To simulate a transient problem you need initial conditions (in addition to the boundary conditions you normally need to provide for a steady-state model). Initial conditions are the conditions in the aquifer at the time from which you wish to simulate behavior into the future. In our example we will take the steady-state solution we have just generated as our initial conditions, so we select ‘Parent’ from the set of options under the Initial and Boundary Conditions for Head section of the Aquifer Attributes submenu (see Figure 80). You could also use the aquifer Top elevation as the initial condition (e.g., corresponding to inundated or flooded conditions) or a constant elevation. Finally, if you did not just previously execute the steady-state model, you can tell MAGNET to first solve the steady-state solution and then use that as the initial condition.