Coupling GoldSim and MODFLOW using a Python Interface

This post describes a method for coupling GoldSim with MODFLOW using GSPy (GoldSim's Python interface) and FloPy (a Python package for creating MODFLOW models). The approach builds on existing work like the Dynamic Coupling of GoldSim and MODFLOW/MT3D project but focuses on a simplified implementation suitable for educational purposes.

Implementation Approach

Traditional model coupling typically requires:

• Writing temporary input files
• Managing external executable calls
• Parsing output files for results
• Handling timing and synchronization
• Managing file system operations

The GSPy + FloPy approach uses:

1. GSPy to handle communication between GoldSim and Python
2. FloPy to create and manage MODFLOW models in memory
3. Python functions that receive GoldSim inputs and return results
4. FloPy's built-in file management for MODFLOW input/output

This implementation uses a Tutorial 2 style MODFLOW setup for educational purposes.

The GoldSim Contaminant Transport Module Online Course is Now Available!

Posted by Rick Kossik

Over the last two years I posted six excerpts from the Contaminant Transport Module Online Course. I had promised that it was under development and would eventually be posted in full. I posted the last of these excerpts a year ago and then went silent, so you may have wondered "what happened?". With the exception of the last excerpt, these were from the (early) conceptual parts of the Course. The remainder of the Course is "hands-on" and procedural and would not have necessarily worked well in a blog format. Hence, the silence. Well, FINALLY (after 2 years of effort) the full Course is now available. In this post, I briefly provide an overview of what you can expect.

Dynamic Coupling of GoldSim and MODFLOW / MT3D

Posted by Jason Lillywhite

From time to time, we hear from GoldSim users asking about the possibility of linking MODFLOW with GoldSim dynamically. This is important because the combined model is useful for integrating accurate groundwater flow and transport models with decision support, hydrologic, and probabilistic models built in GoldSim. Folks at Barr Engineering were able to pull this off using a realistic hypothetical application and presented their application at the poster session of our 2015 User Conference.