Seawater intrusion assessment along the Volturno River (Italy) via numerical modeling and spectral analysis

Abstract

Surface and groundwater salinization are becoming a significant challenge to inland water quality, negatively affecting people and ecosystems in coastal areas. Even if rivers provide critical pathways for seawater intrusion, this salinization phenomenon has received relatively little attention compared to other salinization mechanisms. To assess the distribution of salinity along the final reach of the Volturno River (Italy), an entire hydrologic year was modeled using the HEC-RAS software. The model was fed with high resolution time-series measurements (time interval of 10 min) of water surface elevations at both river mouth and Cancello Arnone (a hydrometric station located 13 km inland). Field observations and remote sensed data were used to perform the hydrodynamic analysis. The model showed good performance indicators (R2 = 0.878, NSE = 0.870, and MAE = 0.037 m) and well caught hydrometric variation over the simulation period. The tidal component was affected by dissipation moving upstream and showed the capability to shape the salinity profile during dry periods. Whereas during wet periods, even if a strong tidal component is present, the profile is totally regulated by the river discharge. The analysis of the salinity distribution, modelled via the Water Quality module, revealed the massive contribution of the river discharge in limiting seawater intrusion. A correlation between intrusion events and hydrometric stages was established over twenty years (2002–2022), showing a consistent trend between intrusion occurrence and the surface water storage anomaly in the lower Volturno River calculated by Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) model. Although the 1D approach here used may lead to uncertainties in the reproduction of the involved hydrodynamic and salinization processes, the results are useful for the understanding of seawater intrusion in rivers, and may be utilized to study seawater intrusion in aquifers.