Stochastic analysis of groundwater flow in aquifers with leakage

Abstract.

 Stochastic analysis of one- and two-dimensional flow through a shallow semi-confined aquifer with spatially variable hydraulic conductivity K represented by a stationary (statistically homogeneous) random process is carried out by using the spectral technique. The hydraulic head covariance functions for flows in a semi-confined aquifer bounded by a leaky layer above and an impervious stratum below are derived by assuming that the randomness forcing the head variation to originate from the hydraulic conductivity field of the aquifer. The head covariance functions are studied using two convenient forms of the logarithmic hydraulic conductivity process. The results demonstrate the significant reduction in the head variances and covariances due to the presence of a leaky layer. The hydraulic head correlation distance is also reduced greatly due to the presence of the leaky layer.