Abstract
Brackish to saline groundwater in arid environments encourages the development and sustainability of inland freshwater lenses (IFLs). While these freshwater resources supply much-needed drinking water throughout the Arabian Peninsula and other drylands, little is understood about their sustainability. This study presents a numerical model using the SEAWAT programming code (i.e., MODFLOW and the Modular Three-Dimensional Multispecies Transport Model (MT3DMS)) to simulate IFL transient evolution. The numerical model is based on a physical laboratory model and calibrated using results from simulations conducted in a previous study of the Raudhatain IFL in northern Kuwait. Data from three previously conducted physical model simulations were evaluated against the corresponding numerical model simulations. The hydraulic conductivities in the horizontal and vertical directions were successfully optimized to minimize the objective function of the numerical model simulations. The numerical model matched observed IFL water levels at four locations through time, as well as IFL thicknesses and lengths (R2 = 0.89, 0.94, 0.85). Predicted lens degradation times corresponded to the observed lenses, which demonstrated the utility of numerical models and physical models to assess IFL geometry and position. Improved understanding of IFL dynamics provides water-resource exploration and development opportunities in drylands throughout the Arabian Peninsula and elsewhere with similar environmental settings.
Highlights
While saline groundwater systems in semi-arid and arid environments are generally considered a problem for water resource managers, the occurrence of shallow (
As noted in the lens geometry results, the numerical model over-predicted the thicknesses of all three solutions for the duration of the simulation but consistently predicted the rate of decrease in thickness (Figure 10)
The numerical model using the SEAWAT programming code successfully modeled the development and transient evolution of three IFLs produced with a physical laboratory model [1]
Summary
While saline groundwater systems in semi-arid and arid environments are generally considered a problem for water resource managers, the occurrence of shallow (20 mm/h), which occur between every one to three years based on a correlation between the El Niño-Southern. The resultant variable-density condition forms a boundary surface or freshwater-saltwater interface, above which a freshwater lens forms [15] (Figure 1).
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