Statistical and graphical methods for evaluating solute transport models: Overview and application

Mathematical modeling is the major tool to predict the mobility and the persistence of pollutants to and within groundwater systems. Several comprehensive institutional models have been developed in recent years for this purpose. However, evaluation procedures are not well established for models of saturated-unsaturated soil-water flow and chemical transport. This paper consists of three parts: (1) an overview of various aspects of mathematical modeling focused upon solute transport models; (2) an introduction to statistical criteria and graphical displays that can be useful for model evaluation; and (3) an example of model evaluation for a mathematical model of pesticide leaching. The model testing example uses observed and predicted atrazine concentration profiles from a small catchment in Georgia. The model tested is the EPA pesticide root zone model (PRZM).