Flow and transport model of a polder area in the Belgian coastal plain: example of data integration

Abstract

Tracer data can serve to derive parameters related to groundwater systems or can be used in the calibration of transport and flow models. Temperature, 3H/3He (age dating) and hydrochemical data, together with head measurements, borehole logs and an aquifer test, were used to obtain insight into the flow and transport of a Quaternary aquifer system located in the Belgian polder area. Flow and transport model code SEAWAT acted as the integration medium for the different data. Each type of data has its own interpretation technique and adds components to the model. Additionally, different types of data aid in verification of the results. For instance, fluxes from temperature logs (used with the SEAWAT model), and water quality and age dating all provide information on flow to and velocities in the vicinity of drainage ditches. Different data also provide information on different scales. Temperature logs and aquifer tests act on a small scale, groundwater age is influenced by larger-scale flow, and water quality is determined by the general flow of the area. Integration of different kinds of geological, hydrological, geophysical and geochemical data is shown to be an important way forward in the efforts to model real-world cases.