Impacts of the 2004 tsunami on groundwater resources in Sri Lanka, Water Resour

[1] The 26 December 2004 tsunami caused widespread destruction and contamination of coastal aquifers across southern Asia. Seawater filled domestic open dug wells and also entered the aquifers via direct infiltration during the first flooding waves and later as ponded seawater infiltrated through the permeable sands that are typical of coastal aquifers. In Sri Lanka alone, it is estimated that over 40,000 drinking water wells were either destroyed or contaminated. From February through September 2005, a team of United States, Sri Lankan, and Danish water resource scientists and engineers surveyed the coastal groundwater resources of Sri Lanka to develop an understanding of the impacts of the tsunami and to provide recommendations for the future of coastal water resources in south Asia. In the tsunami-affected areas, seawater was found to have infiltrated and mixed with fresh groundwater lenses as indicated by the elevated groundwater salinity levels. Seawater infiltrated through the shallow vadose zone as well as entered aquifers directly through flooded open wells. Our preliminary transport analysis demonstrates that the intruded seawater has vertically mixed in the aquifers because of both forced and free convection. Widespread pumping of wells to remove seawater was effective in some areas, but overpumping has led to upconing of the saltwater interface and rising salinity. We estimate that groundwater recharge from several monsoon seasons will reduce salinity of many sandy Sri Lankan coastal aquifers. However, the continued sustainability of these small and fragile aquifers for potable water will be difficult because of the rapid growth of human activities that results in more intensive groundwater pumping and increased pollution. Long-term sustainability of coastal aquifers is also impacted by the decrease in sand replenishment of the beaches due to sand mining and erosion

Stochastic fusion of information for characterizing and monitoring the vadose zone

Inverse problems for vadose zone hydrological processes are often being perceived as ill - posed and intractable. Consequently, solutions to inverse problems are often subject to skepticism. In this paper, using examples, we elucidate difficulties associated with inverse problems and the prerequisites for such problems to be well -posed so that a unique solution exists. We subsequently explain the need of a stochastic conceptualization of the inverse problem and, in turn, the conditional- effective -parameter concept. This concept aims to resolve the ill -posed nature of inverse problems for the vadose zone, for which generally only sparse data are available. Next, the development of inverse methods for the vadose zone, based on a conditional -effective -parameter concept, is explored, including cokriging, the use of a successive linear estimator, and a sequential estimator. Their applications to the vadose zone inverse problems are subsequently examined, which include hydraulic /pneumatic and electrical resistivity tomography surveys, and hydraulic conductivity estimation using observed pressure heads, concentrations, and arrival times. Finally, a stochastic information fusion technology is presented that assimilates information from unsaturated hydraulic tomography and electrical resistivity tomography. This technology offers great promise to effectively characterize heterogeneity, to monitor processes in the vadose zone, and to quantify uncertainty associated with vadose zone characterization and monitoring.This title from the Hydrology & Water Resources Technical Reports collection is made available by the Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences and the University Libraries, University of Arizona. If you have questions about titles in this collection, please contact [email protected]

Simulating the fate and transport of coal seam gas chemicals in variably-saturated soils using HYDRUS

The HYDRUS-1D and HYDRUS (2D/3D) computer software packages are widely used finite element models for simulating the one-, and two- or three-dimensional movement of water, heat, and multiple solutes in variably-saturated media, respectively. While the standard HYDRUS models consider only the fate and transport of individual solutes or solutes subject to first-order degradation reactions, several specialized HYDRUS add-on modules can simulate far more complex biogeochemical processes. The objective of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the HYDRUS models and their add-on modules, and to demonstrate possible applications of the software to the subsurface fate and transport of chemicals involved in coal seam gas extraction and water management operations. One application uses the standard HYDRUS model to evaluate the natural soil attenuation potential of hydraulic fracturing chemicals and their transformation products in case of an accidental release. By coupling the processes of retardation, first-order degradation and convective-dispersive transport of the biocide bronopol and its degradation products, we demonstrated how natural attenuation reduces initial concentrations by more than a factor of hundred in the top 5 cm of the soil. A second application uses the UnsatChem module to explore the possible use of coal seam gas produced water for sustainable irrigation. Simulations with different irrigation waters (untreated, amended with surface water, and reverse osmosis treated) provided detailed results regarding chemical indicators of soil and plant health, notably SAR, EC and sodium concentrations. A third application uses the HP1 module to analyze trace metal transport involving cation exchange and surface complexation sorption reactions in a soil leached with coal seam gas produced water following some accidental water release scenario. Results show that the main process responsible for trace metal migration in soil is complexation of naturally present trace metals with inorganic ligands such as (bi)carbonate that enter the soil upon infiltration with alkaline produced water. The examples were selected to show how users can tailor the required model complexity to specific needs, such as for rapid screening or risk assessments of various chemicals nder generic soil conditions, or for more detailed site-specific analyses of actual subsurface pollution problems

Simulating the Fate and Transport of Coal Seam Gas Chemicals in Variably-Saturated Soils Using HYDRUS

The HYDRUS-1D and HYDRUS (2D/3D) computer software packages are widely used finite element models for simulating the one-, and two- or three-dimensional movement of water, heat, and multiple solutes in variably-saturated media, respectively. While the standard HYDRUS models consider only the fate and transport of individual solutes or solutes subject to first-order degradation reactions, several specialized HYDRUS add-on modules can simulate far more complex biogeochemical processes. The objective of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the HYDRUS models and their add-on modules, and to demonstrate possible applications of the software to the subsurface fate and transport of chemicals involved in coal seam gas extraction and water management operations. One application uses the standard HYDRUS model to evaluate the natural soil attenuation potential of hydraulic fracturing chemicals and their transformation products in case of an accidental release. By coupling the processes of retardation, first-order degradation and convective-dispersive transport of the biocide bronopol and its degradation products, we demonstrated how natural attenuation reduces initial concentrations by more than a factor of hundred in the top 5 cm of the soil. A second application uses the UnsatChem module to explore the possible use of coal seam gas produced water for sustainable irrigation. Simulations with different irrigation waters (untreated, amended with surface water, and reverse osmosis treated) provided detailed results regarding chemical indicators of soil and plant health, notably SAR, EC and sodium concentrations. A third application uses the HP1 module to analyze trace metal transport involving cation exchange and surface complexation sorption reactions in a soil leached with coal seam gas produced water following some accidental water release scenario. Results show that the main process responsible for trace metal migration in soil is complexation of naturally present trace metals with inorganic ligands such as (bi)carbonate that enter the soil upon infiltration with alkaline produced water. The examples were selected to show how users can tailor the required model complexity to specific needs, such as for rapid screening or risk assessments of various chemicals nder generic soil conditions, or for more detailed site-specific analyses of actual subsurface pollution problems

The role of uncertainty in bedrock depth and hydraulic properties on the stability of a variably-saturated slope

We investigate the uncertainty in bedrock depth and soil hydraulic parameters on the stability of a variably-saturated slope in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We couple Monte Carlo simulation of a three-dimensional flow model with numerical limit analysis to calculate confidence intervals of the safety factor using a 22-day rainfall record. We evaluate the marginal and joint impact of bedrock depth and soil hydraulic uncertainty. The mean safety factor and its 95% confidence interval evolve rapidly in response to the storm events. Explicit recognition of uncertainty in the hydraulic properties and depth to bedrock increases significantly the probability of failure

The role of uncertainty in bedrock depth and hydraulic properties on the stability of a variably-saturated slope

We investigate the uncertainty in bedrock depth and soil hydraulic parameters on the stability of a variably-saturated slope in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We couple Monte Carlo simulation of a three-dimensional flow model with numerical limit analysis to calculate confidence intervals of the safety factor using a 22-day rainfall record. We evaluate the marginal and joint impact of bedrock depth and soil hydraulic uncertainty. The mean safety factor and its 95% confidence interval evolve rapidly in response to the storm events. Explicit recognition of uncertainty in the hydraulic properties and depth to bedrock increases significantly the probability of failure

Integral transform analysis of radionuclide transport in variably saturated media using a physical non-equilibrium model: Application to solid waste leaching at a uranium mining installation

The Generalized Integral Transform Technique (GITT) was employed to simulate transient one-dimensional flow in variably saturated porous media, as well as radioactive waste transport within different layers (a solid waste pile, nearby soil, and a granular aquifer) towards the edge of a uranium mining installation under institutional control. Computational codes, written using the Mathematica software system, were implemented and tested for solution of the coupled advection-dispersion equations for an arbitrary number of daughter products within a radioactive chain migrating in saturated and unsaturated soil layers. The computer simulations were verified in great detail against results obtained using the built-in routine NDSolve of the Mathematica platform and the HYDRUS-1D software system. The present work reports the main results for 238U chain radionuclide transport using data extracted from a safety assessment of solid waste repositories at a uranium mining and milling installation in Caetité, state of Bahia, Brazil, operated by INB (Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil). Concentration evolutions of the various radionuclides obtained with the simulations were analyzed for five different cases to explore variations in the infiltration and recharge rates, the effect of assuming physical equilibrium or non-equilibrium transport conditions, and of different initial concentrations of some of the radionuclides

Integral transform analysis of radionuclide transport in variably saturated media using a physical non-equilibrium model: Application to solid waste leaching at a uranium mining installation

The Generalized Integral Transform Technique (GITT) was employed to simulate transient one-dimensional flow in variably saturated porous media, as well as radioactive waste transport within different layers (a solid waste pile, nearby soil, and a granular aquifer) towards the edge of a uranium mining installation under institutional control. Computational codes, written using the Mathematica software system, were implemented and tested for solution of the coupled advection-dispersion equations for an arbitrary number of daughter products within a radioactive chain migrating in saturated and unsaturated soil layers. The computer simulations were verified in great detail against results obtained using the built-in routine NDSolve of the Mathematica platform and the HYDRUS-1D software system. The present work reports the main results for 238U chain radionuclide transport using data extracted from a safety assessment of solid waste repositories at a uranium mining and milling installation in Caetité, state of Bahia, Brazil, operated by INB (Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil). Concentration evolutions of the various radionuclides obtained with the simulations were analyzed for five different cases to explore variations in the infiltration and recharge rates, the effect of assuming physical equilibrium or non-equilibrium transport conditions, and of different initial concentrations of some of the radionuclides