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A note on saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers

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Abstract

Transport of contaminants in aquifers has received considerable attention over the past few years. In coastal aquifers, a dispersion zone between saline water and fresh water exists where the flow of water and transport of salt ions are coupled. The flow pattern of two miscible fluids of different unit weights is characterized by the cyclic flow at the shore boundary. The width of the dispersion zone may be considerable, with the sharp interface assumption leading to erroneous results. A finite element model was applied to two prepublished problems for purposes of obtaining a better understanding of the saline water intrusion phenomenon. The effect of lowering the piezometric head due to excessive pumping was investigated. Physical parameters were extracted from the studies conducted by Kawatani and Rouve and Stoessinger, and comparison with their results was made.

Resumé

Pendant les dernières quelques années, le transport des contaminants dans les aquifères a reçu une attention considerable. Aux aquifères de la côte, il existe des zones où l'eau salé et l'eau douce se dispersent quand le flux de l'eau et le transport des ions du sel s'unissent. Le patron de flux [flow pattern] des fluides miscibles qui ont des différents unités de poids est characterisé par le flux cyclique au bord de la côte la largeur de la region de dispersion est considerable, et les suppositions de ‘'interface tranchante’ [sharp interface] peut conduire a des faux résultats. Pour mieux comprendre le phénomène de l'instrusion de l'eau salé, le modèle des ‘éléments limités’ [finite element] a été appliqué dans deux problèmes dejà publiés. L'effet de l'abaissement piezométrique à cause du pompage excessif a été étudiés. Les paramètres physique ont été extraits des cas dejà étudiés, conduits par Rouven-Stoessinger et Kawatani, et la comparaisons avec leurs résultats a été fait.

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Mohsen, M.S., Singh, V.P. & Amer, A.M. A note on saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers. Water Resour Manage 4, 123–134 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429801

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429801

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