MODPATH particle tracking

Knowledge graph centered on MODPATH particle tracking with 66 nodes and 140 connections. Top connected: Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Gothic, Beetles, Crested Butte, Engelmann Spruce.

Method synopsis

Steady-state groundwater solution with particle tracking to determine flow paths and residence times. Particles released to water table surface in each model cell excluding stream cells, with cumulative distribution calculated by deepest layer weighted by recharge rate.

Synthesized from method descriptions across 2 papers using this protocol.

Procedure from a recent peer-reviewed implementation

Steps below were extracted from the most recent peer-reviewed implementation of this protocol in the corpus — The importance of interflow to groundwater recharge in a snowmelt-dominated headwater basin (2019), Geophysical Research. Implementations in other papers (listed below) may differ.

1. Groundwater modeling and particle tracking
   CC geologic model contains 9 hydro-stratigraphic units with 12 layers ranging in thickness from 8 to 120 m for a total depth of 400 m. Hydraulic conductivity assumed to decay with depth with surface values defined by matching average observed baseflow at the stream gauge. Particle tracking used steady state groundwater solution with spatially distributed recharge for wettest, driest, and median water year. Particles released to water table surface in each model cell with stream cells excluded. Cumulative distribution function calculated by extracting deepest layer obtained by each particle weighted by its recharge rate
   Quantities: 9 hydro-stratigraphic units, 12 model layers, 8-120 m layer thickness, 400 m total depth, particle tracking for 3 representative yearsDuration: Steady-state solutions for representative wet, dry, and median yearsConditions: Subsurface geologic structure with sedimentary strata and fractured bedrock
   Equipment: GSFLOW groundwater flow model, Particle tracking module (Pollock, 2016)

Typical Equipment

• Particle tracking module (Pollock, 2016)

Output Measurements

• groundwater flow paths
• circulation depths
• residence times

Papers Using This Protocol (2)

Species Studied With This Protocol

Places Where Used