wAbstract
@Modeling fate of nitrogen in unsaturated and saturated zone is
a complex process, which requires detailed geochemical data. Complexities
of the process as well as data insufficiencies are two major issues,
which make quantitative assessment of the problem more complicated.
In this work, a lumped-parameter model (LPM) is proposed that
has been evaluated for a data-limited case to study temporal and
steady-state behavior of Nitrate and Ammonium in unsaturated zone.
The concentration of components in the model are assumed as the
depth-averaged concentrations, and dispersive fluxes have been
neglected. The case study area is Tehran City aquifer, which is
highly contaminated by domestic wastewater discharge into the
groundwater. Three sources for Nitrogen contamination have been
studied, namely domestic wastewater, park/recreational applications,
and wet deposition. Results show that Nitrate production in the
first few meters (5 m) is quite large. To compare the model results
with the measurements, error estimation analysis based on Vornoi
map has been fulfilled. Finally, it is shown that there is a fairly
good correlation coefficient between simulation and measurements,
which approves the validity of the LPM.
Keywords: Nitrate; Unsaturated zone; Lumped-parameter model; Wastewater;
GIS; Tehranx
Introduction
Geochemical processes
Model description
Description of the case study
LPM model setup
@Inflow data
@Outflow data
@Model parameters and variables
Results
@Spatial and temporal aspects of contamination
@Model results analysis
Summary and remarks
Acknowledgments
Open Access
Appendix
References