The book addresses the development of the basic knowledge of the
subsurface solute transfer with a particular emphasis on field data
collection and analysis coupled with modeling (analytical and numerical)
tool application. The relevant theoretical developments are concerned
mainly with the formulation and solution of deterministic mass-transport
equations for a wide range of engineering issues in groundwater quality
assessment and forecasting.
The book gives many computational examples and case studies drawn from
the conducted field investigations. The analyzed problems are as
follows:
- investigation and prediction of groundwater contamination by
industrial contaminants and solutions (radionuclides, chloride and
nitrate brine) with special focus on the effect of (a) aquifer
heterogeneity, anisotropy, and dual porosity, (b) density contrast
existing between industrial waste and groundwater, or in
density-stratified artesian and coastal groundwater systems; (c)
physicochemical interactions that play a major role in retarding (e.g.
adsorption) or enhancing (e.g. interactions between dissolved species
and mobile colloids) contaminant transport;
- prediction of the effects of pumping on groundwater quality at
wellfields;
- groundwater dating using stable and radioactive isotopes for
prediction and assessment of contamination potential;
- field and laboratory tests' design and analysis, and monitoring data
interpretation;
- partitioning of surface and subsurface flows using isotope techniques.
One of the most essential topics addressed in the book is the migration
and fate of radionuclides. Model development is motivated by field data
analysis from a number of radioactively contaminated sites in the
Russian Federation: near-surface radioactive waste disposal sites and
deep-well radioactive waste injection sites. They play a unique role in
the advancement of knowledge of the subsurface behavior and fate of many
hazardous radionuclides and can be considered as field-scale
laboratories.
Thus, the book, along with theoretical findings, contains field
information, which will facilitate the understanding of subsurface
solute transport and the development of a methodology for practical
applications to groundwater hydrology.
