Conservative identification of nodal transmissivities: theory,computational experiments and application to the Rharb coastal aquifer (Morocco)

Abstract

In order to calculate the transmissivity from the inverse problem corresponding to the groundwater flow in an isotropic horizontal aquifer, a numerical conservative approach is tested. The method deals with triangulation of the domain and applies the conservation of mass to elements of the mesh using the harmonic mean for internodal transmissivities. An optimal sweeping algorithm is used to evaluate nodal transmissivities from one element to another with a minimal relative error accumulation. The practical importance of the method is demonstrated through two synthetic examples representing those experienced in the field, then through application to a Moroccan aquifer. The computed hydraulic head is well fitted to the reference one, which confirms the validity of the identified transmissivity model.