Contaminant migration in complex-structured geologic media: From local-scale processes to field-scale behavior
- Univ. of Waterloo, Ontario (Canada)
Contaminant transport in natural geological formations at the field-scale is strongly affected by spatial variations in the hydraulic and chemical-sorption properties of the host medium. The hydraulic conductivity of subsurface strata varies by many orders of magnitude. The presence of fractures in clays and consolidated rocks and discontinuities such as root holes or macropores in near-surface soils represent another form of heterogeneity. This work examines the sensitivity of the reactive-solute transport process at the field-scale to the type and degree of correlation between the heterogeneous hydraulic and sorption parameter fields and the form of competing models commonly used to describe the local-scale sorption process. The influence of factors leading to transport nonidealities such as the presence of fractures will also be addressed as they pertain to contaminant plume evolution and remediation by pump-and-treat. The general approach taken involves a series of exceedingly detailed, multi-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations of reactive and nonreactive solute transport in synthetic heterogeneous geological materials, as well as comparison of the numerical results to field observations and theoretical predictions based on stochastic-analytic theory. Differences between the evolution of nonreactive and reactive contaminant plumes at the field-scale are highlighted and issues related to prediction uncertainty and aquifer remediation due to imperfect knowledge of the properties of hydrogeological systems are discussed.
- OSTI ID:
- 5763010
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-921058--
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Journal Name: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) Vol. 24:7; ISSN GAAPBC; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
540250* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (1990-)
AQUIFERS
CALCULATION METHODS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FLOW MODELS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY
LAND RECLAMATION
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
POLLUTANTS
SOILS
SORPTION