Numerical modelling of surfacewater/groundwater flows for freshwater/saltwater hydrology: the case of the alluvial coastal aquifer of the Low Guadalhorce River, Malaga, Spain

This applied research deals with the numerical modelling and transient simulation of the joint surfacewater/groundwater flows that characterize the freshwater/saltwater hydrology of the coastal alluvial valley of the Low Guadalhorce River, Malaga, Spain. The MELEF model used was mainly adapted and calibrated for a simulation period of two hydrological years 1989/1990–1990/1991, before the current channelling of the river, where floods and low precipitations have been recorded. The model calibration process was performed with the aid of phreatic levels measured in numerous wells and piezometers, as well as recharges from precipitation and irrigation on the alluvial surface, which was also assessed by the hydrologic model SSMA-2. The present numerical approach can predict the forthcoming hydrology of the coastal alluvial of the Guadalhorce River after its final channelling.