Saltwater Intrusion and Recirculation of Seawater in Isotropic and Anisotropic Coastal Aquifers
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 23, Issue 11
Abstract
Saltwater intrusion and the recirculation of seawater that occur at the seacoast in coastal aquifers are investigated for vertically isotropic and anisotropic aquifers as dependent functions of two independent dimensionless ratios, i.e., the ratio of the freshwater inflow relative to the vertical density-driven buoyancy flux () and the ratio of the vertical hydraulic conductivity relative to the horizontal hydraulic conductivity (). Values of are varied over a range from 0.10 to 10.0 for three cross sections in which , 0.10, and 1.00. The maximum values of saltwater intrusion and recirculation occur at the smallest values of and , and the minimum values occur at the largest values of and . Numerical experiments are performed first for the uncoupled condition, in which the flow and transport equations are solved for a constant-density flow field, and then for the coupled condition, in which the flow and transport equations are solved for a variable-density flow field. For all three hydraulic conductivity ratios, saltwater intrusion is significantly greater and the recirculation of seawater is significantly less for the coupled condition than for the uncoupled condition at the smaller values of . The results of this investigation clearly demonstrate that saltwater intrusion and recirculation in coastal aquifers increase at the smaller values of as the degree of vertical anisotropy increases, and that variable-density numerical codes should be used to obtain accurate solutions for saltwater intrusion and recirculation in both isotropic and vertically anisotropic coastal aquifers in which the freshwater inflow is small relative to the vertical density-driven buoyancy flux.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The work of Dr. Kalakan at the University of Florida was financially supported by the Royal Thai Government within the framework of the National Science and Technology Development Agency in the Science and Technology Scholarships Program. Additional funding and support for this investigation were provided by Burapha University, Chonburi, Thailand, and the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
References
Abarca, E., J. Carrera, X. Sánchez-Vila, and M. Dentz. 2007. “Anisotropic dispersive Henry problem.” Adv. Water Resour. 30 (4): 913–926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2006.08.005.
An, Q., Y. Wu, S. Taylor, and B. Zhao. 2009. “Influence of the Three Gorges Project on saltwater intrusion in the Yangtze River Estuary.” Environ. Geol. 56 (8): 1679–1686. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1266-4.
Anderson, M. P. 1984. “Movement of contaminants in groundwater: Groundwater transport—Advection and dispersion.” In Groundwater contamination, 37–45. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Burnett, W. C., et al. 2006. “Review: quantifying submarine groundwater discharge in the coastal zone via multiple measurements.” Sci. Total Environ. 367 (2–3): 498–543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.05.009.
Cooper, H. H., Jr. 1959. “A hypothesis concerning the dynamic balance of fresh water and salt water in a coastal aquifer.” J. Geophys. Res. 64 (4): 461–467. https://doi.org/10.1029/JZ064i004p00461.
Demirel, Z. 2004. “The history and evaluation of saltwater intrusion into a coastal aquifer in Mersin, Turkey.” J. Environ. Manage. 70 (3): 275–282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2003.12.007.
Dentz, M., D. M. Tartakovsky, E. Abarca, A. Guadagnini, X. Sánchez-Vila, and J. Carrera. 2006. “Variable-density flow in porous media.” J. Fluid Mech. 561: 209–235. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112006000668.
Environmental Simulations. 2007. Guide to using groundwater vistas: Version 5. Reinholds, PA: Environmental Simulations.
Essink, G. H. P. O. 2001. “Salt water intrusion in a three-dimensional groundwater system in The Netherlands: a numerical study.” Transp. Porous Media 43 (1): 137–158. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010625913251.
Gelhar, L. W., C. Welty, and K. R. Rehfeldt. 1992. “A critical review of data on field-scale dispersion in aquifers.” Water Resour. Res. 28 (7): 1955–1974. https://doi.org/10.1029/92WR00607.
Goswami, R. R., and T. P. Clement. 2007. “Laboratory-scale investigation of saltwater intrusion dynamic.” Water Resour. Res. 43 (4): W04418. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR005151.
Guo, W., and C. D. Langevin. 2002. User’s guide to SEAWAT: A computer program for simulation of three-dimensional variable-density ground-water flow. Tallahassee, FL: US Geological Survey.
Harbaugh, A. W. 2005. MODFLOW-2005: The US Geological Survey modular ground-water model: The ground-water flow process. Reston, VA: US Geological Survey.
Henry, H. R. 1964. “Effects of dispersion on salt encroachment in coastal aquifers.” In Sea water in coastal aquifers, C70–C84. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 1613-C. Washington, DC: US Geological Survey.
Holzbecher, E. O. 1998. Modeling density-driven flow in porous media, 286. Berlin: Springer.
Holzbecher, E. O. 2000. “Comment on ‘Mixed convection processes below a saline disposal basin’ by Simmons, C. T., Narayan, K. A. 1997, Journal of Hydrology, 194, 263–285.” J. Hydrol. 229 (3–4): 290–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-1694(00)00162-1.
Holzbecher, E. O. 2004. “The mixed convection number for porous media flow.” In Emerging techniques and technology in porous media, edited by D. B. Ingram, A. Bejan, E. Mamut, and I. Pop. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
Hunt, A. G., and T. E. Skinner. 2010. “Predicting dispersion in porous media.” Complexity 16 (1): 43–55. https://doi.org/10.1002/cplx.20322.
Kalakan, C. 2014. “Investigation of saltwater intrusion based on the Henry problem and a field-scale problem.” Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. of Civil and Coastal Engineering, Univ. of Florida.
Kalakan, C., and L. H. Motz. 2016. “Analysis of seawater intrusion and recirculation of seawater in a vertically anisotropic coastal aquifer.” In Proc., World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2016. West Palm Beach, FL: Environmental and Water Resources Institute of ASCE.
Kaleris, V. 2006. “Submarine groundwater discharge: Effects of hydrogeology and of near shore surface water bodies.” J. Hydrol. 325 (1–4): 96–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2005.10.008.
Kashef, A.-A. I. 1983. “Salt-water intrusion in the Nile Delta.” Groundwater 21 (2): 160–167. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.1983.tb00713.x.
Langevin, C. D., and W. Guo. 2006. “MODFLOW/MT3DMS-based simulation of variable-density ground water flow and transport.” Groundwater 44 (3): 339–351. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2005.00156.x.
Langevin, C. D., D. T. Thorne, Jr., A. M. Dausman, M. C. Sukop, and W. Guo. 2008. “SEAWAT version 4: A computer program for simulation of multi-species solute and heat transport.” In Chap. A22 in USGS techniques and methods, 39. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Langevin, C. D., and M. Zygnerski. 2013. “Effect of sea-level rise on salt-water intrusion near a coastal well field in southeastern Florida.” Groundwater 51 (5): 781–803. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2012.01008.x.
Li, L., D. A. Barry, F. Stagnitti, and J.-Y. Parlange. 1999. “Submarine groundwater discharge and associated chemical input to a coastal sea.” Water Resour. Res. 35 (11): 3253–3259. https://doi.org/10.1029/1999WR900189.
Ma, Q., H. Li, X. Wang, C. Wang, L. Wan, X. Wang, and X. Jiang. 2015. “Estimation of seawater–groundwater exchange rate: Case study in a tidal flat with a large-scale seepage face (Laizhou Bay, China).” Hydrogeol. J. 23 (2): 265–275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-014-1196-z.
Martin, J. B., J. E. Cable, C. Smith, M. Roy, and J. Cherrier. 2007. “Magnitudes of submarine groundwater discharge from marine and terrestrial sources: Indian River Lagoon, Florida.” Water Resour. Res. 43 (5): W05440. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR005266.
McCoy, C. A., and D. R. Corbett. 2009. “Review of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in coastal zones of the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions of the Unites States with management implications.” J. Environ. Manage. 90 (1): 644–651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2008.03.002.
Moore, W. S. 1996. “Large groundwater inputs to coastal waters revealed by enrichments.” Nature 380 (6575): 612–614. https://doi.org/10.1038/380612a0.
Moore, W. S. 2010. “The effect of submarine groundwater discharge on the ocean.” Ann. Rev. Mar. Sci. 2: 59–88. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-120308-081019.
Moore, W. S., and T. S. Church. 1996. “Submarine groundwater discharge.” Nature 382 (6587): 122. https://doi.org/10.1038/382122a0.
Motz, L. H., and A. Sedighi. 2009. “Representing the coastal boundary condition in regional groundwater flow models.” J. Hydrol. Eng. 14 (8): 821–831. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0000049.
Motz, L. H., and A. Sedighi. 2013. “Saltwater intrusion and recirculation of seawater at a coastal boundary.” J. Hydrol. Eng. 18 (1): 10–18. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0000594.
Mulrennan, M. E., and C. D. Woodroffe. 1998. “Saltwater intrusion into the coastal plains of the lower Mary River, Northern Territory, Australia.” J. Environ. Manage. 54 (3): 169–188. https://doi.org/10.1006/jema.1998.0229.
Neuman, S. 1993. “Comment on ‘A critical review of data on field-scale dispersion in aquifers’ by L. W. Gelhar, C. Welty, and K. R. Rehfeldt.” Water Resour. Res. 29 (6): 1863–1865. https://doi.org/10.1029/93WR00579.
Neuman, S. P. 1990. “Universal scaling of hydraulic conductivities and dispersivities in geologic media.” Water Resour. Res. 26 (8): 1749–1758. https://doi.org/10.1029/WR026i008p01749.
Neuman, S. P. 2006. “Comment on ‘Longitudinal dispersivity data and implications for scaling behavior’ by D. Schulze-Makuch.” Groundwater 44 (2): 139–141. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2006.00166.x.
Nowroozi, A. A., S. B. Horrocks, and P. Henderson. 1999. “Saltwater intrusion into the freshwater aquifer in the eastern shore of Virginia: A reconnaissance electrical resistivity survey.” J. Appl. Geophys. 42 (1): 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0926-9851(99)00004-X.
Park, C.-H., and M. M. Aral. 2008. “Saltwater intrusion hydrodynamics in a tidal aquifer.” J. Hydrol. Eng. 13 (9): 863–872. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1084-0699(2008)13:9(863).
Povich, T. J., C. N. Dawson, M. W. Farthing, and C. E. Kees. 2013. “Finite element methods for variable density flow and solute transport.” Comput. Geosci. 17 (3): 529–549. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10596-012-9330-2.
Qu, W., H. Li, L. Wan, X. Wang, and X. Jiang. 2014. “Numerical simulations of steady-state salinity distribution and submarine groundwater discharges in homogeneous anisotropic coastal aquifers.” Adv. Water Resour. 74: 318–328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2014.10.009.
Robinson, C., L. Li, and D. A. Barry. 2007. “Effect of tidal forcing on a subterranean estuary.” Adv. Water Resour. 30 (4): 851–865. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2006.07.006.
Schultze-Makuch, D. 2005. “Longitudinal dispersivity data and implications for scaling behavior.” Groundwater 43 (3): 443–456. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2005.0051.x.
Simmons, G. M., Jr. 1992. “Importance of submarine groundwater discharge (SGWD) and seawater cycling to material flux across sediment/water interfaces in marine environments.” Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 84 (2): 173–184. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps084173.
Simpson, M. J., and T. P. Clement. 2003. “Theoretical analysis of the worthiness of Henry and Elder problems as benchmarks of density-dependent groundwater flow models.” Adv. Water Resour. 26 (1): 17–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0309-1708(02)00085-4.
Simpson, M. J., and T. P. Clement. 2004. “Improving the worthiness of the Henry problem as a benchmark for density-dependent groundwater flow models.” Water Resour. Res. 40 (1): W01504. https://doi.org/10.1029/2003WR002199.
Smith, A. J. 2004. “Mixed convection and density-dependent seawater circulation in coastal aquifers.” Water Resour. Res. 40 (8): W08309. https://doi.org/10.1029/2003WR002977.
Souza, W. R., and C. I. Voss. 1987. “Analysis of an anisotropic coastal aquifer system using variable-density flow and solute transport simulation.” J. Hydrol. 92 (1–2): 17–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(87)90087-4.
Taniguchi, M., W. C. Burnett, J. E. Cable, and J. V. Turner. 2002. “Investigation of submarine groundwater discharge.” Hydrol. Processes 16 (11): 2115–2129. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.1145.
Taniguchi, M., W. C. Burnett, H. Dulaiova, F. Siringan, J. Foronda, G. Wattayakorn, S. Rungsupa, E. A. Kontar, and T. Ishitobi. 2008. “Groundwater discharge as an important land-sea pathway into Manila Bay, Philippines.” J. Coastal Res. 24 (1A): 15–24. https://doi.org/10.2112/06-0636.1.
Taniguchi, M., T. Ishhitobi, and J. Shimada. 2006. “Dynamics of submarine groundwater discharge and freshwater-seawater interface.” J. Geophys. Res. 11 (C1): C01008 https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JC002924.
Werner, A. D., M. Bakker, V. E. A. Post, A. Vandenbohede, C. Lu, B. Ataie-Ashtiani, C. T. Simmons, and D. A. Barry. 2013. “Seawater intrusion processes, investigation and management: Recent advances and future challenges.” Adv. Water Resour. 51: 3–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2012.03.004.
Xu, M., and Y. Eckstein. 1995. “Use of weighted least-squares method in evaluation of the relationship between dispersivity and field scale.” Groundwater 33 (6): 905–908. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.1995.tb00035.x.
Younger, P. L. 1996. “Submarine groundwater discharge.” Nature 382 (6587): 121–122. https://doi.org/10.1038/382121a0.
Zheng, C., and P. P. Wang. 1999. MT3D: A modular three-dimensional multispecies transport model for simulation of advection, dispersion, and chemical reactions of contaminants in groundwater systems; documentation and user’s guide. Vicksburg, MS: US Army Research and Development Center.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 23 • Issue 11 • November 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 29, 2017
Accepted: May 29, 2018
Published online: Sep 10, 2018
Published in print: Nov 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Feb 10, 2019
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.