| Abstract: | A new analytical proof is presented for steady‐state seepage in recharged heterogeneous unconfined aquifers. The paper also presents a detailed procedure and important rules for performing correctly numerical studies of unsaturated seepage. Once a numerical solution is calibrated with field data, using a set of spatially distributed values for hydraulic conductivity K and effective infiltration EI, any new numerical analysis with a set of αK and αEI values, where α is a constant, yields an equally good calibration. However, if the effective porosities of each layer are unchanged, the groundwater velocities are multiplied by α, whereas the travel times are divided by α, which may help to select α in order to match known travel time data. This is a clear example of multiple solutions to an inverse problem. The paper underlines the role and the need to finely mesh unsaturated zones and also contacts between layers to reach the asymptotic convergence range, as it was carried out to verify the proof and as it should be completed to study any seepage problem. A few consequences of the new analytical proof and the rigorous procedure are shown with examples. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
