Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2006.10.001
Title (Primary) Comment on "Analysis of groundwater contamination using concentration-time series recorded during an integral pumping test: bias introduced by strong concentration gradients within the plume" by Allelign Zeru and Gerhard Schafer
Author Bayer-Raich, M.; Jarsjö, J.; Teutsch, G.
Source Titel Journal of Contaminant Hydrology
Year 2007
Department GF; HDG
Volume 90
Issue 3-4
Page From 240
Page To 251
Language englisch
Keywords Mass flux; Mass flow rate; Integral pumping; Groundwater; Pollution; Natural attenuation
Abstract We consider the results of a recent paper in this journal [Zeru, A. and Schäfer, G., 2005. Analysis of groundwater contamination using concentration-time series recorded during an integral pumping test: Bias introduced by strong concentration gradients within the plume. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 81 (2005) 106-124], which addresses the field-scale characterisation of contaminant plumes in groundwater. There, it is concluded that contaminant concentration gradients can bias Integral Pumping Test (IPT) interpretations considerably, in particular if IPTs are conducted in advective fronts of contaminant plumes. We discuss implications of this setting and also argue that the longitudinal and transverse dispersivities used in the examples of Zeru and Schäfer (2005) of up to 30 m and 3 m, respectively, are generally very high for the here relevant capture zone scale (< 20 m). However, regardless of both longitudinal and transverse concentration gradients, we further show through a counter-example that IPT results are unbiased as long as the concentration attenuation along the flow direction is linear over the capture zone extent.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=1639
Bayer-Raich, M., Jarsjö, J., Teutsch, G. (2007):
Comment on "Analysis of groundwater contamination using concentration-time series recorded during an integral pumping test: bias introduced by strong concentration gradients within the plume" by Allelign Zeru and Gerhard Schafer
J. Contam. Hydrol. 90 (3-4), 240 - 251 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2006.10.001