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Uncertainties Associated with Flux Measurements Due to Heterogeneous Contaminant Distributions
Citation:
Chen, X., M. Brooks, AND L. Wood. Uncertainties Associated with Flux Measurements Due to Heterogeneous Contaminant Distributions. Presented at 8th International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds, May 21 - 24, 2012.
Impact/Purpose:
Presentation for the 8th International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds in Monterey, CA on May 21-24, 2012.
Description:
Mass flux and mass discharge measurements at contaminated sites have been applied to assist with remedial management, and can be divided into two broad categories: point-scale measurement techniques and pumping methods. Extrapolation across un-sampled space is necessary when using point-scale measurements to estimate mass discharge, and can result in uncertainty. Although pumping methods inherently integrate information across larger areas and therefore minimize uncertainty due to extrapolation, mass discharge measurements from pumping methods also contain uncertainty. Recent work has investigated the uncertainty of point measurement methods, and to a lesser extent, pumping methods. However, a direct comparison of uncertainty between these two approaches has not been completed. Moreover, a variety of pumping methods have been proposed and used for mass discharge measurements, but a comparative assessment of uncertainty has likewise not been completed. The focus of this research was therefore an investigation of mass discharge measurement uncertainty through the development and application of a simplified groundwater model to simulate the estimation of mass discharge from point-measurement and pumping-based measurement methods.