The surface in these images are an isocontour of the hydraulic conductivity of the soil. The surface is colored according to the concentration of a contaminant (green, low; magenta, high) dissolved in the groundwater, which flow from the left to right. This simultaneous representation of the data readily identifies the primary flow paths for the contaminant through the heterogeneous porous medium. Such information is useful for evaluating the threat of contamination at macroscopic scales and is critical for designing strategies to limit or mitigate the contamination. This visualization was done in collaboration with the simulations performed on an IBM SP2 supercomputer by the Center of Subsurface Modeling.
In this figure, plumes of dissolved contaminant flow downstream from pools of immobile nonaqueous phase liquid. This image was created as part of an effort to understand the complex processes by which contaminated groundwater can be remediated in situ.
Credits
This research is sponsored in part by the
Sandia and Larwence Livermore National Labs.
