Simulation of macrodispersion and natural attenuation (MADE and NATS) tests at the Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi

This study is related to the large-scale natural-gradient macrodispersion and natural attenuation (MADE and NATS) tests conducted at the Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi. The primary objectives of this study include 1) providing independent estimates of macrodispersivities (for the advection-dispersion model) and of mass transfer rates (for the mobile-immobile dual-domain model) for comparison with those estimated from spatial moments analysis and stochastic theories; 2) developing a three-dimensional field-scale benchmark problem for testing numerical codes and alternative transport theories; 3) understanding the role of aquifer heterogeneity in controlling contaminant fate and transport; and 4) evaluating the effectiveness of various geostatistical approaches for constructing the hydraulic conductivity distribution from field data.

References:

• Zheng, C., and S.M. Gorelick, 2001, Effect of decimeter-scale preferential flow paths on solute transport: implications for groundwater remediation, In Proc. Groundwater Quality 2001 International Conference, Sheffield, UK.
• Julian, H.E., J.M. Boggs, C. Zheng, and C.E. Feehley, 2001, Numerical simulation of a natural gradient tracer experiment for the Natural Attenuation Study: flow and physical transport, Ground Water, 39(4), 534-545.
• Feehley C.E., C. Zheng, and F.J. Molz, 2000, A dual-domain mass transfer approach for modeling solute transport in heterogeneous porous media, application to the MADE site, Water Resources Research, 36(9), 2501-2515.
• Zheng, C. and J.J. Jiao, 1998, Numerical simulation of tracer tests in a heterogeneous aquifer, Journal of Environmental Engineering, 124(6), 510-516.
  

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