Journal
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
Volume 544, Issue -, Pages 640-657Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.12.004
Keywords
Aquifer heterogeneity; Geological model; Hydraulic tomography; Model calibration and validation
Funding
- Environmental Security and Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) [ER201212]
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
- Ontario Research Foundation (ORF)
- Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
- China Scholarship Council
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Hydraulic tomography (HT) has been shown to map subsurface heterogeneity accurately through the joint interpretation of multiple pumping tests. Previous research has shown that smooth hydraulic conductivity (K) estimates are obtained beyond where pumping/observation data are available using the geostatistical inversion approach, when the inversion begins with a, homogeneous K and when data densities are not high. However, geological data are typically available through outcrops and borehole logs to provide geological variability. Therefore, we investigate the usefulness of geological data for HT analysis at a highly heterogeneous field site by: (1) comparing calibrated geological models of two different resolutions to two homogeneous and four highly parameterized geostatistical inverse models, in terms of both model calibration and validation performances as well as correspondence of estimated K values with permeameter-estimated K profiles along boreholes; and (2) using geological models as prior information for the geostatistical inversion approach. Results reveal that the simultaneous calibration of geological models to seven pumping test data yields K values that correctly reflect the general patterns of vertical distributions of permeameter-estimated K. We also find that the geostatistical inversion approach using a geological model as prior information performs better for both model calibration and validation than using a homogenous K as a prior, and more importantly, improves the correspondence of K estimates for permeameter test results along wells, as well as in preserving geological features where drawdown measurements are lacking. Overall, our results suggest the joint use of both geological and pumping test data for HT analysis when accurate geological data are available. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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