Biomedical subjects

Henk M Haitjema

Publications and source records attributed to Henk M Haitjema.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Improving a regional model using reduced complexity and parameter estimation.

The availability of powerful desktop computers and graphical user interfaces for ground water flow models makes possible the construction of ever more complex models. A proposed copper-zinc sulfide mine in northern Wisconsin offers a unique case in which the same hydrologic system has been modeled using a variety of techniques covering a wide range of sophistication and complexity. Early in the permitting process, simple numerical models were used to evaluate the necessary amount of water to be pumped from the mine, reductions in streamflow, and the drawdowns in the regional aquifer. More complex models have subsequently been used in an attempt to refine the predictions. Even after so much modeling effort, questions regarding the accuracy and reliability of the predictions remain. We have performed a new analysis of the proposed mine using the two-dimensional analytic element code GFLOW coupled with the nonlinear parameter estimation code UCODE. The new model is parsimonious, containing fewer than 10 parameters, and covers a region several times larger in areal extent than any of the previous models. The model demonstrates the suitability of analytic element codes for use with parameter estimation codes. The simplified model results are similar to the more complex models; predicted mine inflows and UCODE-derived 95% confidence intervals are consistent with the previous predictions. More important, the large areal extent of the model allowed us to examine hydrological features not included in the previous models, resulting in new insights about the effects that far-field boundary conditions can have on near-field model calibration and parameterization. In this case, the addition of surface water runoff into a lake in the headwaters of a stream while holding recharge constant moved a regional ground watershed divide and resulted in some of the added water being captured by the adjoining basin. Finally, a simple analytical solution was used to clarify the GFLOW model's prediction that, for a model that is properly calibrated for heads, regional drawdowns are relatively unaffected by the choice of aquifer properties, but that mine inflows are strongly affected. Paradoxically, by reducing model complexity, we have increased the understanding gained from the modeling effort.

Microcomputers↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Simulating ground water-lake interactions: approaches and insights.

Approaches for modeling lake-ground water interactions have evolved significantly from early simulations that used fixed lake stages specified as constant head to sophisticated LAK packages for MODFLOW. Although model input can be complex, the LAK package capabilities and output are superior to methods that rely on a fixed lake stage and compare well to other simple methods where lake stage can be calculated. Regardless of the approach, guidelines presented here for model grid size, location of three-dimensional flow, and extent of vertical capture can facilitate the construction of appropriately detailed models that simulate important lake-ground water interactions without adding unnecessary complexity. In addition to MODFLOW approaches, lake simulation has been formulated in terms of analytic elements. The analytic element lake package had acceptable agreement with a published LAKI problem, even though there were differences in the total lake conductance and number of layers used in the two models. The grid size used in the original LAKI problem, however, violated a grid size guideline presented in this paper. Grid sensitivity analyses demonstrated that an appreciable discrepancy in the distribution of stream and lake flux was related to the large grid size used in the original LAKI problem. This artifact is expected regardless of MODFLOW LAK package used. When the grid size was reduced, a finite-difference formulation approached the analytic element results. These insights and guidelines can help ensure that the proper lake simulation tool is being selected and applied.

Guidelines as Topic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Are water tables a subdued replica of the topography?

The water table in unconfined aquifers is often believed to be a subdued replica of the topography or land surface. However, this assumption has not been widely tested and in some cases has been found to be in error. An analysis of ground water rise in regional unconfined aquifers, using both a two-dimensional boundary element model and a one-dimensional Dupuit-Forchheimer model, reveals the conditions under which the water table does or does not closely follow the topography. A simple decision criterion is presented to estimate in advance under which conditions the water table is expected to be largely unrelated to the topography and under which conditions the topography controls the position of the water table.

Geography↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A fast direct solution method for nonlinear equations in an analytic element model.

The analytic element method, like the boundary integral equation method, gives rise to a system of equations with a fully populated coefficient matrix. For simple problems, these systems of equations are linear, and a direct solution method, such as Gauss elimination, offers the most efficient solution strategy. However, more realistic models of regional ground water flow involve nonlinear equations, particularly when including surface water and ground water interactions. The problem may still be solved by use of Gauss elimination, but it requires an iterative procedure with a reconstruction and decomposition of the coefficient matrix at every iteration step. The nonlinearities manifest themselves as changes in individual matrix coefficients and the elimination (or reintroduction) of several equations between one iteration and the other. The repeated matrix reconstruction and decomposition is computationally intense and may be avoided by use of the Sherman-Morrison formula, which can be used to modify the original solution in accordance with (small) changes in the coefficient matrix. The computational efficiency of the Sherman-Morrison formula decreases with increasing numbers of equations to be modified. In view of this, the Sherman-Morrison formula is only used to remove equations from the original set of equations, while treating all other nonlinearities by use of an iterative refinement procedure.

Environmental Monitoring↗