Coupling of Groundwater Transport and Plant Uptake Models

Plants significantly influence contaminant transport and fate. Important processes are uptake of soil and groundwater contaminants, as well as biodegradation in plants and their root zones. Models for the prediction of chemical uptake into plants are required for the setup of mass balances in environmental systems at different scale. Feedback mechanisms between plants and hydrological systems can play an important role, however having received little attention to date. Here, a new model concept for dynamic plant uptake models applying analytical matrix solutions is presented, which can be coupled to groundwater transport simulation tools. Exemplary simulations of plant uptake were carried out, in order to estimate concentrations in the soilplant- air system and the influence of plants on contaminant mass fluxes from soil to groundwater.