Computation of the unsteady two-dimensional free surface of groundwater by the finite-element method

Abstract A numerical solution of unsteady two-dimensional groundwater flow in unconfined aquifers with pumping and/or artificial recharge is presented. Problems of nonhomogeneous and anisotropic aquifers with pumping wells and/or artificial recharge and of various type of boundary conditions are considered. A governing equation is formulated in terms of the finite-element process using the Galerkin approach and triangular elements in the x-y-plane. The continuous time Galerkin approximation is used for the time dimension. The obtained nonlinear system of algebraic equations is solved by a predictor-corrector approximation. The results of the numerical solutions are presented in diagrams from which useful observations, comparisons and conclusions can be drawn.