Density-dependent 3D FE modelling of a recharge drain to mitigate saltwater contamination at the Venice farmland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Elisa Travaglino ◽  
Pietro Teatini
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Aquifers ◽  
Saltwater Intrusion ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Fe Modelling ◽  
Fresh Groundwater ◽  
Density Dependent

<p>Saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers is one of the most challenging and worldwide environmental problems, severely affected by human activities and climate change. It represents a threat to the quality and sustainability of fresh groundwater resources in coastal aquifers. Saline water is the most common pollutant in fresh groundwater which can also compromise the agriculture and the economy of the affected regions. Therefore, it is necessary to develop engineering solutions to restore groundwater quality or at least to prevent further degradation of its quality.</p><p>For this purpose, the goal of the Interreg Italy – Croatia MoST (MOnitoring Sea-water intrusion in coastal aquifers and Testing pilot projects for its mitigation) project is to test possible solutions (such as underground barriers, cut-off walls, recharge wells and recharge drains) against saltwater intrusion properly supported by field characterization, laboratory experiments, monitoring of hydrological parameters, and numerical models.</p><p>This works shows the preliminary results of an ongoing modelling study carried out for a coastal farmland at Ca’ Pasqua, in the southern part of the Venice lagoon, in Italy. A three-dimensional finite-element density-dependent groundwater flow and transport model is developed to simulate the dynamics of saltwater intrusion in this lowlying area. The model is used to assess the potential effects of a recharge drain recently established at 1.5 m depth along a sandy paleochannel crossing the organic-silty area. The goal of the intervention is to mitigate the soil and groundwater salinization by spreading freshwater supplied by a nearby canal. The beneficial consequences of the recharge drain should be enhanced by the higher permeability of the paleochannel.</p>

scholarly journals Management of Seawater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers: A Review

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed S. Hussain ◽  
Hany F. Abd-Elhamid ◽  
Akbar A. Javadi ◽  
Mohsen M. Sherif
Keyword(s):  
Seawater Intrusion ◽  
Coastal Aquifers ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Environmental Costs ◽  
Fresh Groundwater ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
And Control

Seawater intrusion (SWI) is one of the most challenging and widespread environmental problems that threaten the quality and sustainability of fresh groundwater resources in coastal aquifers. The excessive pumping of groundwater, associated with the lack of natural recharge, has exacerbated the SWI problem in arid and semi-arid regions. Therefore, appropriate management strategies should be implemented in coastal aquifers to control the impacts of SWI problems, considering acceptable limits of economic and environmental costs. The management of coastal aquifers involves the identification of an acceptable ultimate landward extent of the saline water body and the calculation of the amount of seaward discharge of freshwater that is necessary to keep the saline–freshwater interface in a seacoast position. This paper presents a comprehensive review of available hydraulic and physical management strategies that can be used to reduce and control SWI in coastal aquifers. Advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches are presented and discussed.

scholarly journals Modeling Seawater Intrusion to Coastal Aquifers in South Coast of Laizhou Bay, China

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 00004
Author(s):  
Yawen Chang ◽  
Bill X. Hu ◽  
Xue Li
Keyword(s):  
Seawater Intrusion ◽  
Coastal Aquifers ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Water Area ◽  
Laizhou Bay ◽  
Precipitation Condition ◽  
Fresh Groundwater ◽  
Depression Cone ◽  
Error Method

In this study, a two-dimensional SEAWAT 2000 model is developed to simulate the seawater intrusion to coastal aquifers and brine water/fresh water interaction in the south of Laizhou Bay, Shandong Province, China and forecast the seawater intrusion and brine water/freshwater interface development in the coming years. The model profile is perpendicular to the coastal line, about 40 km long and 110 m in depth, and consists of two interfaces, freshwater-saline water interface and brine water-saline water-seawater interface. The parameters of aquifers in the SEAWAT-2000 model are calibrated by trial-error method repeatedly to fit the head and salinity measurements. Based on the historical groundwater and brine water exploration and natural precipitation condition, the prediction results indicate that equivalent freshwater head in shallow freshwater-saline water area will decrease year by year and decline 2.0 m in the forecasting period, caused by groundwater over-pumping for irrigating farmlands. The groundwater head in the brine-saline water area will also decrease about 1.8 m in forecasting period. A larger depression cone appears in the brine area, with smaller funnels in other areas. The salinity in the brine area finally drops below 105g/l. In the meanwhile, the salinity increases in other areas, damage fresh groundwater resources.

scholarly journals Geochemical variations due to salinization in groundwater along the southeast coast of India

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thilagavathi Rajendiran ◽  
Chidambaram Sabarathinam ◽  
Thivya Chandrasekar ◽  
Banajarani Panda ◽  
Mahalakshmi Mathivanan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Aquifers ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Exchange Process ◽  
Northeast Monsoon ◽  
Sea Water Intrusion ◽  
Fresh Groundwater ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Water Intrusion ◽  
Study Results

AbstractIn recent years, the extraction of groundwater (GW) in coastal aquifers has rendered the fragile aquifers more saline due to the sea water intrusion. Groundwater from the coastal aquifers of the Pudhucherry region were sampled to study the process of salinization. An integrated approach was adopted to identify the salinization process, by coordinating the results of borehole geophysics, rainfall pattern, water level variation, hydrochemical characters and multivariate statistical analysis. A total of 136 groundwater samples were collected during two different seasons, southwest monsoon (SWM) and northeast monsoon (NEM). The major cations and anions were analyzed adopting standard procedures. Resistivity and litholog indicate that the southeastern (SE) part of the study region has lower resistivity than in north. Based on electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solids (TDS) values, most of the samples are potable, except for few samples from southeastern region. The study results indicated that higher values of Na, EC, K, SO4, Mg and Cl were observed during NEM, indicating leaching of salt into the aquifer and ion exchange process. The predominant hydrochemical facies of groundwater was Na-Cl and Ca–Mg–Cl type reflecting the saline water and the mixing process of saltwater and fresh groundwater, respectively. Though more number of samples with higher EC was noted in NEM, the results of PCA and correlation analysis indicate the predominance of leaching of salts and intense agricultural activities. The process of sea water intrusion was observed to be dominant during SWM.

Modeling saltwater intrusion with SUTRA 3.0 in Almonte-Marismas aquifer coast (Doñana Natural Space, Southern Spain). 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Serrano-Hidalgo ◽  
Ana Fernandez-Ayuso ◽  
Carolina Guardiola-Albert ◽  
Javier Heredia-Diaz ◽  
Francisco Javier Elorza-Tenreiro
Keyword(s):  
Seawater Intrusion ◽  
Saltwater Intrusion ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Dynamic Balance ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Southern Spain ◽  
Geological Survey ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
2D Model

<p> </p><p>The Almonte-Marismas aquifer is a multilayer alluvial groundwater body constituted of silts, sands and gravel of fluvial-deltaic and marine origin. It supports Doñana Natural Space (Southern of Spain). It is in direct hydraulic contact with the Atlantic Ocean to the Southwest. Nowadays, the aquifer is subjected to important losses in terms of regional groundwater resources caused by the excessive groundwater pumping for crop irrigation, as well as for tourism water supply in two coastal resorts. This fact causes a subsequent lowering of the phreatic head, and therefore, the water requirements of the ecosystems in this protected area.</p><p>Although up to date there is no evidence of saltwater intrusion in this area, there have been several studies warning that seawater advance through the deep layers would likely happen under the present exploitation pattern (Custodio, 1993). The aim of this study is to analyze the possible destabilization of the dynamic balance between the freshwater and saline water in the aquifer. This goal is assessed through numerical simulations of different seawater intrusion scenarios using a 2D model, where the density flow and solute transport model is considered using the SUTRA 3.0 package (Voss et al., 2002) of Modelmuse (Winston, 2014). This work enables the evaluation of the hydrodynamical conceptual model in the aquifer coast, the potential threat of seawater intrusion caused by coastal resort extractions and the consequences that it entails for the nearby natural environment.</p><p>Key issues: saltwater intrusion,2D model, SUTRA, Doñana, overexploitation.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>References</strong></p><p>Custodio E. 1993. Preliminary outlook of saltwater intrusion conditions in the Doñana National Park (Southern Spain). Study and Modelling of Saltwater Intrusion into Aquifers. Proceedings 12th Saltwater Intrusion Meeting, Barcelona, Nov. 1992. CIHS.CIMNE. Barcelona, 1993: 295-315.</p><p>Voss, C. I., and Provost, A.M., 2002 (Version of September 22, 2010), SUTRA, A model for saturated-unsaturated variable-density ground-water flow with solute or energy transport, U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4231, 291 p.</p><p>Winston, R.B., 2014, Modifications made to ModelMuse to add support for the Saturated-Unsaturated Transport model (SUTRA): U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, book 6, chap. A49, 6 p., https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/tm6a49.</p>

scholarly journals Advances in the Coastal and Submarine Groundwater Processes: Controls and Environmental Impact on the Thriassion Plain and Eleusis Gulf (Attica, Greece)

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 944
Author(s):  
Demetrios Hermides ◽  
Panayota Makri ◽  
George Kontakiotis ◽  
Assimina Antonarakou
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Quaternary Sediments ◽  
Major Goal ◽  
Fresh Groundwater ◽  
Sea Floor ◽  
Actual Mechanism ◽  
New Perspective

This study focuses on the hydrogeological conditions in the coastal (Thriassion plain) and submarine (Eleusis Gulf) environment of West Attica, Greece. Up to now, the predominant aspect for the Thriassion plain groundwater—hosted within the Neogene-Quaternary sediments—was its direct hydraulic contact with the seawater. Due to that, the coastal plain groundwater is strongly believed to be of brackish quality irrespective of the local hydrodynamic conditions. Our major goal is to evaluate the actual mechanism controlling the groundwater flow, the origin and distribution of saline water, and the existence of fresh groundwater in the submarine environment. We summarize the following: (1) groundwater of the Thriassion plain is partly discharged as an upwards leakage from deeper aquifers, (2) modern direct seawater intrusion is not possible in the Neogene-Quaternary sediments, and (3) fresh groundwater possibly exists below the sea floor of the Eleusis Gulf. The results may serve as hint of further research in groundwater resources below the Mediterranean Sea floor, and, consequently, a new perspective on water resource management could emerge.

scholarly journals Impacts of Sea Level Rise and Groundwater Extraction Scenarios on Fresh Groundwater Resources in the Nile Delta Governorates, Egypt

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marmar Mabrouk ◽  
Andreja Jonoski ◽  
Gualbert H. P. Oude Essink ◽  
Stefan Uhlenbrook
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Nile Delta ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Salt Transport ◽  
Groundwater Extraction ◽  
Fresh Groundwater ◽  
The Impact

As Egypt’s population increases, the demand for fresh groundwater extraction will intensify. Consequently, the groundwater quality will deteriorate, including an increase in salinization. On the other hand, salinization caused by saltwater intrusion in the coastal Nile Delta Aquifer (NDA) is also threatening the groundwater resources. The aim of this article is to assess the situation in 2010 (since this is when most data is sufficiently available) regarding the available fresh groundwater resources and to evaluate future salinization in the NDA using a 3D variable-density groundwater flow model coupled with salt transport that was developed with SEAWAT. This is achieved by examining six future scenarios that combine two driving forces: increased extraction and sea level rise (SLR). Given the prognosis of the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC), the scenarios are used to assess the impact of groundwater extraction versus SLR on the seawater intrusion in the Delta and evaluate their contributions to increased groundwater salinization. The results show that groundwater extraction has a greater impact on salinization of the NDA than SLR, while the two factors combined cause the largest reduction of available fresh groundwater resources. The significant findings of this research are the determination of the groundwater volumes of fresh water, brackish, light brackish and saline water in the NDA as a whole and in each governorate and the identification of the governorates that are most vulnerable to salinization. It is highly recommended that the results of this analysis are considered in future mitigation and/or adaptation plans.

Twenty five years of operational experience using GW modeling to evaluate sustainable use of coastal aquifers for major water supplies

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-473
Author(s):  
B. M. Harley ◽  
M. Gamache ◽  
K. K. Masterson ◽  
R. H. Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Coastal Aquifers ◽  
Saltwater Intrusion ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Operational Experience ◽  
Aquifer System ◽  
Southeastern Us ◽  
Groundwater Supply

The sustainable development and management of groundwater resources in coastal aquifers is complex and, historically, challenging to accomplish. Groundwater models play an essential role in addressing these complexities and providing the basis for planning future sustainable development. For more than 25 years, the authors have applied three-dimensional groundwater models to manage large scale coastal aquifers. The paper will present case studies demonstrating the application of groundwater models to evaluate conditions in complex coastal environments and to develop sustainable groundwater management strategies. These studies include Long Island, a sole source aquifer system in New York serving nearly 3 million people; aquifers in Southern California where injection barriers are used to prevent saltwater intrusion; and Savannah, Georgia in the southeastern US, where concentrated groundwater pumping has contributed to saltwater intrusion at a nearby resort island, and planning is underway to ensure a sustainable groundwater supply to both local industries and municipalities.

scholarly journals Technical note: an alternative approach to laboratory benchmarking of saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Crestani ◽  
Matteo Camporese ◽  
Paolo Salandin
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Aquifers ◽  
Saltwater Intrusion ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Technical Note ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Laboratory Facility ◽  
Saltwater Wedge ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Complex Settings

Abstract. Saltwater intrusion is a worldwide problem increasingly affecting coastal aquifers, due to climate changes and growing demand of freshwater for irrigation and human consumption. Therefore, research efforts on this topic have been intensified, aiming to achieve better predictions of the saltwater wedge evolution and design suitable countermeasures to limit the saltwater intrusion. Both physical and numerical models are essential for these purposes. This work presents a laboratory facility designed and built to simulate saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers, with the overall goal of providing benchmarks for numerical models by means of different measurement techniques. The laboratory facility has been specifically designed to limit errors and provide redundant evaluation in the measurement of hydraulic heads and discharged flow rates. Moreover, the size of the facility allows us to monitor the saltwater wedge evolution by electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). A specifically designed ERT monitoring system was developed and verified by comparison with photos of the saltwater wedge collected at regular intervals during an experiment in a homogeneous porous medium. The experiment consisted of two phases: for the initial 24 h, the saltwater wedge evolved without any external forcing, while in the following 12 h, freshwater was pumped out through a channel drain, to simulate aquifer exploitation. The SUTRA code was adopted to reproduce the experimental results, by calibrating only the longitudinal and transversal dispersivities. Overall, the agreement between observed data, numerical simulations, and ERT results, albeit preliminary, demonstrates that the proposed laboratory facility can provide valuable benchmarks for future studies of seawater intrusion, even in more complex settings.

scholarly journals Offshore fresh groundwater in coastal unconsolidated sediment systems as a potential fresh water source in the 21st century

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Zamrsky ◽  
Gualbert Oude Essink ◽  
Edwin Sutanudjaja ◽  
Rens van Beek ◽  
Marc F P Bierkens
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Coastal Aquifers ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Groundwater Exploration ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Fresh Groundwater ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Groundwater Reserves

Abstract Coastal areas worldwide are often densely populated and host regional agricultural and industrial hubs. Strict water quality requirements for agricultural, industrial and domestic use are often not satisfied by surface waters in coastal areas and consequently lead to over-exploitation of local fresh groundwater resources. Additional pressure by both climate change and population growth further intensifies the upcoming water stress and raise the urgency to search for new fresh water sources. In recent years, offshore fresh groundwater reserves have been identified as such a potential water source. In this study, we quantify, for the first time, the global volume of offshore fresh groundwater in unconsolidated coastal aquifers and show that it is a viable option as additional fresh water source in coastal areas. Our results confirm previously reported widespread presence of offshore fresh groundwater along the global coastline. Furthermore, we find that these reserves are likely non-renewable as they were deposited during glacial periods when sea levels were substantially lower compared to current sea level. We estimate the total offshore fresh groundwater volume in unconsolidated coastal aquifers to be approximately 1.06 ± 0.2 million km³, which is roughly three times more than estimated previously and about 10% of all terrestrial fresh groundwater. With extensive active and inactive offshore oil pumping present in areas of large offshore fresh groundwater reserves, they could be considered for temporary fresh groundwater exploration as part of a transition to sustainable water use in coastal areas on the long run.

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