Geological Sciences 531: Seminar in Groundwater Modelling

Description:

Geological Sciences 531 is a groundwater flow modelling course. Class size will allow the course to have a "seminar feel" to it, though students will not have to present. Assignments will include simple programming exercises that will outline the salient features of a numerical model. There will then be exercises designed toward learning the "industry/academia" groundwater modelling standard, MODFLOW.. Depending on student interest and ability, a final project could replace some later exercises allowing more "hands-on", using a model to solve a problem pertinent to the student's own research interests.

Geological Sciences 477 (hydrogeology) is recommended, but the course is open to any interested students with appropriate background. Appropriate background includes a thorough understanding of Darcy's law, enough Calculus to understand that initial and/or boundary conditions are required to solve a differential equation, and a programming language so that you can "cheat" and approximate the solution numerically. MODFLOW, the text, and the professor use FORTRAN, but any language will do so long as you don't expect the professor to know your language. You should definitely know how your language handles INTEGER and REAL variables in computations, Input/Output, and arrays, etc. It would be good to determine how your language stores array variables in memory (example: FORTRAN is column major).

If time permits, we might discuss parameter estimation, and solute transport solution techniques.

Required Textbook:

Introduction to Groundwater Modeling, Finite Difference and Finite Element Methods

Wang, H.F. and M.P. Anderson, 1995, Academic Press Incorporated, San Diego, CA

ISBN 0 - 12 - 734585 - X

Recommended Textbook:

Applied Groundwater Modelling Simulation of Flow and Advective Transport

Anderson, M.P. and W.W. Woessner, 1992, Academic Press Incorporated, San Diego, CA

ISBN 0 - 12 - 059485 - 4