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Ground Water Simulation:
Potentiometric Surface Model and Flow Nets

Alexander Edward Gates, Richard Parker Langford, Richard Mark Hodgson, and John Joseph Driscoll, III
Initial Publication Date: May 29, 2007

Summary

Students use physical and numerical models to see how various changes in environmental and aquifer conditions can effect drawdown, stream functions, flow, and potentiometric surface. Set up terrarium as in the Pollutant Plume activity, measure water level drawdown, and run models.


Learning Goals

  • Understand interactions between aquifer changes and potentiometric surface.
  • Create a simple computer model of flow through the terrarium.

Context for Use

This activity is appropriate for a hydrology or advanced environmental geology course.

Description and Teaching Materials

The following materials are required:
  • Terrarium or custom glass tank
  • Styrofoam spacer
  • Sediment (sand, gravel, clay)
  • 14 wooden sticks of equal length
  • Aquifer/ground water modeling software such as AQMODEL for Macintosh

Teaching Notes and Tips

Take into consideration that the data are fairly easy to collect but the analysis is more difficult.

Before class, the instructor should calibrate the terrarium until there is a relationship between observed and calculated drawdowns.


References and Resources

Gates, A. E., Langford, R. P., Hodgson, R. M., Driscoll, J. J., 1996, Ground-Water-Simulation Apparatus for Introductory and Advanced Courses in Environmental Geology. Journal of Geoscience Education v. 44, p. 559.