The final of the 2015-16 Water Institute WaterTalks lecturers is Dr. Prabhakar Clement, Harold Vince Groome Professor of Environmental Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Auburn University. Dr. Clement's lecture is titled: Worthiness of complex groundwater models for decision making - When should we say enough is enough?
Abstract
Complex mathematical models are routinely used by groundwater hydrologists to predict contaminant concentration levels in polluted aquifers. These predictions are then used in risk-assessment and epidemiological studies, which are often completed either for resolving a court case or for developing a public-policy solution. Typical groundwater modeling studies utilize a variety of mathematical models with complexity levels ranging from simple analytical solutions to detailed three-dimensional numerical solutions that simulate multi-phase, multi-species, reactive transport systems. The goal of this discussion is to explore the value of using complex numerical models to resolve large, field-scale, practical problems that have limited data. I will review a chlorinated solvent contamination problem that occurred at a military site in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and will use it as an example to explore the limits of complex numerical modeling exercises. The lessons learned from the study will be used to reflect upon the following two questions related to model complexity: How should we decide how much is enough? Who should decide when enough is enough?
About Dr. Clement
T.
Prabhakar
Clement
is
currently
the
Harold
Vince
Groome
Professor
of
Environmental
Engineering
in
the
Department
of
Civil
Engineering
at
Auburn
University.
He
previously
worked
at
the
Department
of
Environmental
Engineering,
University
of
Western
Australia
for
3
years
(2000-2002),
and
at
the
Battelle
Pacific
Northwest
National
Laboratory,
Washington
for
7
years
(1994-2000).
Dr.
Clement
is
the
lead
author
of
the
widely
used
MODFLOW-family
groundwater
model
RT3D.
He
has
authored
over
85
journal
articles
with
an
H-index
of
23;
he
is
an
elected
ASCE
Fellow.
He
has
served
as
associate
editor
for
several
leading
environmental
journals
including
Water
Resources
Research,
and
has
served
on
several
National
Academy
and
NSF
panels.
For
those
unable
to
attend
in
person,
the
lecture
will
also
be
available
via livestream during
and
after
the
lecture.