ABSTRACT
Characterisation of an investigated site is the first task to be carried out when dealing with point-source groundwater pollution problems. The main characterisation objectives are conceptualisation of the groundwater system and diagnosis of groundwater pollution. This chapter discusses the background information on: information required for Site Characterisation (SC), its sources and use; and a possibility to encapsulate knowledge on SC. SC is a complex task that includes gathering, processing and presentation of information on a polluted site. Both quantitative and qualitative information is required for accomplishing of this task. Knowledge in the Module is organised in Topic Units, composed of sets of topics. The Site Characterisation Module is an integral part of the Decision Support System for Groundwater Pollution Assessment. Information on chemical solubility is required at different stages of evaluation of a groundwater pollution situation. At the very beginning of the characterisation, solubility can be used as a first estimate of concentration.
