Consistent modelling of transport processes and travel times - coupling
soil hydrologic processes with StorAge Selection functions
Abstract
Understanding the transport processes and travel times of pollutants in
the subsurface is crucial for an effective management of drinking water
resources. Transport processes and soil hydrologic processes are
inherently linked to each other. In order to account for this link, we
couple the process-based hydrologic model RoGeR with StorAge Selection
(SAS) functions. We assign to each hydrological process a specific SAS
function (e.g. power law distribution function). To represent different
transport mechanisms, we combined a specific set of SAS functions into
four transport model structures: complete-mixing, piston flow,
advection-dispersion and advection-dispersion with time-variant
parameters. In this study, we conduct modelling experiments at the
Rietholzbach lysimeter, Switzerland. All modelling experiments are
benchmarked with HYDRUS-1D. We compare our simulations to the measured
hydrologic variables (percolation and evapotranspiration fluxes and soil
water dynamics) and the measured water stable isotope signal (18O) in
the lysimeter seepage for a period of ten years (1997-2007). An
additional virtual bromide tracer experiment was used to benchmark the
models. Additionally, we carried out a sensitivity analysis and provide
Sobol indices for soil hydrologic model parameters and SAS parameters.
Our results show that the advection-dispersion transport model produces
the best results. And thus, advective-dispersive transport processes
play a dominant role at Rietholzbach lysimeter. Our modelling approach
provides the capability to test hypotheses of different transport
mechanisms and to improve process understanding and predictions of
transport processes. Overall, the combined model allows a very effective
simulation of combined flux and transport processes at various temporal
and spatial scales.