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Water
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Modelling Contaminant Transport and Natural Groundwater Quality
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Modelling Contaminant Transport and Natural Groundwater Quality

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 6227

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Helen K. French

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), 1430 Ås, Norway
Interests: contaminant transport; unsaturated zone; groundwater, modelling; hydrogeophysics; spatial heterogeneity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Carlos Duque

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geoscience, Aarhus University, Nordre Ringgade 1, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Interests: hydrogeology; groundwater modelling; natural tracers; isotopes; heat transport; coastal aquifers; saltwater intrusion; groundwater–surface-water interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Groundwater is an important source of water for drinking, irrigation, industrial purposes and maintaining ecosystems, both quantity and quality determines its use. Groundwater quality is affected by natural conditions and human activities. Sources of diffuse pollution can be agriculture or atmospheric deposition, while landfills, airports, mining and industry are potential point sources. The study of contamination and solute transport is frequently linked to the development of groundwater models to reproduce flow and aquifer conditions. Chemicals and contaminants can react, be degraded or transformed during their transit through aquifers. In the context of global change, the knowledge on processes and modelling techniques is highly relevant. The exponential growth in computer power combined with increased user friendliness of groundwater models has facilitated the use of models to estimate potential effects on groundwater quality.

The last decades have also provided new methods for characterising subsurface properties and heterogeneity, such as hydrogeophysics and improved drilling and well logging techniques. Hence, subsurface heterogeneity can more easily be implemented in standard groundwater modelling software, that together with parameter estimation tools provide more realistic pictures of transport in groundwater systems.

With all these improvements are we able to give better advice to practitioners on how to deal with contaminant transport? Groundwater and solute travel times from a few months to hundreds of thousands of years reflects different climate conditions and impact of human activities in a complex way. The choice of conceptual model is still one of the most important steps of modelling, how do we know the simplifications done in this step are the best? Despite technical advancements in groundwater flow modelling capabilities, the complexity of bio-geochemical reactions often leads to a simplification of flow to steady state situation. However transient boundary conditions, e.g. recharge including contaminants from the unsaturated zone, combined with highly heterogeneous subsurface may be of paramount importance to solute transport and the pattern of contaminant transport, reactions, storage and the final composition of the water released at the discharge zone.

This special issue invites examples of groundwater models applied to real contaminant situations.

Prof. Dr. Helen K. French
Prof. Dr. Carlos Duque
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Contaminant transport
  • Modelling
  • Spatial heterogeneity
  • Transient conditions
  • Groundwater as reactor
  • Partially confining units
  • Monitoring systems

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 7466 KiB  
Article
Salinity and Temperature Variations near the Freshwater-Saltwater Interface in Coastal Aquifers Induced by Ocean Tides and Changes in Recharge
by Angela M. Blanco-Coronas, Maria L. Calvache, Manuel López-Chicano, Crisanto Martín-Montañés, Jorge Jiménez-Sánchez and Carlos Duque
Water 2022, 14(18), 2807; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14182807 - 09 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2702
Abstract
The temperature distribution of shallow sectors of coastal aquifers are highly influenced by the atmospheric temperature and recharge. However, geothermal heat or vertical fluxes due to the presence of the saline wedge have more influence at deeper locations. In this study, using numerical [...] Read more.
The temperature distribution of shallow sectors of coastal aquifers are highly influenced by the atmospheric temperature and recharge. However, geothermal heat or vertical fluxes due to the presence of the saline wedge have more influence at deeper locations. In this study, using numerical models that account for variable density, periodic oscillations of temperature have been detected, and their origin has been attributed to the influence exerted by recharge and tides. The combined analysis of field data and numerical models showed that the alternation of dry and wet periods modifies heat distribution in deep zones (>100 m) of the aquifer. Oscillations with diurnal and semidiurnal frequencies have been detected for groundwater temperature, but they show differences in terms of amplitudes and delay with electrical conductivity (EC). The main driver of the temperature oscillations is the forward and backward displacement of the freshwater–saltwater interface, and the associated thermal plume generated by the upward flow from the aquifer basement. These oscillations are amplified at the interfaces between layers with different hydraulic conductivity, where thermal contours are affected by refraction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling Contaminant Transport and Natural Groundwater Quality)
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22 pages, 3281 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of MNA in A Chlorinated Solvents-Contaminated Aquifer Using Reactive Transport Modeling Coupled with Isotopic Fractionation Analysis
by Matteo Antelmi, Pietro Mazzon, Patrick Höhener, Massimo Marchesi and Luca Alberti
Water 2021, 13(21), 2945; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13212945 - 20 Oct 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2771
Abstract
Groundwater contamination by chlorinated hydrocarbons is a worldwide problem that poses important challenges in remediation processes. In Italy, the Legislative Decree 152/06 defines the water quality limits to be obtained during the cleanup process. In situ bioremediation techniques are becoming increasingly important due [...] Read more.
Groundwater contamination by chlorinated hydrocarbons is a worldwide problem that poses important challenges in remediation processes. In Italy, the Legislative Decree 152/06 defines the water quality limits to be obtained during the cleanup process. In situ bioremediation techniques are becoming increasingly important due to their affordability and, under the right conditions, because they can be more effective than conventional methodologies. In the initial feasibility study phase, the numerical modeling supports the reliability of each technique. Two different codes, BIOCHLOR and PHREEQC were discussed and compared assuming different field conditions. Isotopic Fractionation-Reactive Transport Models were then developed in one synthetic and one simple field case. From the results, the two codes were in agreement and also able to demonstrate the Monitored Natural Attenuation processes occurring at the dismissed site located in Italy. Finally, the PHREEQC model was used to forecast the remediation time frame by MNA, hypothesizing a complete source cleanup: a remediation time frame of about 10–11 years was achieved by means of natural attenuation processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling Contaminant Transport and Natural Groundwater Quality)
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