Theory and application of inverse problems in groundwater: numerical, laboratory and field studies.

Aquifers are a vital water resource whose quality characteristics must be safeguarded or, if damaged, restored. The extent and complexity of aquifer contamination is related to characteristics of the porous medium, the influence of boundary conditions, and the biological, chemical and physical processes. After the nineties, the efforts of the scientists have been increased exponentially in order to find an efficient way for estimating the hydraulic parameters of the aquifers, and thus, recover the contaminant source position and its release history. To simplify and understand the influence of these various factors on aquifer phenomena, it is common for researchers to use numerical and controlled experiments. This work presents some of these methods, applying and comparing them on data collected during laboratory, field and numerical tests. The work is structured in four parts which present the results and the conclusions of the specific objectives.