This course is part of the module Groundwater Hydraulics and was held in the summer semester 2021. It provides an introduction to the theory behind numerical modelling in relation to groundwater.

This course is an introduction to numerical modeling of groundwater flow. The course materials include

• a short recap of mathematical models governing groundwater flow and solute transport,
• a general introduction to the concept of modeling,
• numerical basics of spatial and temporal discretization techniques,
• possible workflows to address hydrogeological questions with numerical models,
• typical requirements for parameterization and designing a model,
• examples of designing and implementing simple and complex groundwater flow models.

The course aims at providing a first overview of possibilities and pitfalls using numerical groundwater flow models. Special emphasis is given in training the course participants in the transfer between "real world" and model as well as in the critical inspection of simulation results. As an important part of the course, the participants will set up their own numerical groundwater models - from simple to complex. The course uses the groundwater flow module of the open-source software GRASS GIS, so that every participant can free of charge can interactively work with provided files, and earn hands-on experience in groundwater modeling.

• Obtaining the basic skills to apply numerical models
• Learning how to interpret results of numerical simulations
• Evaluating the reliability and quality of a simulation
• Getting used to the specific “modeling” vocabulary