The Groundwater Project

Interactive Educational Tools

Interactive Educational Tools

The Groundwater Project is pleased to announce a new branch of educational resources on our website, Interactive Educational Tools. The tools provide simplified models so the user can gain a more rigorous understanding of how the values of parameters affect outcomes in a hydrogeologic system. The first tool was built by Eileen Poeter, Professor Emeritus at the Colorado School of Mines. This is a classic example of a steady-state analytical model with recharge to a strip of land between two fully penetrating bodies of water. It simplifies flow in an unconfined aquifer by assuming the recharge is instantaneously and evenly distributed vertically throughout the aquifer and flow is horizontal within the aquifer.

The next two tools, TopoDrive and Particle Flow, were built by Paul Hsieh, USGS Emeritus Scientist. TopoDrive focuses on topographically driven flow systems where groundwater flows from higher hydraulic head in higher-elevation recharge areas to lower-elevation discharge areas, where hydraulic head is lower. The main factors controlling groundwater flow are basin geometry, shape of the water table, and the distribution of hydraulic properties. The user selects the basin length, draws the topographically controlled water table, selects a mesh density for calculation, draws regions of hydraulic conductivity on the mesh, clicks a button to draw hydraulic head lines, then chooses whether to draw flow lines or to track particle movement, both of which can be animated with time.

ParticleFlow is a two-dimensional model that simulates flow in a rectangular domain. A key purpose of the ParticleFlow tool is to illustrate how heterogeneities in hydraulic properties affect the spatial spreading of dissolved particles. This spreading is analogous to macro-scale solute dispersion. The user defines the rectangular mesh and hydraulic gradient, draws regions of hydraulic conductivity on the mesh, clicks a button to draw hydraulic head lines, then chooses whether to draw flow lines or to track particle movement, both of which can be animated with time.

These three tools represent the first GW-Project online educational tools with many more underway. If you would like to stay up to date as we add more learning tools, we encourage you to join our mailing list.