Development of data assimilation techniques for reactive transport processes: real-time prediction of nitrate migration in porous media

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Irina Engelhardt, since 12/2021
• Subject Area: Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 465389244

We propose to develop a new method that allows coupling of reactive transport modelling with the ensemble Kalman filter technique (EnKF). For the development of the numerical methods we propose a series of synthetic experiments and a set of lab experiments conducted under highly controlled initial and boundary conditions. Experiments are designed to investigate heterotrophic and autolithotrophic nitrate reduction as understanding, monitoring, and prediction of this biogeochemical processes is of high relevance to limit nitrate migration and pollution of aquifers more optimal in future. The EnKF development will be built on the results of conservative transport studies reported in literature. The data assimilation algorithms will be developed and fine-tuned on the synthetic experiments, and the proposed methodology will be validated on the results of the lab experiments. The ultimate goals of the proposed project are to provide the first application of the EnKF on a reactive transport problem and to provide an improved observation and forecast methodology for monitoring the transport and degradation of nitrate in shallow groundwater systems.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Austria, Italy, USA
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Christian Griebler; Professor Dr.-Ing. Alberto Guadagnini; Dr. Glenn Hammond; Professorin Dr.-Ing. Monica Riva
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Dr. Márk Somogyvári, until 12/2021