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An analytical model of contaminant transport from diffuse sources in saturated porous media
Author(s) -
Dillon P. J.
Publication year - 1989
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 - 10.1029/wr025i006p01208
Subject(s) - aquifer , groundwater , porous medium , dispersion (optics) , environmental science , groundwater flow , instability , groundwater contamination , line source , contamination , scale (ratio) , hydrology (agriculture) , soil science , groundwater model , geotechnical engineering , geology , mechanics , finite element method , flow (mathematics) , computer simulation , porosity , engineering , physics , ecology , optics , structural engineering , quantum mechanics , acoustics , biology
An analytical two‐dimensional model of solute transport along a vertical cross section of an aquifer is described. The model extends analytical methods to two‐dimensional dispersive solute transport in a two‐dimensional flow field which until now has been the exclusive province of numerical models. This avoids the very significant problems of numerical instability and numerical dispersion facing the application of numerical transport models at a regional scale. Furthermore, the model is simple and very fast. A novel feature is the segregation of longitudinal and transverse transport components. The model is intended for preliminary evaluation of groundwater quality on a regional scale in areas subject to diffuse sources of contamination. It gives vertical resolution of contaminant concentrations through the aquifer thickness. Results compare favorably with finite element model results for a case involving a strip source of contaminants. It has been useful in predicting the impact of diffuse source nitrate contamination on groundwater quality in the Lower South East of South Australia.