Numerical simulation provides conditions for interpreting the groundwater response to Earth tides

Abstract

Earth tides exert small gravitational variations in the subsurface which lead to pore pressure changes and water level fluctuations in groundwater monitoring wells. This groundwater response to Earth tides has been used to estimate subsurface hydraulic and geomechanical properties. However, existing approaches are based on simplifying assumptions and their reliability has not been tested for realistic conditions. To simulate how Earth tides affect the subsurface, we developed and verified a numerical model that couples hydraulic and geomechanical theories. We modelled the response of a semi-confined aquifer which exchange water with an observation well for the dominant M2 Earth tide component. We reveal that undrained (i.e., groundwater does not flow in response to stress) and confined (i.e., groundwater is under pressure) conditions are necessary for the analytical solution to be valid. For the M2 frequency we assess that this occurs at depths ≤ 50 m and requires specific storage at constant strain sε ≥ 10-6 m-1, hydraulic conductivity of the aquitard kl ≤ 5 • 10-5 ms-1 and aquifer kl ≥ 1 • 10-4 ms-1, respectively. Further, we illustrate that established analytical solutions are valid in unconsolidated systems, whereas consolidated systems require additional consideration of the compressibility ratio between the porous medium and the porous skeleton (i.e., inclusion of the Biot coefficient). Overall, we find that a priori knowledge of the subsurface system increases the reliability of the groundwater response interpretation. Our results improve understanding of the effect of Earth tides on groundwater systems and provide a framework for evaluating subsurface properties.