This volume certainly is a Conference Proceedings, the Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on "Unsaturated Flow in Hydrologic Modeling" held at "Les Villages du Soleil" near ArIes, France from June 13 to 17, 1988. Let me therefore acknowledge properly, at the very beginning, the gratitude of all the participants to the NATO Science Committee for its generous support and worthwhile goal of bringing together scientists of many countries to communicate and share their experiences. Particular thanks are extended to the director of the program, Dr. Luis Vega da Cunha for his interest and understanding. On the other hand this volume is also, and probably more so, a Textbook that fills a gap in the field of unsaturated flow. Many treatises on the subject present the theory in its different aspects. Hardly any explain in details how the different pieces can be put together to address realistic problems at the basin scale. The various invited contributions to the ARW were structured in a subject progression much as chapters are organized in a book. The intent of the ARW was to assess the current state of knowledge in "Unsaturated Flow" and its use in "Hydrologic Modeling Practice". In a sense the interest in fundamentals of unsaturated flow in this ARW was not just for the sake of knowledge but also and primarily for the sake of action. Can such fundamental knowledge be utilized for better management of the water resource? was the basic question.

The book focuses on two issues related to mathematical and numerical modelling of flow in unsaturated porous media. In the first part numerical solution of the governing equations is discussed, with particular emphasis on the spatial discretization of highly nonlinear permeability coefficient. The second part deals with large scale flow in heterogeneous porous media of binary structure. Upscaled models are developed and it is shown that the presence of material heterogeneities may give rise to additional non-equilibrium terms in the governing equations or to hysteresis in the averaged constitutive relationships.

Using a quantitative modeling approach, this volume offers a comprehensive exploration of the movement of water in the unsaturated zone (and associated transport phenomena) – the pathway of many contaminants to the saturated zone where much of the world's potable water is stored. It is the first book to combine research and knowledge on this subject from a wide variety of disciplines into a single source directed toward engineering and environmental training and applications. Deals with contaminant and heat transport in the unsaturated zone; includes a description of soils and their properties and unsaturated soil hydraulic properties; describes unsaturated zone processes; and thoroughly explores numerical modeling and uncertainty in modeling. A text for students in engineering and environmental science, and a reference for practicing engineers and scientists involved in the analysis of unsaturated zone contaminant problems.

This second edition is extensively revised throughout with expanded discussion of modeling fundamentals and coverage of advances in model calibration and uncertainty analysis that are revolutionizing the science of groundwater modeling. The text is intended for undergraduate and graduate level courses in applied groundwater modeling and as a comprehensive reference for environmental consultants and scientists/engineers in industry and governmental agencies. Explains how to formulate a conceptual model of a groundwater system and translate it into a numerical model Demonstrates how modeling concepts, including boundary conditions, are implemented in two groundwater flow codes-- MODFLOW (for finite differences) and FEFLOW (for finite elements) Discusses particle tracking methods and codes for flowpath analysis and advective transport of contaminants Summarizes parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis approaches using the code PEST to illustrate how concepts are implemented Discusses modeling ethics and preparation of the modeling report Includes Boxes that amplify and supplement topics covered in the text Each chapter presents lists of common modeling errors and problem sets that illustrate concepts