Data Integration to Significantly Improve Hydraulic Tomography and Groundwater Modelling in Complex Geologic Media

地下水模型已成为供水评价和污染物运移研究中不可缺少的一部分。各种模型的可用性、它们改进的功能和不断增加的计算资源使高级模型更接近现实。在做出具有商业、政策和社会影响的重要决策时，越来越依赖他们。建立更可靠的模型的一个关键因素是采用更准确的流量参数，如水力传导性(K)和比存储量（Ss）。然而，地下在多个尺度上是不均匀的，这大大复杂化了松散和破裂岩层中K和Ss的表征。******水力层析成像（HT）依赖于多次抽水试验的逆建模，已经成为一种成像K和s地下非均质性的新方法。虽然HT已被证明是一种强大的地下非均质性成像方法，但迫切需要检查：1)其他现场数据，如地质、地球物理、温度和化学数据是否可以增强抽水试验数据并改善HT结果；2)高温成像可以有效映射裂缝性岩石地形的非均质性，裂缝与岩石基质之间存在较大的水力特性差异；3)利用河流洪水脉冲作为地下水水位扰动的HT可用于表征流域尺度地表水/地下水交换的参数。******通过这项研究计划，我们将首先在滑铁卢大学校园内一个具有良好特征的现场，检查将其他现场数据与高温泵送测试数据相结合的有效性。接下来，我们还将研究是否可以通过在日本一个完善的断裂岩石现场进行数据集成来改进高温成像，我们的研究小组可以在那里获得不同的，但互补的数据。最后，将进行一项计算研究，以调查河流洪水脉冲作为监测井中检测到的信号的效用，以绘制控制地表水/地下水交换的水力参数的非均质性。******总的来说，我们的研究计划将有助于确定HT是否可以显著改善与各种行业（水、修复、能源、废物处理和采矿）所需的分辨率和规模相关的地下表征工作。建议的研究重点是进行互补的计算和现场调查，这将大大提高我们在多孔和裂缝地质介质中绘制地下非均质性的能力。由于地下非均质性将通过高温地下水技术更准确地绘制出来，这种能力的发展也将使我们能够显著提高地下水模型的准确性，用于制定重要的商业、政策和社会决策。

Groundwater models have become indispensable in water supply assessment and contaminant transport studies. The availability of various models, their improved capabilities, and ever-increasing computational resources have advanced models closer to reality. They are becoming increasingly relied upon to make important decisions that have business, policy and societal consequences. One key ingredient to building more reliable models is employing more accurate flow parameters such as hydraulic conductivity (K) and specific storage (Ss). However, the subsurface is heterogeneous at multiple scales and this significantly complicates the characterization of K and Ss in unconsolidated and fractured rock formations.******Hydraulic tomography (HT) which relies on the inverse modeling of multiple pumping tests, has emerged as a new method to image the subsurface heterogeneity of K and Ss. While HT has been shown to be a robust method for imaging subsurface heterogeneity, there is a critical need to examine whether: 1) other site data such as geological, geophysical, temperature and chemical data can augment pumping test data and improve HT results; 2) HT can effectively map heterogeneities in fractured rock terrains where a large contrast in hydraulic properties between fractures and rock matrix exists; and 3) HT that utilizes river flood pulses as perturbations in groundwater levels can be used to characterize parameters that govern surface-water/groundwater exchange at the basin scale.******Through this research program, we will first examine the effectiveness of integrating other site data with pumping test data on HT results at a well-characterized field site on the University of Waterloo campus. Next, we will also examine whether HT can be improved through data integration at a well-established fractured rock site in Japan where our research group has access to different, yet complementary data. Finally, a computational study will be conducted to investigate the utility of river flood pulses as signals detected in monitoring wells to map the heterogeneity in hydraulic parameters that control surface-water/groundwater exchange. ******Collectively, our research program will help determine whether HT can significantly improve subsurface characterization efforts relevant at the resolution and scale necessary for various industries (water, remediation, energy, waste disposal, and mining). The proposed research focuses on conducting complementary computational and field investigations that should significantly advance our capabilities to map subsurface heterogeneity in both porous and fractured geologic media. Because subsurface heterogeneities will be mapped more accurately through HT, development of such capabilities will also allow us to significantly improve the accuracy of groundwater models used to make important business, policy, and societal decisions.