PUBLICATIONS--Policy on documenting the use of ground-water simulation in project reports To: "File WRD Archive Reston, VA "Subject: OGW TechMM 96.04 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Thu, 25 Apr 1996 08:50:30 -0400 From: "Velvie E Stockdale, Office Automation Assistant, Reston, VA " In Reply Refer To: April 24, 1996 Mail Stop 411 OFFICE OF GROUND WATER TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 96.04 Subject: PUBLICATIONS--Policy on documenting the use of ground-water simulation in project reports It has been more than two decades since Ground Water Branch Technical Memorandum No. 75.11 was released on the subject of documenting the use of ground-water simulation in project reports. Because of the time lapse, changes in modeling techniques, and the frequency of problems found when reports are reviewed, a revisit to policy on this subject is appropriate. There is no rigid checklist or recipe for reporting on the use of simulation in a ground-water study. The appropriate level of documentation will vary depending on the project objectives and the complexity of the simulations. The general structure of a well-constructed report describing simulation is much the same as that for any investigative study. It should present (1) the objectives of the study, (2) a description of the work that was done, (3) logical arguments to convince the reader that the methods and analyses used in the study are valid, and (4) results and conclusions. Specific topics that should be addressed in reports that describe studies in which simulation is used include the following. 1. Describe the purpose of the study and the role that simulation plays in addressing that purpose. The objective of the simulation must be clearly stated. The model should be represented as a tool to help solve specific problems or answer specific questions rather than as an end product. 2. Describe the hydrologic system under investigation. The extent, nature of boundaries, transmitting properties, storage properties, sources of water, discharge mechanisms and other relevant components of the ground-water system should be described as known or conceptualized. Usually this can be accomplished in part by referencing previous works, but major relevant system characteristics should be summarized in the report that describes the simulation. 3. Describe the mathematical methods used and their appropriateness to the problem being solved. In most cases, a reference to a readily available publication will be sufficient to document mathematical details; however, it will usually be desirable to briefly summarize the methods that are used. For a well-documented computer program, this will often require only a paragraph or two. If a documented computer program is modified such that computed values are affected, the modifications should be documented and evidence that the modifications are correct should be supplied. 4. Describe the hydrogeologic character of the boundary conditions used in the simulation of the system. In many cases, the model boundaries are placed where the aquifer terminates against relatively impermeable rocks or is intersected by a perennial stream whose head variation in time and space is known. In other cases, the aquifer may be so extensive relative to the area of interest that the modeled area may need to extend beyond the project area to accurately simulate the natural boundaries of the aquifer system. If the modeled area is arbitrarily truncated at some distance from the area of interest, it should be shown that the selection of the arbitrary boundary condition does not materially affect the ability of the model to simulate the system for the purposes of the study. Internal boundaries such as streams, lakes, and pinchouts of important hydrogeologic zones should be identified and their representation in the model should be described in the report. A clear, convincing argument of the appropriateness of the boundary conditions used in the model to represent the actual system should be made for the entire bounding surface of the modeled volume or cross section, as well as for any internal boundaries. 5. If the method of simulation involves discretizing the system (finite-difference and finite-element methods for example), describe and justify the discretized network used. The spacing and distribution of the blocks, elements, or subregions should reflect, in part, the spatial variability of the hydraulic parameters and the location of boundaries (for example streams, lakes, bed pinchouts), human-made features (for example wells and dams), and stresses. In most cases, a map showing the discretized network superimposed on the study area is required. Vertical discretization should be described and/or shown on illustrations. The manner in which time is discretized for transient models also should be described. If a steady- state model is used to simulate an average or approximate steady- state condition, discuss the errors that could be introduced in the study results as a consequence of using a steady-state model. 6. Describe the aquifer system properties that are modeled. Explain whatever inferences are made from field data and previous studies as to the spatial variation of hydraulic properties of aquifers and confining beds and how discretized values are computed throughout the simulated area. During model calibration (see item 9), modeled values are often changed; the final aquifer system properties that are modeled should be described in the report. This can be through maps or descriptions in the text. Lists of model arrays do not generally provide much understanding of the model and accordingly should not be included in the report unless it is expected that readers will want to repeat the simulations. If lists of arrays are included, they should usually be provided on electronic media. Note that Office of Ground Water Technical Memorandum No. 93.01 describes the separate requirement for archiving the complete model data sets used in ground-water projects. 7. Describe all the stresses modeled such as pumpage, evapotranspiration from ground water, recharge from infiltration, river stage changes, leakage from other aquifers, and source concentrations in transport models. The relations between observed and modeled stresses should be described. For example, it usually is desirable to provide a representative sample of actual pumping histories and the corresponding modeled pumping histories, although such information would not necessarily be provided for every pumped well. The manner in which stresses are averaged within the discretized time and space scheme should also be described. If a steady-state model is used to simulate an average or approximate steady-state condition, describe how the average stresses representing this system are calculated. 8. For transient models, describe the initial conditions that are used in the simulations. Ideally, a transient simulation will start from a steady-state condition, and the steady-state initial conditions will be generated by a steady-state simulation using the same model. In this case, the steady-state simulation must use the same hydraulic and stress parameters that are used in the transient simulation, except that the transient stresses are removed. In situations where it is not possible to start a transient model from a simulated steady-state condition, it is necessary to describe how the initial conditions were derived. It is also important to estimate the error in the derived values and the possible impact on the model results. 9. If a model is calibrated, present the calibration criteria, procedure, and results. Describe the source of the observed data to which model results are compared. Explain the appropriateness of using these data for model comparisons and the rationale for any adjustments made to actual observations when making the comparisons. For example, when steady-state models are used to simulate an approximate steady-state condition, it is important to explain to what extent the observations that have been made at specific points in time correspond to the approximate steady-state condition being simulated. Give a representative sample of the actual comparisons used for calibration, and show the locations of the observation points on maps. When the number of observations is extensive, locations of representative points can be shown. It is important to report and use as many types of data as possible for calibration. For example, in a flow model, both head and flow observations are desirable for use in calibration. 10. Discuss the limitations of the model's representation of the actual system and the impact those limitations have on the results and conclusions presented in the report. Evaluating the sensitivity of the computed model responses to changes in parameter values that reflect plausible parameter uncertainty helps to assess the model reliability. If the model is to be used to make specific projections, it is useful to estimate the impacts of the uncertainty of parameter values on the projections. In calibrated models, a concern is non- uniqueness, which is the extent to which other combinations of parameter values or configurations may result in an equally good fit to the observed data. Discuss the extent to which nonuniqueness may affect the use of the model in the study. In summary, a report describing a study in which simulation is used should address the above topics; however, there is considerable flexibility in the form of such a report. The report should describe the purpose of the simulation and convince the reader that the use of simulation is credible. The report should further describe the system being simulated, the methods of simulation, and the data that are used. William M. Alley Chief, Office of Ground Water Distribution: A, B, S, FO, PO This memorandum supersedes Ground Water Branch Technical Memorandum No. 75.11