Modeling Herbicides Movement in Railway Embankments in Germany

The input dataset for the groundwater contamination modeling project is structured to capture spatial, temporal, and chemical variability across five railway embankment sites in Germany: Burgdorf, Krefeld, Ingolstadt, Oftersheim, Weinböhla and a reference site (control with a homogeneous layer). Each site includes multiple simulation scenarios to reflect different herbicide application strategies and environmental conditions. The “site_12m” configuration represents full embankment-wide pesticide application, while “site_6m” simulates application limited to the upper 6 meters of the embankment. Temporal dynamics are incorporated through the “site_6y” setup, which spans six years of simulation time (2018–2024) to capture seasonal variation and long-term trends. For each site and scenario, selectors define the properties of four herbicidal compounds: glyphosate, its metabolite AMPA, flumioxazin, and flazasulfuron. These selectors include compound-specific parameters such as sorption coefficients, degradation rates, and mobility characteristics.