Application of Monte-Carlo method to modelling influence of selected soil heterogeneity on macrodispersion of pollutants in unsaturated soil medium

The influence of soil heterogeneity on miscible solute transport in soil is analyzed. The transport process is simulated numerically using the Monte-Carlo method. This paper shows how different types of soil heterogeneity influence the process of contaminant spreading. If independent flow paths exist in the soil, the degree of the mixing of pollutants in the outflow from the soil profile is larger. If the preferential flow paths are shorter, the degree of mixing, related to the heterogeneity of the velocity field, is smaller. These effects can be captured using the Monte-Carlo method.