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A statistical approach to modeling transport of pollutants in ground water

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Abstract

The transport of pollutants in the subsurface can be affected by random geologic events. Prediction of such transport therefore requires the solution of a partial differential equation whose coefficients are random processes. A method of finding the expected (mean) values of solutions of such equations is derived. This method is used to assess the impact of fault movement and formation of breccia pipes on risk from radioactive waste disposal. Preliminary results indicate that these events, considered probabilistically, do not make a large contribution to risk.

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Manuscript received 10 June 1977; revised 15 June 1978. This work was supported by Lawrence Livermore Laboratory under Subcontracts 9163105 and 6064103, in conjunction with Lawrence Livermore Laboratory's Contract W-7405-ENG-48 with the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Ross, B., Koplik, C.M. A statistical approach to modeling transport of pollutants in ground water. Mathematical Geology 10, 657–672 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01031897

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01031897

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