Professor Behzad Ataie Ashtiani

Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (LNAPL) flow on the water table is highly mobile and is sensitive to the fluctuation of groundwater. This process is highly complex and involves the migration of three immiscible phases (i.e. water, LNAPL and air) which need the explicit definition of multiple parameters. A coupled experimental and numerical simulation methodology is performed by using Time Domain Reflectrometer (TDR) and multiphase simulation of a controlled environment to mimic the water table fluctuation and its effect on the LNAPL residual saturation. TDR probes are installed in different locations of a 2D tank (i.e. a cuboid box with relatively low off-plane thickness) and the bulk permittivity of the phases are measured through artificially imposed boundary conditions. The bulk permittivity is then translated into saturation of the three different phases. The translated residual saturations along with the previously measured porous media properties (e.g. porosity and saturated permeability) are then inserted into the numerical simulator (i.e. COMSOL Multiphysics®) and the migration of the three phase in porous media is simulated. The numerical exponents and entry pressures needed for the simulation of the multiphase flow are estimated using the temporal experimental values. The exponents of water LNAPL relative permeability were estimated to be around 2 while the exponents gas LNAPL relative permeability were estimated to be closer to 3. The results, simulated with the optimized parameters, are then evaluated with pictures taken from the transparent face of the 2D tank different stages of the experiment. The temporal evolution of different phase saturation has been compared and validated between the experimental results obtained and interpreted by the TDR probe measurements and the simulations. The relative error stays in the 5 % confidence level for most reported points and only in the highly dynamic flow time steps the error reaches around 12% which are discussed in the text and is accepted due to the highly nonlinear nature of the problem.

Investigating the dynamic evolution of storage volume and salinity of Lake Urmia (LU), which is crucial to present more reliable estimations of water balance components, needs to be furthur studied. We aimed to fill this gap by developing a coupled lumped mathematical model that considered the two-way effect of salt and water balance components on each other. Through the coupled water and salt balance model, salt precipitation and dissolution components were incorporated, and vaporation was calculated dynamically based on the lake's salinity. The final model was then used as a tool to estimate the groundwater flux. Results indicated that during the lake shrinkage period (2009¿2015), substantial salt precipitation with an average rate of 6.79 g/100 g/year (6.79 g of salt per 100 g water per year) occurred. In this period, the lake's salinity increased to more than 450 g/l, and a negative trend of -0.200 km3/year in evaporation was detected. From 2016 to 2019, LU's water level rose, and although great salt dissolution with an average rate of 4.27 g/100 g/year occurred, the lake's salinity decreased. In 2019, with the least lake's salinity values (annual average of 266.1 g/l), the evaporation rate was 1.45 times greater than the average evaporation rate through the rest of the simulation period. While LU's connection with groundwater resources varied temporally, the average groundwater flux (-0.203 km3/year) was higher than it could be neglected. Results of this study are expected to enhance the understanding of LU crisis and to improve the plan to prevent further shrinkage of the lake.

Accurate implementation of river interactions with subsurface water is critical in large-scale hydrologic models with a constant horizontal grid resolution when models apply kinematic wave approximation for both hillslope and river channel flow. The size of rivers can vary greatly in the model domain, and the implemented grid resolution is too coarse to accurately account for river interactions. Consequently, the flow velocity is underestimated when the width of the rivers is much narrower than the selected grid size. This leads to inaccuracy and uncertainties in calculations of water quantities. In addition, the rate of exfiltration and infiltration between the river and the subsurface may be overestimated as the modeled area of water exchange between rivers and subsurface is larger than reality. Therefore, the present study tests the approximation of subscale channel flow by a scaled roughness coefficient in the kinematic wave equation. For this purpose, a relationship between grid cell size and river width is used to correct flow velocity, which follows a simplified modification of the Manning-Strickler equation. The rate of exfiltration and infiltration between the subsurface and river is also corrected across riverbeds by a scaled saturated hydraulic conductivity based on the grid resolution even though the grid size is relatively large. The scaling methodology is implemented in a hydrological model coupling ParFlow (PARallel FLOW) v3.5 and the Community Land Model (CLM) v4.5. The model is applied over the Upper Rhine Basin (between France and Germany) for a time period from 2012 to 2014 and at a spatial resolution of 0.055° (~6 km). The validity of the results is examined with satellite and in situ data through an innovative application of the First Order Reliability Method (FORM). The scaling approach shows that soil moisture estimates have improved, particularly in the summer and autumn seasons when cross-validated with independent soil moisture observations provided by the Climate Change Initiative (CCI). The results underline the use of a simple scaling procedure of the Manning coefficient and saturated hydraulic conductivity to account for the real infiltration/exfiltration rate in large-scale hydrological models with constant horizontal grid resolution. The scaling procedure also shows overall improvements in groundwater level estimation, particularly where the groundwater level is shallow (less than 5 m from the surface). By using the scaling approach, the average bias in soil moisture for the study domain was decreased from 0.17 mm3/mm3 to 0.1 mm3/mm3. The FORM results show that the probability of a substantial divergence between the ParFlow-CLM-S soil moisture results and the CCI-SM observation, which is defined as more than 0.25% of the CCI-SM observation value, is less than 0.05, 0.11, 0.15, and 0.08 for autumn, winter, spring, and summer, respectively.

Accurate mapping of flood risk areas is the basis for providing basic information on flood hazard reduction strategies and facilitates the relocation process. This study compared statistical approaches and multi-criteria-decision-making (MCDM) in flood hazard susceptibility mapping (FHSM). The performance of two statistical methods, the Evidential Belief Function (EBF) and Weight of Evidence (WOE), was compared with the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) as an MCDM technique. Mohammad-Abad catchment, known as one of the flood susceptible areas in northern Iran, was selected as a case study. A 100-year flood event with a peak flow of 85 m3/s, known as the most severe flood in the study catchment during the last 20 years (2000¿2020), is considered a basis for selected modelling and evaluation. The accuracy and efficiency of the adopted methods were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve, seed cell surface index, and frequency ratio. Flood inventory maps (including 56 flooded points) and flood-related conditioning factors in the study area were prepared to establish FHSM. Elevation, slope, aspect, plan curvature, topographic wetness index (TWI), stream power index (SPI), distance from the river, drainage density, NDVI, geology, soil type, and land use/land cover were used as flood-related conditional factors. The results of the MCDM method showed that the slope of the catchment is the most important factor in flood formation (with a relative weight of 0.25). By examining the validity of the methods, TOPSIS showed the highest efficiency (AUC = 0.8423), followed by WofE (AUC = 0.7686) and EBF methods (AUC = 0.6251). Based on the frequency ratio and values ¿¿of seed cell surface index, the MCDM approach shows better performance than statistical methods.

Induced Polarization (IP) is a non-intrusive geophysical method to monitor Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) contamination and remediation processes underground. In this study, an advanced numerical code simulating DNAPL flow and complex electrical resistivity is presented. The model was validated against existing IP results and image measurements that were carried out previously in a series of 2D tank experiment. Multiphase flow modeling in porous media is coupled with electrical current modeling to simulate the process of DNAPL migration and the associated IP response. This brings a broader view of the contamination in space and time compared to surface and borehole measurements, especially when the results are supported by field measurements or laboratory experiments. The simulations are developed in 3D and are performed in COMSOL Multiphysics®. The simulations using petrophysical relationships for in-phase and quadrature resistivity and the results of the experiments are in complete accordance with each other in the parts of the tank where the saturation of DNAPL is relatively low (i.e. especially in the cone of depression in the pumping scenario). However, the parts associated with high saturation of DNAPL show high errors between the in-phase resistivity simulations and the results from experiments. The present work can be regarded as a preliminary study toward further applications of coupled IP-multiphase flow for more accurate detection and monitoring of DNAPLs. It is suggested that the choice of tool/approach in this study be extended to larger-scale studies for further investigation.

We developed a decimetric size model based on coupling generalized Darcy's law and heat-transfer equations to model viscous dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) pumping through highly permeable porous media under non-isothermal conditions. The presence of fingering and non-wetting phase ganglia was modeled through an unsteady capillary diffusion coefficient and an arbitrary heterogeneous permeability field. The model was validated using existing experimental data of a simple case, an oil injection in a 2D tank packed with glass beads. Next, we compared the results of this model against a DNAPL extracting situation in the 2D tank to better understand the two-phase flow behavior in highly permeable porous media. We found that natural convection during heating plays an essential role in heat transfer, especially in the wetting phase zone. By adding the dynamic effect (unsteady conditions) we were better able to describe the presence of the ganglia in porous media. We observed good agreement between modeled and experimental oil saturation curves until the breakthrough point, with a mean relative error of about 10% for low and high flow rates, and 8% and 16% after breakthrough for low and high flow rates, respectively. Extracting viscous oil at low flow rates and high temperature generates less fingering and is well described by the generalized Darcy's law. The remobilization of residual non-wetting ganglia after the breakthrough point at the outlet is, however, difficult to simulate using the generalized Darcy's law. In the end, we treated this issue by using a perturbed permeability field to simulate the observed fingering in the 2D tank.

This study evaluated the efficiency of different Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), including ALOS-12.5¿m, SRTM-30¿m, SRTM-90¿m, and ASTER-30¿m v3 when being applied for the hydraulic simulation of flood inundation areas. HEC-RAS-2D model was employed to simulate inundation extent of a 400-year flood (Mar 17, 2019, with peak discharge ~ 547.92 m3/s) along 70¿km reach of low-gradient Gorganrood River, northeastern Iran. Fit percentage indicator (FI) and BIAS percentage indicator (BI) were used to evaluate the results in comparison with the remotely sensed inundated area data. The results revealed that the accuracy and capability of the ALOS and SRTM-30¿m were higher in simulation of flood extend area (FI ~ 52, BI ~ -¿22) and in deriving peak discharge in downstream of the study reach (RMSE ~ 20%). The ASTER showed the worst performance in both floods extend area and peak discharge, despite dramatic improvements in the new version. The results of this study can be considered as a baseline for the selection of DEM sources for deriving flood inundation mapping.

Rapid population growth and widespread industrialization are the main contributing factors to the increasing contamination of the world's diminishing freshwater resources. This work investigates Fe/TiO2 as an efficient and sustainable photocatalyst for treating organic micropollutants in water. The photocatalysts prepared by these mechanochemical methods used a high-energy ball milling technique to manipulate Fe/TiO2's structural, optical, and catalytic properties for the photo-oxidation of 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP). Doping with iron effectively reduced the band gap of rutile TiO2 from 3 to 2.22 eV. By reducing the ball/powder ratio from 34 to 7, the removal efficiency of 2,4-DCP increased from 65.2 to 84.7%. Measuring the TOC indicated 63.5 and 49.4% mineralization by Fe/TiO2-7 and rutile TiO2, respectively, after 24 h. The energy yields for the Fe/TiO2 and rutile TiO2 were 0.13 and 0.06 g 2,4-DCP/kW h, respectively.

This study presents a comprehensive review of the Land subsidence (LS) cases, as a worldwide environmental, geological, and global geohazard concern. Here, 290 case studies around the world mostly conducted in large metropolitan cities (e.g. Bangkok, Beijing, California, Houston, Mexico City, Shanghai, Jakarta, and Tokyo) in 41 countries were collected. The spatial distribution of LS characteristics (e.g. intensity, magnitude, and affected area), impacts, and influential factors are scrutinized. Worldwide attempts to remedy the crisis of LS were also investigated in this review. It is shown that the coastal plains and river deltaic regions are of high-frequent subsided areas around the world (~47% of 290 study areas). The spaceborne monitoring of LS is the more prevalent technique (~ 38% of total cases) compared to the ground-investigation (e.g. geological surveying, leveling, GPS, and modeling). Human-induced LS cases are 76.92% of all the LS cases around the world and groundwater extraction contributes 59.75% of these cases. Strong direct correlations with the exponential trend are observed between the average LS rate (LSavg) with groundwater withdrawal (R2 = 0.950) and groundwater level decline (R2 = 0.888). To understand the influential factors on LS occurrences, the relationship of LS rate with climate factors, hydrogeological characteristics of the aquifer, human-induced factors are investigated. Finally, we provide future research guidelines and implications that need to be expanded in order to better monitor and reduce the impact of the LS phenomenon. The outcomes of this study can be used to derive a framework helpful for interpreting the observed LS phenomena and for forecasting future situations to mitigate or control this geohazard.

Lake Urmia is the second-largest hypersaline lake in the world. There has been a drastic water level drop of 7.2 m from 1995 to 2016. Beginning in October 2013, the Lake Urmia Restoration Plan (LURP) launched a 10-year program. An increase in water level and a relative improvement in Lake Urmia condition has been observed since 2017. It is an undecided and controversial issue whether the recent positive trend of Lake Urmia has been due to the LURP activities or it is a natural contribution of climate factors variations. To shed some light on this issue, we examine three other lakes, adjacent to the Lake Urmia basin, with similar rainfall variability to investigate their status during the same period. Van (Turkey), Mosul, and Tharthar (both in Iraq), are evaluated as well as Lake Urmia. Three decades of remotely sensed data including precipitation (P), water level (WL), and lake extent (A) were considered for the mentioned lakes. A significant correlation was observed between standardized WL-P, and A-P over the long-term period, especially for the recent three years (R2 = 0.63¿0.87). We show that the cumulative precipitation in the antecedent months played a major role in the improvement of these lakes' situation but with different time lags (up to 6 months for Van and Mosul lakes and up to 36 months for Lake Urmia and Tharthar lake). These findings could inform the planners of LURP to adopt strategies for achieving a sustainable state of Lake Urmia based on a more realistic outlook.

Unilateral coercive international political, diplomatic, and economic sanctions are regular events of international relations and international law within the landscape of foreign affairs. However, while they may be prescribed by international law, or national legal systems, for peace and security reasons they have also been imposed for political grounds by powerful States such as the United States. The US sanctions are now targeting science, academic and university domains. When applied in this way, these sanctions violate international law, principles of human rights, ethics, the autonomy of scientific institutions, and the norm of universalism in science. All of which protect and promote scientific freedom of expression. It is vital that international and domestic law be correctly applied to uphold proper ethical standards and scientific independence in order to protect the work and the freedom of scholarship. In this way, law is the solution, rather than the problem.

The Elder problem is one of the well-known examples of an unstable density-driven flow (DDF) and solute transport in porous media. The goal of this research is to investigate the influence of fracture networks on this benchmark problem due to the great importance of the fractured heterogeneity effect on unstable DDF. For this aim, the fractured Elder problem is solved using COMSOL Multiphysics, which is a finite element method simulator. Uniform and orthogonal fracture networks are embedded to analyze free convective flow and development of unstable salt plumes. The results indicate that the mesh sensitivity of the fractured Elder problem is greater than the homogeneous case. Furthermore, it has been shown that in the fractured cases, the onset of instability and free convection occur with lower critical Rayleigh number, which means that fracture networks have a destabilizing effect. Also, we examined the structural properties of fracture networks that control convective flow patterns, and the simulation results show that the strength of convection and instability at the beginning of the intrusion is proportional to the aperture size of the fractures. Moreover, the increase of the fracture's density leads different modes of transient convective modes, until a specific fracture density after which the transient convective modes become similar to the homogenous case.

Losing eight meters of water level over a 20-year period from 1996 to 2016 marked the Lake Urmia (LU) as one of the regional environmental crises. This condition has threatened biota life, intensified desertification around the lake, and raised social concerns by adversely impacting the inhabitants' health and economy. In 2013, the Urmia Lake Restoration National Committee (ULRNC) started implementing certain management practices to stop the drying trend of LU, resulted in the cease of water level drop and stabilization of LU condition in 2016. Nevertheless, the restoration actions have not yet raised the lake to the water level as planned by the roadmap. This paper aims to describe and to assess the LU restoration plans by underscoring the ULRNC achievements, challenges, and shortcomings. In particular, we discuss how the value of data and data-aided modeling has been underestimated by the LU restoration programs, leading to still existing puzzles about the lake interaction with the involving physical processes governing its dynamics. We show how the LU restoration timetable has not fulfilled the planned milestones as evidenced by the inability to capture the anticipated lake water levels, which is partly attributed to the lack of field data and dynamic modeling that could predict the lake response in a more reliable and conservative manner. The current restoration plans should also be revisited to ensure that any practice with the aim of reducing water consumption in the basin is not only environmentally sustainable but also feasible from the socioeconomic perspective. The insights provided by this paper attempt to underscore the value of field data collection for establishing a reliable conceptual model, and for executing pre- and post-monitoring of the lake so that the success or failure of the restoration actions taken by the policymakers can be appropriately evaluated.

Accessibility to sufficient clean and fresh water for human consumption is one of the most important issues worldwide, and thus extensive research has been conducted to address this issue. Nowadays, nanotechnology has become a fast-growing technology due to the features of engineered nanomaterials (NMs). Recent advances in nanotechnology provide leapfrogging approaches for contaminant removal by overcoming the shortcomings of existing treatment technologies and offering cost-effective treatment methods with high capacity. The goal of this review is to provide an in-depth overview of some of the recent advances in the development of functional NMs used for the environmental remediation of a variety of pollutants. In this critical review, a new and different categorization of NMs including carbonaceous nanostructures, nanoparticles and nanocomposites is provided. The properties, removal mechanism of pollutants by different NMs, advantages and disadvantages of each group of NMs and their recent development in water, wastewater and groundwater treatment are reviewed and scrutinized. Results revealed that among the different NMs, graphene and its derivatives (e.g. graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, graphene-based metals and metal oxide) with excellent environmental compatibility and selectivity, large surface area and high purity, exhibit great absorption capacity because they trap electrons, preventing their recombination. Due to the abundance, unique electronic structure, high porosity, stability, efficient light absorption and suitable charge transfer properties of metal oxides, they are mainly used as catalysts in photocatalytic reactions. The discovery of oxy-acids is another important finding in recent years. In some cases, oxy-acids exhibit higher photoactivity and surface areas and cost less than metal oxides. Thus, to benefit from the advantages of different NMs, binary or ternary composites of metal, metal oxides, oxy-acids and others have been developed. This strategy has led to an increase in surface area and a decrease in band gap, which can enhance environmental contaminant cleanup. Moreover, numerous recent studies have extensively highlighted their results and key findings. Finally, this review will present new horizons for the purposeful application of NMs in remediation by considering the associated challenges, including risk, toxicity and their fate in the environment.

This paper represents a numerical study on the effects of landslide initial submergence and its geotechnical and rheological properties on the characteristics of landslide-generated waves (LGWs) and landslide deformation. A number of 117 numerical experiments are performed using a two-layer Coulomb Mixture Flow (2LCMFlow) model on a real-sized numerical flume as a simplified cross section of the Maku dam reservoir, located in the Northwest of Iran. Three different initial locations are considered for landslide representing a subaerial (SAL), a semi-submerged (SSL), and a submarine (SML) landslide. Based on the numerical results, the majority of SMLs and in some cases SSLs generate tsunami waves with a larger wave trough than the wave crest. The maximum negative wave amplitudes of LGWs caused by SMLs (SMLGWs) can be up to 55% larger than that for SALs. LGWs caused by SALs (SALGWs) commonly have a higher wave crest than the wave trough. In 70% of cases, the maximum wave crests of SALGWs are larger than that for LGWs caused by SSLs (SSLGWs) and SMLGWs. While, in the rest 30% of simulations, the maximum SSLGW crests are up to 60% larger than SALGWs. Due to the landslide inter-phase interactions in combination with its basal and internal friction resistances, only 10¿40% of the SAL initial mass contributes in LGW generation process. Energy transfer from landslide into water is about 0.5¿7.5% for SMLs, 6¿17.2% for SSLs, and 5¿15% for SALs. The final deposit of SMLs generally has a short and thick profile while SALs and SSLs elongate more and travel longer distances. Finally, a Coulomb mixture product parameter, P CM , is defined to relate the maximum LGW heights to the considered landslide properties.

Landslide events are among natural hazards with many fatalities and financial losses. Studies demonstrate that natural factors such as rainfall and human activities such as deforestation are important causes of triggering a landslide. In this study, an integrated two-dimensional slope stability model, SSHV-2D, is developed that considers various aspects of hydrological effects and vegetation impacts on the stability of slopes. The rainfall infiltration and water uptake of roots change the water content of the unsaturated zone. The temporal and spatial distribution of water content is estimated in the hydrological unit of the developed model. The vegetation unit of the model considers interception loss due to the existence of canopies and trunks, soil reinforcement effect by roots, root water uptake, the impact of root on hydraulic conductivity, and the influence of vegetation weight on slope stability. Benchmark problems with and without vegetation are solved for the model verification. The analyses demonstrate that the consideration of matric suction in the unsaturated zone can increase the safety factor more than 90%. It is also observed that the existence of trees with high density on a slope can increase the factor of safety about 50% and prevent shallow landslides. The present model is a platform for further development of more comprehensive and elaborative slope stability models.

Complex piers (CPs), consisting of a column, pile cap and pile group, are commonly built as foundations for hydraulic and marine structures. Scour-hole development around CPs is studied in this paper. A total of 52 tests is carried out on 4 CP models, with experiments durations ranging from 24 to 120 h. All of the available experimental data for clear-water scour around CPs including the collected data of the present study and those previously published are reviewed and combined into a database. A special case of bridge piers with deep foundation or caisson instead of pile caps is also considered, which is herein called compound piers. The database contains 367 experiments for CPs and 162 experiments for compound piers. The predictive equations of the maximum scour-hole depth at complex piers including HEC-18 and FDOT equations are revisited and a new equation is proposed. Comparisons of the prediction equations shows that for CP data, the absolute error is 28%, 79% and 108% for the proposed, HEC-18 and FDOT equations, respectively. Underestimation below -20% error line occurs for 11%, 15%, and 7% of the cases in the proposed, HEC-18, and FDOT equations, respectively. For compound piers, the proposed equation has 41% absolute error while HEC-18 equation has 93% absolute error.

A comparative world map of scientific misconduct reveals that countries with the most rapid growth in scientific publications also have the highest retraction rate. To avoid polluting the scientific record further, these nations must urgently commit to enforcing research integrity among their academic communities.

In this study, two conceptual models, the classic reservoir (CR) model and exchange reservoirs model embedded by dual porosity approach (DPR) are developed for simulation of karst aquifer functioning drained by multiple outlets. The performances of two developed models are demonstrated at a less developed karstic aquifer with three spring outlets located in Zagros Mountain in the south-west of Iran using 22-years of daily data. During the surface recharge, a production function based on water mass balance is implemented for computing the time series of surface recharge to the karst formations. The efficiency of both models has been assessed for simulation of daily spring discharge during the recession and also surface recharge periods. Results indicate that both CR and DPR models are capable of simulating the ordinates of spring hydrographs which drainage less developed karstic aquifer. However, the goodness of fit criteria indicates outperformance of DPR model for simulation of total hydrograph ordinates. In addition, the DPR model is capable of quantifying hydraulic properties of two hydrologically connected overlapping continua conduits network and fissure matrix which lays important foundations for the mining operation and water resource management whereas homogeneous model representations of the karstic subsurface (e.g., the CR) do not work accurately in the karstic environment.

A dataset of 365 laboratory tests for scour hole depth (SHD) around pile groups (PGs) under unidirectional aligned flow is compiled, and the performances of the existing equations are comparatively evaluated on the dataset using several statistical indices. A formulation based on a correction of HEC-18 equation provides the best estimate with a correlation factor of 0.58. The test durations of the considered data ranged between 4 and 389¿h. A time factor (Kt) is proposed to take into account the temporal variation of the SHD around different PGs. Among the datasets, 51 long-duration experiments are scrutinized to show the temporal variation of scour depth toward equilibrium state. The time duration for these tests is up to 16¿days. The proposed Kt factor for PGs has a superior performance compared to existing single-pier time factors. Subsequently, the equilibrium scour depths are calculated by extrapolation of scour depths reported at the end of the experiments using the Kt equation. The results showed that only 27¿93% of the equilibrium scour depths were obtained at the end of the experimental measurements. Finally, a new equation for prediction of equilibrium SHD around PGs is proposed, which has 10% less prediction error than the existing equations. This comprehensive comparative study is a significant step forward in the correct estimation of current-induced SHD around PG foundations of hydraulic and coastal structures.

Numerical simulations of the turbulent flow around single and side-by-side piles at different spacing ratios (centre-to-centre distance to the pile diameter) with flow Reynolds number of 105 on the fixed flat-bed are presented. The calculations are performed using the computational fluid dynamics model, FLOW-3D, which solves the Navier¿Stokes equations in three dimensions with a finite-volume method. The numerical results of time-averaged flow patterns around single and side-by-side piles are validated using the available experimental measurements. At the downstream of the single pile, dimensionless vortex shedding frequency (Strouhal number) is estimated as 0.22. The maximum values of bed shear stress around side-by-side piles at different spacing ratios are compared with the maximum values obtained for the single pile. Interactions of horseshoe vortices on different cases of side-by-side piles are studied. Numerical results show that the critical arrangement for which the largest bed shear stress was observed is the case with the spacing ratio of 3.

This paper presents a new landslide-generated wave (LGW) model based on incompressible Euler equations with Savage-Hutter assumptions. A two-layer model is developed including a layer of granular-type flow beneath a layer of an inviscid fluid. Landslide is modeled as a two-phase Coulomb mixture. A well-balanced second-order finite volume formulation is applied to solve the model equations. Wet/dry transitions are treated properly using a modified non-linear method. The numerical model is validated using two sets of experimental data on subaerial and submarine LGWs. Impulsive wave characteristics and landslide deformations are estimated with a computational error less than 5¿%. Then, the model is applied to investigate the effects of landslide deformations on water surface fluctuations in comparison with a simpler model considering a rigid landslide. The model results confirm the importance of both rheological behavior and two-phase nature of landslide in proper estimation of generated wave properties and formation patterns. Rigid slide modeling often overestimates the characteristics of induced waves. With a proper rheological model for landslide, the numerical prediction of LGWs gets more than 30¿% closer to experimental measurements. Single-phase landslide results in relative errors up to about 30¿% for maximum positive and about 70¿% for maximum negative wave amplitudes. Two-phase constitutive structure of landslide has also strong effects on landslide deformations, velocities, elongations, and traveling distances. The complex behaviors of landslide and LGW of the experimental data are analyzed and described with the aid of the robust and accurate finite volume model. This can provide benchmark data for testing other numerical methods and models.

Groundwater vulnerability assessment of urban areas is a challenging task in the fast trend of urbanization around the globe. This study introduces a new approach for modifying well-known parameters of common vulnerability indexes to adjust them for urban areas. The approach is independent of a specific weighting system. The aquifer of Mashhad city, contaminated by domestic wastewater, is selected as a case in this study. In order to evaluate the aquifer vulnerability due to anthropogenic activities, at first, parameters of depth to groundwater, recharge, land use, and soil are modified based on their basic concepts and their influences on contamination attenuation. Then, the modified parameters are used simultaneously in several index methods to investigate the capability of the modified parameters to increase correlation coefficient of all employed index methods with the measured nitrate concentration. Accuracy of the modified methods is evaluated by Spearman nonparametric correlation. It is shown that considering the wastewater discharge into recharge parameter leads to an increase of 20% in correlation coefficient. Also, level difference technique shows that more than 70% of the vulnerable areas are predicted correctly in all utilized methods. The accurate prediction in all employed methods indicates that these modifications are independent of the type of index method. Moreover, sensitivity analysis reveals that the recharge and the land use are both the most significant parameters for evaluating the vulnerability.

Bayesian inference has traditionally been conceived as the proper framework for the formal incorporation of expert knowledge in parameter estimation of groundwater models. However, conventional Bayesian inference is incapable of taking into account the imprecision essentially embedded in expert provided information. In order to solve this problem, a number of extensions to conventional Bayesian inference have been introduced in recent years. One of these extensions is 'fuzzy Bayesian inference' which is the result of integrating fuzzy techniques into Bayesian statistics. Fuzzy Bayesian inference has a number of desirable features which makes it an attractive approach for incorporating expert knowledge in the parameter estimation process of groundwater models: (1) it is well adapted to the nature of expert provided information, (2) it allows to distinguishably model both uncertainty and imprecision, and (3) it presents a framework for fusing expert provided information regarding the various inputs of the Bayesian inference algorithm. However an important obstacle in employing fuzzy Bayesian inference in groundwater numerical modeling applications is the computational burden, as the required number of numerical model simulations often becomes extremely exhaustive and often computationally infeasible. In this paper, a novel approach of accelerating the fuzzy Bayesian inference algorithm is proposed which is based on using approximate posterior distributions derived from surrogate modeling, as a screening tool in the computations. The proposed approach is first applied to a synthetic test case of seawater intrusion (SWI) in a coastal aquifer. It is shown that for this synthetic test case, the proposed approach decreases the number of required numerical simulations by an order of magnitude. Then the proposed approach is applied to a real-world test case involving three-dimensional numerical modeling of SWI in Kish Island, located in the Persian Gulf. An expert elicitation methodology is developed and applied to the real-world test case in order to provide a road map for the use of fuzzy Bayesian inference in groundwater modeling applications.

In this paper, a second order accurate cell-centered finite volume method (FVM) is coupled with a finite element method (FEM) to solve the deformation of a saturated porous layer based on Biot's consolidation model. The proposed numerical technique is applied to the fully unstructured triangular grids to simulate actual geological formations. To reconstruct the pressure gradient at control volume faces, the diamond scheme is implemented as a multipoint flux approximation method. Also the least square algorithm is used to interpolate pressure at the vertices from the cell-center values. The stability of this numerical model is studied in comparison to the different FEMs through various examples. It is shown that, although the Taylor-Hood FEM has been introduced as a remedy for violation of the inf-sup condition, it does not entirely remove the non-physical oscillations. Contrary to the linear and Taylor-Hood FEMs, the proposed discretization model provides monotonic solution without imposing any restriction on the mesh or time step size. Compared to the mixed FEM, the method achieves local mass balance with fewer degrees of freedom. To couple the flow and mechanical sub-problems, the fixed-stress operator split is implemented as an iterative sequential method, due to its unconditional stability, accuracy and high rate of convergence. The accuracy of the proposed model is verified via a range of examples including analytical and numerical solutions. The performance of this methodology is assessed through modeling of subsidence in an aquifer-interbed system. This problem illustrates the capability of the model in providing stable solution in heterogeneous domains with complicated shapes.

The author utilized neuro-fuzzy based group method of data handling (NF-GMDH) to predict the local scour depth around pile groups under clear-water conditions. They collected the datasets from literature. To predict the local scour by using NF-GMDH, nine dimensional parameters were considered to define a functional relationship between input and output variables. The results of NF- GMDH networks were compared with that of the empirical equations. However, the collected datasets for pile group scouring, the method of implementing the empirical formula to calculate scour depth, and using the equation of Sheppard et al. (2004) suggested for single pier to predict local scouring around pile groups merits this discussion. Here, we will establish that a part of applied data and also some of the implemented equations were not related to pile group scour. The empirical formulations were not employed correctly too and all the conclusions and results of the paper are disbelieving. Finally, we will discuss on the wide use of various artificial intelligent methods.

With all the improvement in wave and hydrodynamics numerical models, the question rises in our mind that how the accuracy of the forcing functions and their input can affect the results. In this paper, a commonly used numerical third-generation wave model, SWAN is applied to predict waves in Lake Michigan. Wind data are analyzed to determine wind variation frequency over Lake Michigan. Wave predictions uncertainty due to wind local effects are compared during a period where wind has a fairly constant speed and direction over the northern and southern basins. The study shows that despite model calibration in Lake Michigan area, the model deficiency arises from ignoring wind effects in small scales. Wave prediction also emphasizes that small scale turbulence in meteorological forces can increase prediction errors by 38%. Wave frequency and coherence analysis show that both models can predict the wave variation time scale with the same accuracy. Insufficient number of meteorological stations can result in neglecting local wind effects and discrepancies in current predictions. The uncertainty of wave numerical models due to input uncertainties and model principals should be taken into account for design risk factors.

The final outcome of promotion and recruitment processes in universities should be conventional and plausible by the members of the relevant scientific community, to affirm that the processes have been competitive and fair. The objective of this opinion letter is to make a plea for the importance of the post-auditing and quantitative assessment of the selection criteria. It is shown that for an example case the outcome of the post-audit does not look reasonable from an external point of view, at least regarding the research competency.

Experimental results of detailed flow measurements using an Acoustic-Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) around a complex bridge pier (CBP) are presented. The pier consists of a column, a pile cap (PC) and a 2×4 pile group. The time-averaged velocities, turbulence intensities, and Reynolds stresses are studied and presented at different horizontal and vertical planes. Streamlines obtained from the velocity fields are used to show the complexity of the flow around the pier. It is shown that the main feature of the flow responsible for the entrainment of the bed sediments is a contracted (pressurized) flow below the PC toward the piles. A deflected flow around the PC and a strong down-flow along its sides are observed and have been measured. It is shown that these flow patterns also cause sediment entrainment. Vortex flow behind the PC and amplification of turbulence intensity along its sides near the downstream region can be other reasons for the scour hole (SH) development. Turbulence intensities and Reynolds shear stresses are presented and discussed. A comparison is made between the flow field measured with the equilibrium SH and that measured on the fixed flat-bed. The results show that the flow field around the PC is considerably influenced by the development of the SH. The extent of the wake region at the rear of the PC is about 1.4 times larger for the fixed bed (FB) than for the scoured bed (SB). Moreover, the size of the core of high turbulent kinetic energy K, as well as the maximum values of K behind the column for the FB case is larger than that of the SB case. When a scour hole develops, the flow below the PC around the piles is considered to be the main cause of the scour. This is the first time that these observations about the flow and turbulence field around a complex bridge pier are reported and analyzed. In addition to improving the understanding of the flow structure, the present detailed measurements can also be used for benchmarking and verification of numerical models.

A closed-form analytical computation of groundwater travel time (GWTT) for two-layer oceanic small island aquifers is developed assuming steady-state and sharp-interface conditions. The two-layer geology impacts on the GWTT are investigated using the developed analytical solution to achieve a greater transparency of such conceptualizations. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of geologic layering leads to large changes in the GWTT. Sensitivity analyses, using specified dimensionless parameters, are employed to assess the influences of hydraulic conductivity, recharge rate, upper layer thickness, and seawater/freshwater density difference parameters, which influence the GWTT. These evaluations reveal that the GWTT is mainly influenced by the recharge rate and the upper layer thickness compared to the other influential parameters when the typical parameter ranges are considered.

Landslide-generated waves (LGWs) are among natural hazards that have stimulated attentions and concerns of engineers and researchers during the past decades. At the same period, the application of numerical modeling has been progressively increased to assess, control, and manage the risks of such hazards. This paper represents an overview of numerical studies on LGWs to explore associated recent advances and future challenges. In this review, the main landslide events followed by an LGW hazard are scrutinized. The uncertainty regarding landslide characteristics and the lack of data concerning generated tsunami properties highlights the necessity of probabilistic analysis and numerical modeling. More than 53¿% of landslides show the slide length larger than about 20 times of the slide thickness. This fact justifies the popular application of depth-averaged equations (DAEs) for landslides' motion simulations. Such models are reviewed and tabulated based on their mathematical, numerical, and conceptual approaches. A landslide is generally treated as a homogeneous, mixture, or a¿multi-phase fluid with different rheologies. The Coulomb type rheology is the most-used rheology applied in more than 70¿% of landslide models. Some of the recent studies are considering the effects of multi-phase nature, dynamic changes of rheological parameters, and grain-size segregation of the landslide on its deformations. The numerical tools that model LGWs are also reviewed, categorized, and examined. These models conceptualize a landslide as a general rigid LGW (R-LGW) or deformable LGW (D-LGW) mass. The rigid slide assumption is mainly applied in the LGW models with a focus on the accurate simulation of the wave propagation stage, particularly by means of higher order Boussinesq-type wave equations (BWEs). The majority of D-LGW models solve either the Navier¿Stokes equations (NSEs) for a multi-phase (landslide material, water, and air) flow or the shallow water equations (SWEs) for a two-layer (a layer of granular material moving beneath a layer of water) flow. NSEs are more comprehensive models but less robust than DAEs. The key effect of dispersion in LGWs, which are typically important in¿intermediate and even deep water wave¿domains, challenges researchers to apply higher order BWEs instead of SWEs in two-layer models. Regarding numerical approaches, Lagrangian's are more robust than Eulerian's, but they have been rarely applied due to their high computational demands for real cases. The remaining challenges are reviewed as the necessity of probabilistic analysis to assess the risk of the related hazards more accurately for both past and potential LGW hazards; further thorough laboratory-scale experiments and field data measurements to have accurate and detailed benchmark data; providing RS/GIS-based worldwide hazard map for potential LGWs and compiled database for occurred events; extending BWEs for granular flows and DAEs with non-hydrostatic corrections; and economizing the computational costs of models¿by advanced techniques like parallel processing and GPU accelerators.