Background

The complexity and detail of subsurface processes, properties and conditions that have to be addreessed in subsurface science and engineering has significantly increased in order to provide accurate assessments of risk and engineering. In order to guarantee confidence and reliability of simulation tools, benchmark problems are indispensable to qualifying appropriate modelling approaches and codes. 

The Subsurface Environmental Simulation Benchmarking workshops are an initiative for benchmarking subsurface environmental simulation methods with a current focus on reactive transport processes.

Each benchmark exercise consists on several cases with gradually increasing complexity. The aim is to provide a between basis for resolving discrepancies between code bases, but should also increase the number of problems that can be attempted by interested modelers.

The first workshop, organized by Carl Steefel and Steve Yabusaki, took place in Berkeley in 2011. After, the workshop series continue in Taiwan, Leipzig (Germany) and Cadarache (France). 

• SS Bench I, organized by LBNL, in Berkeley (USA) in November of 2011  
• SS Bench II, organized by the Graduate Institute of Applied Geology of National Central University and the National Science Foundation of Taiwan, in Taiwan between October and November of 2012
• SS Bench III, organized by Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, in Leipzig (Germany) in November of 2013
• SeS Bench IV, co-organized by CEA, Andra, BRGM and Mines Paristech, in Cadarache (France) in August of 2014. 

Finally, the University of A Coruña  has organized the SeS Bench V which is taking place in A Coruña in October of 2016.