Closed-form analytical solutions for assessing the consequences of sea-level rise on groundwater resources in sloping coastal aquifers

Chesnaux, R.

Closed-form analytical solutions for assessing the consequences of sea-level rise on groundwater resources in sloping coastal aquifers | Solutions analytiques de formes fermées pour évaluer les conséquences d’une élévation du niveau marin sur les ressources en eau souterraine dans les aquifères côtiers en pente Soluciones analíticas de forma cerrada para evaluar las consecuencias del ascenso del nivel del mar sobre los recursos de agua subterránea en los acuíferos costeros con pendiente 评价海平面上升对倾斜沿海含水层地下水资源影响的封闭式解析解 Soluções analíticas de forma fechada para avaliar as consequências da elevação do nível do mar sobre os recursos hídricos subterrâneos em aquíferos costeiros inclinados

2015

Chesnaux, R.

The impacts of sea-level rise due to climate change on seawater intrusion in sloping-shore coastal unconfined aquifers are investigated. The study provides four closed-form analytical solutions for: (1) assessing the change in water-table elevation of coastal aquifers resulting from sea-level rise; (2) calculating the magnitude of the change of the saltwater inland toe migration within coastal aquifers in a context of sea-level rise; (3) measuring the change of groundwater travel times through coastal aquifers in a context of sea-level rise, and (4) calculating the change in the quantity (changes of volume) of coastal fresh groundwater resources in a context of sea-level rise. The solutions apply to Dupuit-flow type conditions considering one-dimensional horizontal flow for homogenous and isotropic unconfined aquifers recharged by constant surface infiltration and discharging to the ocean, under steady-state conditions and assuming a sharp interface of the saltwater/freshwater transition zone. Examples are provided to illustrate how to apply the new solutions and conduct sensitivity analyses of the critical parameters involved in the equations. Taking into account the angle of the shore slope, these solutions constitute new analytical tools aiming to better measure the effects of land-surface inundation and anticipate changes in groundwater resources in coastal aquifers in a context of climate change.

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