Regional scale solute transport modelling of a Permo-Trissic sandstone aquifer

摘要

A previous study completed upon the Lower Mersey Basin Permo-Triassic Sandstone Aquifer of England gathered a substantial amount of hydrochemical data. Analysis of these data suggested that groundwater flow rates and directions within the aquifer system could be qualitatively deduced from the regional hydrochemical distribution. This study describes an attempt to develop that concept into a quantitative description of the regional hydrochemistry, linking the aquifer flow history to the observed present day hydrochemical distribution. To achieve this goal a three dimensional regional groundwater flow model has been developed. The results of the model show that the flow system is consistent with the gross features of the hydrochemical distributions, such as saline water ingress distances, modern recharge water distributions, and the occurrence of old saline groundwater (with the longest residence times). Work continues with particle tracking, reactive transport flor path modelling and explicit representation of each sampled well.