Supporting commission(s) / organisations: ICGW, ICSW

Modeling flow and transport in aquifers poses significant challenges because of the endemic paucity of relevant information to build effective models. Heterogeneity of natural formations is a strong controlling factor for transport of solutes and other agents in the subsurface environment, which is hard to fully characterize due to the constraints imposed by subsurface inaccessibility and the often-inadequate resolution of traditional exploration methodologies. Boundary conditions are also a significant source of uncertainty, often disregarded, in particular at large scales. Recent advances of in situ characterization techniques and modeling capabilities, both in term of model conceptualization and mathematical representation, opens new perspectives in assessing the status of groundwater resources at all scales, from local to global.

This session deals with new methodologies to better assess and predict, trough characterization and modeling, the status of groundwater resources at all scales. We seek contributions dealing with theoretical, methodological and applicative aspects of subsurface characterization and modeling the Earth critical zone, by using innovative approaches to assess, and possibly reduce, large uncertainty still plaguing simulation results. Data assimilation and inference methodologies are other aspects of the modeling chain that are considered here, such as all aspects related to modeling in support to risk analysis and the evaluation of system resilience and capability to metabolize stressors. Besides characterization and modeling specifically tailored to subsurface water resources, we are interested in contributions dealing with parametrization of groundwater in meteorological and Earth system models. Analyses conducted at local, catchment and global scales are all welcome.