Abstract
We investigate the long-distance salinity in a dual permeability coastal karst aquifer with a double conduit network using a three-dimensional variable-density groundwater flow and multispecies transport SEAWAT model. Sensitivity analyses were used to evaluate the impact of the parameters and boundary conditions on the modeling saltwater wedge in a karstic aquifer situated in the Cuban land territory, including hydraulic conductivity, vertical anisotropy and salinity concentration; both in the conduits network and the fractured medium. These analyses indicated that hydraulic conductivity of the fractured medium and salt concentration were the ones that have a stronger effect on saltwater intrusion in a karstic aquifer. We also show results of the three-dimensional numerical simulations on groundwater salinity for different scenarios with the variabilities of the important parameters and compare results with electric conductivity profiles measured in a well.
Highlights
Coastal karst aquifers have an important role as water resources
Coastal groundwater resources are vulnerable to frequent seawater-freshwater exchanges in a karst aquifer, which consists of high permeability conduits and low permeability fractured medium with sinkholes and karst windows that are usually connected by well-developed subsurface conduit networks [1,2,3,4,5]
The model successfully describes the variation of the Electrical Conductivity (EC) observed in “well 18”, as a function of the depth superimposed with a different x-scale axis
Summary
Coastal karst aquifers have an important role as water resources. These aquifers have hydraulic links with the sea resulting in dominant or important conduits flow conditions, submarine freshwater springs and/or natural seawater intrusion into the aquifer through karst conduits. The management of saltwater intrusion into a coastal aquifer is one of the most challenging problems due to its very complex network of conduits. Coastal groundwater resources are vulnerable to frequent seawater-freshwater exchanges in a karst aquifer, which consists of high permeability conduits and low permeability fractured medium with sinkholes and karst windows that are usually connected by well-developed subsurface conduit networks [1,2,3,4,5]
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