Edinburgh Napier University

  Groundwater is an important component of water supplies in most countries. It exists in aquifers under unsaturated and saturated conditions. The flow of groundwater is primarily controlled by the aquifer physical properties and hydraulic pressure gradients. The transport of solutes dissolved in groundwater is influenced by a combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Hydrodynamic dispersion is an important transport process, which influences the fate of contaminants in groundwater particularly the biodegradation of organic compounds. The quantitative analysis of groundwater resources can be completed using water balances and numerical modelling tools. Groundwater chemistry is controlled mainly by the aquifer composition but is vulnerable to contamination by many naturally occurring processes and human activities from point and diffuse sources. Modeling tools are generally used to simulate groundwater flow and solute transport in aquifers. Statistical analysis using Monte Carlo methods is often used to describe the uncertainty in parameters included in groundwater modeling studies. Groundwater quality assessment must be undertaken using monitoring well designs and sampling methods, which provide representative samples for analysis. This objective is important when using groundwater chemistry data to interpret the performance of in situ groundwater remediation concepts such as monitored natural attenuation.