Numerical Modelling of Tidal Aquifers

This article details the development of a new two-dimensional time-variant model namely GWK, Ground Water Key, which is capable of predicting the flow and solute transport in a porous media. The model predicts the hydraulic head, the velocity components in the horizontal plane, the recharge/discharge levels for source/sink on the water table and solute tracer levels across the domain as functions of time. This is a part of a research that has focused upon achieving a wider scientific understanding of interactions between wetland areas and coastal waters via groundwater flow paths. However, for the free surface flow modelling, an existing two dimensional unsteady numerical model has been refined. In order to simulate the flow and solute transport in porous media the GWK model was developed to include an aquifer influenced by tidal currents. A physical model also, has been constructed to provide experimental data of the groundwater transport between a wetland and the adjacent coastal waters. It was found that the GWK model was capable of the numerically simulating different scenarios in a stable manner. Also, comparison between the experimental data and the simulated physical model, involving integrated model, showed that the integrated model was capable of simulating groundwater and free surface water, with a high level of accuracy

Keywords:

Groundwater Modelling , GWK , Numerical & Physical Modelling , Solute Transport level