Exact simulation of the groundwater flow in anisotropic confined aquifer near time-varying streams by comprehensive new analytical solutions

Abstract

This paper presents some new analytical solutions to an accurate prediction of the behavior of the groundwater flow in aquifers in response to changes in surface water. The new analytical solutions are obtained using integral transforms. An anisotropic rectangular confined aquifer bounded with four time-varying streams is undertaken. The effects of anisotropy on groundwater head and flow rate near time-varying streams are investigated. Depending on the change rates of the streams level, an anisotropic aquifer may render either lower or higher hydraulic head than an isotropic aquifer. In addition, an anisotropic aquifer has provided less water exchange at the interfaces than an isotropic one. The sensitivity of the hydraulic head to change rate of the streams level in both isotropic and anisotropic aquifers is evaluated. It is shown that the aquifer response is more sensitive to change rate of the streams parallel to y-direction and less sensitive to change rate of the streams parallel to x-direction in an anisotropic aquifer and vice versa in an isotropic aquifer. The results of the present new analytical solutions are compared with numerical model of MODFLOW. The results obtained from the presented solutions showed good agreement with the results of MODFLOW. The results show that the presented new analytical solutions are accurate, robust and efficient. Therefore, the results indicate that the presented new analytical solutions are very effective in the simulation of the groundwater flow in river–aquifer systems. Furthermore, one of the advantages of the new analytical solutions is to investigate the sensitivity analysis of aquifer parameters, which has been carried out in this paper. Also, some other new analytical solutions for steady-state conditions and sudden fall in streams level are provided as well. Feasibility of the proposed new analytical solutions is presented via calculating and simulating the hydraulics of groundwater flow in river–aquifer systems by means of integral transforms.