Saltwater intrusion in coastal regions of North America

Saltwater has intruded into many of the coastal aquifers of the United States, Mexico, and Canada, but the extent of saltwater intrusion varies widely among localities and hydrogeologic settings. In many instances, the area contaminated by saltwater is limited to small parts of an aquifer and to specific wells and has had little or no effect on overall groundwater supplies; in other instances, saltwater contamination is of regional extent and has resulted in the closure of many groundwater supply wells. The variability of hydrogeologic settings, three-dimensional distribution of saline water, and history of groundwater withdrawals and freshwater drainage has resulted in a variety of modes of saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers. These include lateral intrusion from the ocean; upward intrusion from deeper, more saline zones of a groundwater system; and downward intrusion from coastal waters. Saltwater contamination also has occurred along open boreholes and within abandoned, improperly constructed, or corroded wells that provide pathways for vertical migration across interconnected aquifers. Communities within the coastal regions of North America are taking actions to manage and prevent saltwater intrusion to ensure a sustainable source of groundwater for the future. These actions can be grouped broadly into scientific monitoring and assessment, engineering techniques, and regulatory approaches.     

Groundwater sustainability assessment in coastal aquifers

The present work investigates the response of shallow, coastal unconfined aquifers to anticipated overdraft conditions and climate change effect using numerical simulation. The groundwater flow model MODFLOW and variable density groundwater model SEAWAT are used for this investigation. The transmissivity and specific yield estimated from the existing database range from 10 to 810 m ²/day and 0.08% to 10.92% respectively. After successful calibration with Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency greater than 0.80, the values of horizontal hydraulic conductivity and specific yield of the unconfined aquifer were set in the range 1.85–61.90 m/day and 0.006–0.24 respectively. After validating the model, it is applied for forecasting the aquifer’s response to anticipated future scenarios of groundwater draft, recharge rate and sea level rise. The findings of the study illustrate that saltwater intrusion is intensified in the area adjoining the tidal rivers, rather than that due to the sea alone. Of all the scenarios simulated, the immense negative impact on groundwater quality emerges due to overdraft conditions and reduced recharge with the areal extent of seawater intrusion exceeding about 67% (TDS >1 kg/m ³). The study also arrives at the conclusion that, regional sea level rise of 1 mm/year has no impact on the groundwater dynamics of the aquifer.     

Seasonal variation in natural recharge of coastal aquifers

Many coastal zones around the world have irregular precipitation throughout the year. This results in discontinuous natural recharge of coastal aquifers, which affects the size of freshwater lenses present in sandy deposits. Temperature data for the period 1960–1990 from LocClim (local climate estimator) and those obtained from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) SRES A1b scenario for 2070–2100, have been used to calculate the potential evapotranspiration with the Thornthwaite method. Potential recharge (difference between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration) was defined at 12 locations: Ameland (The Netherlands), Auckland and Wellington (New Zealand); Hong Kong (China); Ravenna (Italy), Mekong (Vietnam), Mumbai (India), New Jersey (USA), Nile Delta (Egypt), Kobe and Tokyo (Japan), and Singapore. The influence of variable/discontinuous recharge on the size of freshwater lenses was simulated with the SEAWAT model. The discrepancy between models with continuous and with discontinuous recharge is relatively small in areas where the total annual recharge is low (258–616 mm/year); but in places with Monsoon-dominated climate (e.g. Mumbai, with recharge up to 1,686 mm/year), the difference in freshwater-lens thickness between the discontinuous and the continuous model is larger (up to 5 m) and thus important to consider in numerical models that estimate freshwater availability.     

Review: Simulation-optimization models for the management and monitoring of coastal aquifers

The literature on the application of simulation-optimization approaches for management and monitoring of coastal aquifers is reviewed. Both sharp- and dispersive-interface modeling approaches have been applied in conjunction with optimization algorithms in the past to develop management solutions for saltwater intrusion. Simulation-optimization models based on sharp-interface approximation are often based on the Ghyben-Herzberg relationship and provide an efficient framework for preliminary designs of saltwater-intrusion management schemes. Models based on dispersive-interface numerical models have wider applicability but are challenged by the computational burden involved when applied in the simulation-optimization framework. The use of surrogate models to substitute the physically based model during optimization has been found to be successful in many cases. Scalability is still a challenge for the surrogate modeling approach as the computational advantage accrued is traded-off with the training time required for the surrogate models as the problem size increases. Few studies have attempted to solve stochastic coastal-aquifer management problems considering model prediction uncertainty. Approaches that have been reported in the wider groundwater management literature need to be extended and adapted to address the challenges posed by the stochastic coastal-aquifer management problem. Similarly, while abundant literature is available on simulation-optimization methods for the optimal design of groundwater monitoring networks, applications targeting coastal aquifer systems are rare. Methods to optimize compliance monitoring strategies for coastal aquifers need to be developed considering the importance of monitoring feedback information in improving the management strategies.     

海潮引起滨海含水层地下水位变化的初步研究

依据短序列和长序列的潮汐效应观测数据,分析了北海地区海潮引起滨海含水层地下水位变化的动态特征.结果表明,受海潮影响的滨海含水层地下水位与海潮有相似的波动特征,但变幅减小,受海潮的影响程度与观测点离海岸的距离有关,随着离海岸距离的增加地下水位的变幅和潮汐系数大致呈负指数减小.在南、北海岸距离海岸分别达3756m和2276m以远时地下水位不受海潮变化的影响.长序列的观测资料显示,海潮和岸边地下水位有15天的长周期和1天的短周期的波动.     

Review: Assessment and modeling of seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers of the Arabian Peninsula

Hydrogeology Journal - Significant urbanization and industrialization, combined with strong population growth, have been witnessed in the Arabian Peninsula (Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi...     

Saltwater intrusion and nitrate pollution in the coastal aquifer of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Dar es Salaam Quaternary coastal aquifer is a major source of water supply in Dar es Salaam City used for domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses. However, groundwater overdraft and contamination are the major problems affecting the aquifer system. This study aims to define the principal hydrogeochemical processes controlling groundwater quality in the coastal strip of Dar es Salaam and to investigate whether the threats of seawater intrusion and pollution are influencing groundwater quality. Major cations and anions analysed in 134 groundwater samples reveal that groundwater is mainly affected by four factors: dissolution of calcite and dolomite, weathering of silicate minerals, seawater intrusion due to aquifer overexploitation, and nitrate pollution mainly caused by the use of pit latrines and septic tanks. High enrichment of Na⁺ and Cl^? near the coast gives an indication of seawater intrusion into the aquifer as also supported from the Na–Cl signature on the Piper diagram. The boreholes close to the coast have much higher Na/Cl molar ratios than the boreholes located further inland. The dissolution of calcite and dolomite in recharge areas results in Ca–HCO₃ and Ca–Mg–HCO₃ groundwater types. Further along flow paths, Ca²⁺ and Na⁺ ion exchange causes groundwater evolution to Na–HCO₃ type. From the PHREEQC simulation model, it appears that groundwater is undersaturated to slightly oversaturated with respect to the calcite and dolomite minerals. The results of this study provide important information required for the protection of the aquifer system.     

电法探查海岸带含水层咸淡水界面的调查研究

本文在理论上对电法探查多层土层组成的海岸带含水层的咸淡水界面的可能性进行探讨的基础上,对太平洋沿岸某地区进行了实地调查研究.在测量设置在海岸附近及分布于海岸纵深方向的调查井垂直方向电导率的同时,在调查井附近进行了电法探查.结果表明,电法探查的咸淡水界面的深度与依据井水电导率区分的混合区域上端几乎一致,即对于不同类别土质构成的岩土层,电法不但能探查确定咸淡水界面的深度,而且与以往的手法比较也是一种简单、快速、可靠、成本低廉的确定咸淡水界面深度的方法.     

Factor analysis in hydrogeochemistry of coastal aquifers – a preliminary study

 This paper examines the results of R-mode factor analysis performed on major ion data from a hydrogeochemical survey over the coastal Quaternary deltaic aquifer of the Cauvery Basin, Tamil Nadu, India. Seven major ions (Ca, Mg, Na, K, HCO₃, Cl, and NO₃) were analyzed from each of the 126 water samples collected in two seasons (pre- and post-monsoon 63 each). A set of factors was found both in pre-monsoon and post-monsoon data which explained the source of the dissolved ions and the chemical processes which accompany the intrusion of seawater. Received: 4 March 1996 · Accepted: 28 August 1996     

Impact of desalination plants brine injection wells on coastal aquifers

A new methodology is developed in assessing environmental impacts of desalination plants discharging brine into the ground. The main environmental problem of the desalination of seawater is the brine disposal. The brine is commonly discharged into the sea or injected into a saline aquifer. In the case of injection into the ground, it is necessary to design a disposal system in a way that respects the environment and is sustainable. Laboratory and computational methods have been utilized to simulate the unsteady three-dimensional (3D) phenomena of subsurface brine disposal. The computational software used is SEAWAT, which is a 3D unsteady variable-density flow simulation model. The model is first used to simulate the laboratory results, and good agreement is achieved. Then, hypothetical problems are designed and simulated of groundwater extraction and brine disposal by desalination stations. The major purpose of these hypothetical problems is to delineate a methodology and to create design charts for design and management of production and injection well fields for coastal desalination plants. Several design charts have been developed with 36 scenarios for two well configurations created by four design parameters: relative salt concentration (RSC), production and injection rates (Q _d , Q _r ), well spacing (S), and simulation period (T).     

Impact of sandy beach recovery on solute transport in coastal unconfined aquifers

Hydrogeology Journal - Beach recovery describes the processes by which there is a natural restoration of beach material and coastal morphology following storm events, and these processes are common...     

National scale evaluation of groundwater chemistry in Korea coastal aquifers: evidences of seawater intrusion

Pollution of groundwater by seawater intrusion poses a threat to sustainable agriculture in the coastal areas of Korea. Therefore, seawater intrusion monitoring stations were installed in eastern, western, and southern coastal areas and have been operated since 1998. In this study, groundwater chemistry data obtained from the seawater intrusion monitoring stations during the period from 2007 to 2009 were analyzed and evaluated. Groundwater was classified into fresh (<1,500 μS/cm), brackish (1,500–3,000 μS/cm), and saline (>3,000 μS/cm) according to EC levels. Among groundwater samples (n = 233), 56, 7, and 37% were classified as the fresh, brackish, and saline, respectively. The major dissolved components of the brackish and saline groundwaters were enriched compared with those of the fresh groundwater. The enrichment of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ was especially noticeable due to seawater intrusion. Thus, the brackish and saline groundwaters were classified as Ca–Cl and Na–Cl types, while the fresh groundwater was classified as Na–HCO₃ and Ca–HCO₃ types. The groundwater included in the Na–Cl types indicated the effects of seawater mixing. Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, SO₄ ²⁻, and Br⁻ showed good correlations with Cl⁻ of over r = 0.624. Of these components, the strong correlations of Mg²⁺, SO₄ ²⁻, and Br⁻ with Cl⁻ (r ≥ 0.823) indicated a distinct mixing between fresh groundwater and seawater. The Ca/Cl and HCO₃/Cl ratios of the groundwaters gradually decreased and approached those of seawater. The Mg/Cl, Na/Cl, K/Cl, SO₄/Cl, and Br/Cl ratios of the groundwaters gradually decreased, and were similar to or lower than those of seawater, indicating that Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, SO₄ ²⁻, and Br⁻, as well as Cl⁻ in the saline groundwater can be enriched by seawater mixing, while Ca²⁺ and HCO₃ ⁻ are mainly released by weathering processes. The influence of seawater intrusion was evaluated using threshold values of Cl⁻ and Br⁻, which were estimated as 80.5 and 0.54 mg/L, respectively. According to these criteria, 41–50% of the groundwaters were affected by seawater mixing.     

Groundwater travel times for unconfined island aquifers bounded by freshwater or seawater

Analytical solutions for calculating groundwater travel times within unconfined island aquifers are given for cases of both a freshwater-bounded island (island located in a fresh water lake) and an oceanic island (freshwater contained above intrusive saltwater). The solutions apply for homogenous aquifers recharged by surface infiltration and discharged by a down-gradient, fixed-head boundary, under steady-state conditions. The solutions are given for two simple island geometries: circular islands and strip islands. A technique is also provided for comparing travel times in inland islands and oceanic islands. Travel times in oceanic islands are found to be shorter than travel times in inland islands, and travel times in circular islands are found to be longer than travel times in strip islands.     

Changes of freshwater-lens thickness in basaltic island aquifers overlain by thick coastal sediments

Freshwater-lens thickness and long-term changes in freshwater volume in coastal aquifers are commonly assessed through repeated measurement of salinity profiles from monitor wells that penetrate into underlying salt water. In Hawaii, the thickest measured freshwater lens is currently 262 m in dike-free, volcanic-rock aquifers that are overlain by thick coastal sediments. The midpoint depth (depth where salinity is 50% salt water) between freshwater and salt water can serve as an indicator for freshwater thickness. Most measured midpoints have risen over the past 40 years, indicating a shrinking lens. The mean rate of rise of the midpoint from 1999–2009 varied locally, with faster rates in highly developed areas (1.0 m/year) and slower rates in less developed areas (0.5  m/year). The thinning of the freshwater lenses is the result of long-term groundwater withdrawal and reduced recharge. Freshwater/salt-water interface locations predicted from measured water levels and the Ghyben-Herzberg principle may be deeper than measured midpoints during some periods and shallower during other periods, although depths may differ up to 100 m in some cases. Moreover, changes in the midpoint are slower than changes in water level. Thus, water levels may not be a reliable indicator of the amount of freshwater in a coastal aquifer.     

Tidal effects of groundwater levels in the coastal aquifers near Beihai, China

Four times of observation of the ocean tide and groundwater levels in the coastal aquifers near Beihai, China show that fluctuation in the tide-induced groundwater levels follows the tide, with the highest and lowest water levels corresponding to the high water level syzygy tide and the low water level neap tide. The tidal coefficient is less than 0.5, decreasing approximately exponentially with the distance from the coast. The tide can affect the groundwater levels at observation wells as far as about 4,200 and 3,300 m in the southern and northern coasts in Beihai. Observations and spectrum analyses of the time series of the tide and water levels suggest that the tide and water levels have similar changes with complex fluctuations of a long period of 14.37 days and two short periods of 24.7 and 12.5 h. Time lags of water levels to the tide at observation wells last several hours and increases roughly linearly with the distance from the coast. Mathematic models consisting of a periodic term plus a linear term are established to describe the changes in the tide and the groundwater levels. The periodic terms for the tide and water levels are constructed using finite Fourier’s series consisting of 7 to 11 terms other than a single term of a sine function in earlier work. Computed water levels with the models can fit the observed water levels with reasonable accuracy and satisfactory prediction of the changes in the water levels is also obtained.     

Hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater in coastal phreatic aquifers of Alleppey district,Kerala

Hydrogeochemical characteristics of groundwater in phreatic aquifers of Alleppey district were studied. Factor analysis has been applied to the chemical analysis data of 32 water samples collected from dug wells to extract the principal factors corresponding to the sources of variation in the hydrochemistry. 12 hydrochemical parameters were correlated and statistically examined. Varimax rotation was used to define the factor scores and percentage of variance in the hydrogeochemistry. A four-factor model is extracted and explains over 80.394% of the total groundwater quality variation. Factor-1 has high loading values of Electrical Conductivity (EC), Ca⁺⁺, and Cl⁻, and reflects the signature of saline water. Similarly strong correlation exists between F3 score and pH. The correlation coefficient matrix between EC and Na⁺, Cl⁻, SO₄⁻⁻ is significant. The mineralogy of coastal aquifers and the marine aerosol are playing significant role in the hydrogeochemistry of groundwater in the phreatic aquifer system.