Evaluation of the Rackwitz-Fiessler Uncertainty Analysis Method for EnvironmentalFate and Transport Models

摘要

The use of contaminant transport modeling has become an integral component of theregulatory and decision process for the disposal and cleanup of hazardous wastes. Because many of the input parameters to these models are uncertain, analysis of the uncertainty and its impact on the decision process has become increasingly important. Many contaminant transport models are computationally intensive and require run times that make traditional Monte Carlo analysis impractical. The paper therefore evaluates and tests an approximate technique, the Rackwitz-Fiessler method, that can be used when computation time prohibits the use of Monte Carlo simulation. The accuracy and efficiency of the method is assessed and compared to Monte Carlo simulation for three contaminant transport models. (Copyright (c) 1992 by the American Geophysical Union.)