  Analytic and semi-analytic solution are often used by researchers and
practicioners to estimate aquifer parameters from unconfined aquifer pumping
tests. The non-linearities associated with unconfined (i.e., water table)
aquifer tests makes their analysis more complex than confined tests. Although
analytical solutions for unconfined flow began in the mid-1800s with Dupuit,
Thiem was possibly the first to use them to estimate aquifer parameters from
pumping tests in the early 1900s. In the 1950s, Boulton developed the first
transient well test solution specialized to unconfined flow. By the 1970s
Neuman had developed solutions considering both primary transient storage
mechanisms (confined storage and delayed yield) without non-physical fitting
parameters. In the last decade, research into developing unconfined aquifer
test solutions has mostly focused on explicitly coupling the aquifer with the
linearized vadose zone. Despite the many advanced solution methods available,
there still exists a need for realism to accurately simulate real-world aquifer
tests.
