Correction to “Dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source zone characterization: Influence of hydraulic property correlation on predictions of DNAPL infiltration and entrapment”

Abstract

[1] In the paper “Dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source zone characterization: Influence of hydraulic property correlation on predictions of DNAPL infiltration and entrapment” by Lawrence D. Lemke, Linda M. Abriola, and Pierre Goovaerts (Water Resources Research, 40, W01511, doi:10.1029/2003WR001980, 2004), ensembles of numerical aquifer realizations were constructed using alternative approaches for the assignment of physical property fields. Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) infiltration and entrapment behavior was subsequently modeled for each ensemble using the numerical multiphase flow simulator MVALOR. A coding error involving two unassigned variables that control the cell-wise calculation of entrapped organic and capillary pressure was recently discovered in MVALOR. In several realizations, this error resulted in (incorrect) predictions of PCE saturations that exceeded the capillary entry pressure in underlying cells. The careful review of this work by J.A. Christ at the University of Michigan, and his discovery of this error are gratefully acknowledged. [2] The error affected simulations for the ensemble referred to as set 3, in which capillary entry pressures were assigned independently of the permeability field. The error did not affect results for the reference set, set 1, or set 2 ensembles, in which capillary entry pressures were scaled to the permeability field. Corrected set 3 ensemble statistics for PCE distribution metrics are presented in Table 5, and corrected representative PCE saturation distributions for set 3 are illustrated in Figure 13. Predicted PCE distributions in the corrected set 3 ensemble exhibit greater variability in organic liquid saturation than those originally reported. Nevertheless, the original conclusion that simulations from ensemble set 3 exhibited increased infiltration, decreased spreading, and an increased tendency for DNAPL pooling reflected in maximum organic saturations exceeding 0.60, remains valid. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.