Investigating Atrazine Concentrations in the Zwischenscholle Aquifer Using MODFLOW with the HYDRUS-1D Package and MT3DMS
Simulation models that describe the flow and transport processes of pesticides in soil and groundwater are important tools to analyze how surface pesticide applications influence groundwater quality. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the slow decline and the stable spatial pattern of a...
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MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/4/1019 |
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| author | Sahila Beegum Jan Vanderborght Jiří Šimůnek Michael Herbst K. P. Sudheer Indumathi M Nambi |
| author_facet | Sahila Beegum Jan Vanderborght Jiří Šimůnek Michael Herbst K. P. Sudheer Indumathi M Nambi |
| author_sort | Sahila Beegum |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Simulation models that describe the flow and transport processes of pesticides in soil and groundwater are important tools to analyze how surface pesticide applications influence groundwater quality. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the slow decline and the stable spatial pattern of atrazine concentrations after its ban, which were observed in a long-term monitoring study of pesticide concentrations in the Zwischenscholle aquifer (Germany), could be explained by such model simulations. Model simulations were carried out using MODFLOW model coupled with the HYDRUS-1D package and MT3DMS. The results indicate that the spatial variability in the atrazine application rate and the volume of water entering and leaving the aquifer through lateral boundaries produced variations in the spatial distribution of atrazine in the aquifer. The simulated and observed water table levels and the average annual atrazine concentrations were found to be comparable. The long-term analysis of the simulated impact of atrazine applications in the study area shows that atrazine persisted in groundwater even 20 years after its ban at an average atrazine concentration of 0.035 µg/L. These results corroborate the findings of the previous monitoring studies. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:43:15Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-b778b0f712744d96b51f234f1e74a4d52023-11-19T20:32:28ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412020-04-01124101910.3390/w12041019Investigating Atrazine Concentrations in the Zwischenscholle Aquifer Using MODFLOW with the HYDRUS-1D Package and MT3DMSSahila Beegum0Jan Vanderborght1Jiří Šimůnek2Michael Herbst3K. P. Sudheer4Indumathi M Nambi5Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, IndiaAgrosphere Institute (IBG-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, GermanyDepartment of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USAAgrosphere Institute (IBG-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, GermanyDepartment of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, IndiaDepartment of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, IndiaSimulation models that describe the flow and transport processes of pesticides in soil and groundwater are important tools to analyze how surface pesticide applications influence groundwater quality. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the slow decline and the stable spatial pattern of atrazine concentrations after its ban, which were observed in a long-term monitoring study of pesticide concentrations in the Zwischenscholle aquifer (Germany), could be explained by such model simulations. Model simulations were carried out using MODFLOW model coupled with the HYDRUS-1D package and MT3DMS. The results indicate that the spatial variability in the atrazine application rate and the volume of water entering and leaving the aquifer through lateral boundaries produced variations in the spatial distribution of atrazine in the aquifer. The simulated and observed water table levels and the average annual atrazine concentrations were found to be comparable. The long-term analysis of the simulated impact of atrazine applications in the study area shows that atrazine persisted in groundwater even 20 years after its ban at an average atrazine concentration of 0.035 µg/L. These results corroborate the findings of the previous monitoring studies.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/4/1019MODFLOW with the HYDRUS-1D package and MT3DMSpesticide contaminationatrazinegroundwater contamination |
| spellingShingle | Sahila Beegum Jan Vanderborght Jiří Šimůnek Michael Herbst K. P. Sudheer Indumathi M Nambi Investigating Atrazine Concentrations in the Zwischenscholle Aquifer Using MODFLOW with the HYDRUS-1D Package and MT3DMS Water MODFLOW with the HYDRUS-1D package and MT3DMS pesticide contamination atrazine groundwater contamination |
| title | Investigating Atrazine Concentrations in the Zwischenscholle Aquifer Using MODFLOW with the HYDRUS-1D Package and MT3DMS |
| title_full | Investigating Atrazine Concentrations in the Zwischenscholle Aquifer Using MODFLOW with the HYDRUS-1D Package and MT3DMS |
| title_fullStr | Investigating Atrazine Concentrations in the Zwischenscholle Aquifer Using MODFLOW with the HYDRUS-1D Package and MT3DMS |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating Atrazine Concentrations in the Zwischenscholle Aquifer Using MODFLOW with the HYDRUS-1D Package and MT3DMS |
| title_short | Investigating Atrazine Concentrations in the Zwischenscholle Aquifer Using MODFLOW with the HYDRUS-1D Package and MT3DMS |
| title_sort | investigating atrazine concentrations in the zwischenscholle aquifer using modflow with the hydrus 1d package and mt3dms |
| topic | MODFLOW with the HYDRUS-1D package and MT3DMS pesticide contamination atrazine groundwater contamination |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/4/1019 |
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