A new formulation is proposed for the estimation of transmissivity in confined aquifers based on head measurements. This formulation consists of a formulation which minimizes a weighted residual norm of the gradient of the measured and observed head. The weighting is the square of the estimated transmissivity. We show by theoretical analysis and numerical experimentation the improved global convergence properties and characteristics of stability under head measurement uncertainty exhibited by the new formulation. We conclude that the new formulation may be superior to conventional head residual formulations or may be useful as an added term to conventional formulations. The formulation is further demonstrated by a field scale application to the Friuli Aquifer in Italy.
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