ABSTRACT
The term validation has been the subject of literature debate for more than a decade. Some skeptics argue the term should not be used as it implies correctness and accuracy for a groundwatermodel that no one can claim. Similarly, others believe it is impossible to validate a groundwater numerical model because such a claim would assert a demonstration of truth that can never be attained for our approximate solutions to subsurface problems (Oreskes et al., 1994). Anderson and Bates (2001) edited a book covering the issue of model validation in hydrological sciences. Some of the quotes they presented from the skeptics and opponents to the use of the term “validation” include:
Absolute validity of a model is never determined. (National Research Council 1990).
