One-Week Module on Stochastic Groundwater Modeling

Abstract

This article describes a one-week introduction to stochastic groundwater modeling, intended for the end of a first course on groundwater hydrology, or the beginning of a second course on stochastic hydrogeology or groundwater modeling. The motivation for this work is to strengthen groundwater education, which has been identified among the factors contributing to the lack of stochastic groundwater modeling in professional consulting practice. The educational objectives are for students to (1) define key terminology, (2) explain spatial correlation, (3) produce realizations of groundwater flow, and (4) critique deterministic groundwater models. This one-week module includes a reading assignment, a class presentation, a guided computer exercise, and a homework assignment. The module introduces students to a few basic terms and concepts, then gives them experience through hands-on computer exercises. This article includes a detailed lesson plan and homework assignment, and complete model inputs and solutions are provided. The guided computer exercise and the homework assignment are performed using the freely available software Processing Modflow for Windows (PMWIN). Submitted homework assignments demonstrate that students were able to transfer skills from the module to a new application, and through an assessment survey, students reported significant improvement in their ability to perform three of the four educational objectives.