Joint-inversion of spring flow and transport signatures: a multi-purpose
approach for characterization and forecast of a karst system
Abstract
Characterization of karst systems, especially the assessment of
structure and geometry of conduits along with forecast of
state-variables, are essential for groundwater quality/quantity
management and implementation/rehabilitation of large-scale engineering
projects in karst regions. These objectives can be fully met by
utilizing process-based discrete-continuum models, such as MODFLOW-2005
CFPv2, as employed here. However, such tools should be used with the
caveat of the potential non-uniqueness of results. This research focuses
on the joint-inversion of discharge, water temperature, and solute
concentration signatures of Freiheit Spring in Minnesota, USA, in
response to a spatiotemporally small-scale hydraulic and transport
experiment. Adopting the multi-model concept to address conceptual
uncertainty, seven distinctive model variants were considered. Spring
hydro-chemo-thermo-graphs for all variants were simultaneously
simulated, employing joint-inversion by PEST. Subsequently, calibrated
models were compared in terms of calibration performance, parameter
uncertainties and reasonableness, as well as forecast capability.
Overall, results reveal the reliability of the discrete-continuum flow
and transport modeling, even at a spatiotemporally small-scale, on the
order of meters and seconds. All conceptualized variants suggest almost
identical conduit tracer passage sizes which are close to the
flood-pulse method estimates. In addition, the significance of immobile
conduit-associated-drainable storages in karst hydrodynamic modeling,
which is uniquely provided in our model code, was highlighted. Moreover,
it was demonstrated that the spring thermograph and hydrograph carry
more information about the aquifer characteristics than the chemograph.
However, this last result can be site-specific and depends on the scale
of the experiment and the conceptualized variants of the respective
hydrological state.