechanisms being identified. However, the research findings have not impacted significantly the application in practice, for several reasons which are discussed. The paper discusses the current status of stochastic subsurface hydrology, the relevance of the scientific results for applications and it also provides a perspective to a few possible future directions. In particular, we discuss how the transfer of knowledge can be facilitated by identifying clear goals for characterization and modeling application, relying on recent recent advances in research in these areas.