Impact of Sea Level Rise on Groundwater Salinity in a Coastal Community of South Florida1

Guha, Hillol and Sorab Panday, 2012. Impact of Sea Level Rise on Groundwater Salinity in a Coastal Community of South Florida. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(3): 510-529. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2011.00630.x Abstract: Freshwater resources of coastal communities in the United States and world over are threatened by the rate of sea level rise. According to recent estimates by various governmental agencies and climate researchers, the global sea level rise is likely to be between 0.6 and 2.1 m by the year 2100. South Florida is a coastal community and much of its coastline is subject to sea level rise and potential impacts to wetlands and the water resources of the area. To understand what the impact of sea level rise would cause to the groundwater level and salinity intrusion, an integrated groundwater and surface water model was developed for North Miami-Dade and Broward Counties of South Florida. The model was calibrated against daily groundwater heads, base flows in canals, and chloride concentrations for a period of one year and six months. Three separate sensitivity analyses were conducted by increasing the sea level by 0.6, 0.9, and 1.22 m. Results of the simulations shows increase of groundwater heads in some areas from 4 to 15%; whereas the average relative chloride concentrations increased significantly by 100-600% in some wells. The increase in groundwater elevations and chloride concentrations varies from location of the wells and its proximity to the coast. The model results indicate that even a 0.6 m increase in sea level (which is the conservative estimate) is likely to impair the vital freshwater resources in many parts of South Florida.     

Mixing-controlled biodegradation in a toluene plume--results from two-dimensional laboratory experiments

Various abiotic and biotic processes such as sorption, dilution, and degradation are known to affect the fate of organic contaminants, such as petroleum hydrocarbons in saturated porous media. Reactive transport modeling of such plumes indicates that the biodegradation of organic pollutants is, in many cases, controlled by mixing and therefore occurs locally at the plume's fringes, where electron donors and electron-acceptors mix. Herein, we aim to test whether this hypothesis can be verified by experimental results obtained from aerobic and anaerobic degradation experiments in two-dimensional sediment microcosms. Toluene was selected as a model compound for oxidizable contaminants. The two-dimensional microcosm was filled with quartz sand and operated under controlled flow conditions simulating a contaminant plume in otherwise uncontaminated groundwater. Aerobic degradation of toluene by Pseudomonas putida mt-2 reduced a continuous 8.7 mg L(-1) toluene concentration by 35% over a transport distance of 78 cm in 15.5 h. In comparison, under similar conditions Aromatoleum aromaticum strain EbN1 degraded 98% of the toluene infiltrated using nitrate (68.5+/-6.2 mg L(-1)) as electron acceptor. A major part of the biodegradation activity was located at the plume fringes and the slope of the electron-acceptor gradient was steeper during periods of active biodegradation. The distribution of toluene and the significant overlap of nitrate at the plume's fringe indicate that biokinetic and/or microscale transport processes may constitute additional limiting factors. Experimental data is corroborated with results from a reactive transport model using double Monod kinetics. The outcome of the study shows that in order to simulate degradation in contaminant plumes, detailed data sets are required to test the applicability of models. These will have to deal with the incorporation of existing parameters coding for substrate conversion kinetics and microbial growth.     

Semi-analytical solution of two-dimensional sharp interface LNAPL transport models

In this paper, we present semi-analytical solutions for two-dimensional equations governing transport of Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (LNAPL) in unconfined aquifers. The proposed model is based on sharp interface displacement and steady groundwater flow assumptions, where both the water–LNAPL interface and the LNAPL–air interface are represented as sharp interfaces. In the case of steady groundwater flow, these equations can be reduced to a two-dimensional nonlinear solute transport equation, with the LNAPL thickness in the free product lens being the primary unknown variable. The linearized form of this solute transport equation falls into the category of two-dimensional transport equation with time-dependent dispersion coefficients. This equation can be solved analytically for an infinite domain region. In this paper, the general form of the analytical solution for the transport equation, as well as the solutions for some specific cases are presented. To demonstrate the utility of the proposed solution, numerical results obtained for two example problems are discussed and presented comparatively with a finite-element solution and other more restrictive solutions available in the literature. Although the solutions discussed in this paper have some simplifying assumptions, such as sharp-interfaces between fluid phases, steady groundwater flow and homogeneous aquifer properties, the semi-analytical solutions presented in this study may be used effectively as bench mark solutions in evaluating LNAPL migration in the subsurface. These solutions are simple and cost effective to implement and may be used in the calibration of other more complex numerical solutions that can be found in the literature.     

Monitoring of Heavy Metal Pollution of Groundwater in a Phreatic Aquifer in Mersin-Turkey

In this study, heavy metal contents of groundwater from the Mersin aquifer were determined with photometric methods and used to determine the main factors controlling the pollution of groundwater in the area. Using MapInfo GIS software, spatial analysis and integration were carried out for mapping drinking water quality in the basin. From the photometric heavy metal analysis, it is inferred that the excess concentration of Fe, Ni, Mn, Mo and Cu at some locations is the cause of undesirable quality for drinking purposes. Similarly, the EC thematic map shows that considerable areas in the basin are having high salinity hazards. The reason for excess concentration of various heavy metals is the industrial activities and petroleum pipelines and salinity levels show the sea water intrusion.     

带压开采陷落柱突水影响因素数值模拟

为研究承压水压与煤层陷落柱位置这两种因素对陷落柱突水的影响,在分析固流耦合数学模型的基础上,利用数值模拟软件FLAC3D,以双柳矿地质条件为背景,分别对3 MPa和5 MPa承压水压下开采上、下两组煤4种情况进行模拟,分析陷落柱及其周边围岩的渗流-塑性破坏耦合场、应力场和位移场的变化.结果表明:随着工作面推进至接近陷落柱,工作面前方集中应力场与柱体周边应力场发生耦合,并出现应力集中,当水压为5 MPa开采上组煤时应力集中系数最大,最容易形成突水危险区域;当上组煤工作面距离陷落柱为30 m时,陷落柱渗流场与集中应力场开始连通,在开采下组煤时这一距离比上组煤扩大15 ～ 20 m;煤层底板随工作面推进发生压缩-膨胀周期变化,引起拉伸、剪切破坏.     

基于井口涌水量变化类型判断岩溶含水层厚度

针对含水相对均匀的溶洞-裂隙水含水岩组,为判断岩溶含水层厚度,通过对空气潜孔锤钻进工艺施工钻孔井口涌水量变化进行分析,结果发现:利用该工艺施工的钻孔井口涌水量一般会出现稳定型、降低型和增长型三种变化类型;井口涌水量变化类型反映了岩溶含水层是空间尺度上发育的垂向地下水系统,具有分层特征,其厚度与碳酸盐岩岩溶化程度的不均一性耦合,体现了碳酸盐岩岩体内不同空隙的发育规模、密度及其相互间的联系程度;明确了地下水埋深状况以及含水层的构成条件。故采用空气潜孔锤钻进工艺施工的钻孔,在非干孔情形下,可以利用井口涌水量的变化类型判断岩溶含水层厚度。     

乙醇对含水层中燃油芳香烃内在生物修复的潜在风险

内在生物修复,是在没有工程措施促进的情况下利用土著微生物降解含水层内灾害性物质的一种修复技术,在燃油烃污染管理方面具有显著的成本效益。该技术需要确定自然衰减过程,并能够继续提供有效的风险保护。针对燃油污染含水层,北美与欧洲认为内在生物修复是值得优先考虑的应用技术。然而,随着乙醇燃油的推广使用,我国在应用这样的经验时需要考虑乙醇的潜在影响。现有的文献研究表明乙醇存在能够阻止燃油主要污染物芳香烃(BTEX)的生物降解,降低水环境的pH值,并可能增强BTEX在水中的溶解性,或存在对生物的毒性,或因为乙醇降解降低介质的渗透性能。因此,需要更好地认识乙醇的潜在风险,为发展乙醇燃油污染含水层修复策略提供科学依据。     

Surface clogging process modeling of suspended solids during urban stormwater aquifer recharge

Aquifer recharge,which uses urban stormwater,is an effective technique to control the negative effects of groundwater overexploitation,while clogging problems in infiltration systems remain the key restricting factor in broadening its practice.Quantitative understanding of the clogging process is still very poor.A laboratory study was conducted to understand surface physical clogging processes,with the primary aim of developing a model for predicting suspended solid clogging processes before aquifer recharge projects start.The experiments investigated the clogging characteristics of different suspended solid sizes in recharge water by using a series of one-dimensional fine quartz sand columns.The results showed that the smaller the suspended particles in recharge water,the farther the distance of movement and the larger the scope of clogging in porous media.Clogging extents in fine sand were 1 cm,for suspended particle size ranging from 0.075 to 0.0385 mm,and 2 cm,for particles less than 0.0385 mm.In addition,clogging development occurred more rapidly for smaller suspended solid particles.It took 48,42,and 36 hr respectively,for large-,medium-,and small-sized particles to reach pre-determined clogging standards.An empirical formula and iteration model for the surface clogging evolution process were derived.The verification results obtained from stormwater recharge into fine sand demonstrated that the model could reflect the real laws of the surface clogging process.     

地质封存中CO_2盐水溶液的表观摩尔体积模型

在现有CO2盐水溶液密度模型的基础上,根据CO2地下盐水溶液密度实验数据,考虑了温度、压力和CO2质量分数三个参数的影响,建立了CO2盐水溶液的表观摩尔体积模型。模型结果表明该模型能在30~50℃、10~20 MPa温压范围内准确预测CO2在盐水溶液中的表观摩尔体积,将预测结果与实验数据进行对比发现最大相对误差为0.25%,平均相对误差为0.1%,模型预测精度明显高于现有的CO2盐水溶液表观摩尔体积模型,为CO2地下盐水层封存提供了必要的基础。     

Temporal trends in agricultural water use and the relationships to hydroclimatic factors in the High Plains aquifer region

The High Plains aquifer (HPA) is the primary water source for agricultural irrigation in the US Great Plains. The water levels in many locations of the aquifer have declined steadily over the past several decades because the rate of water withdrawals exceeds recharge, which has been a serious concern to the water resources management in the region. We evaluated temporal trends and variations in agricultural water use and hydroclimatic variables including precipitation, air temperature, reference evapotranspiration, runoff, groundwater level, and terrestrial water storage across the HPA region for different periods from 1985 to 2020 at the grid, county, or region scale. The results showed that water withdrawals decreased from 21.3 km³/year in 1985 to 18.2 km³/year in 2015, while irrigated croplands increased from 71,928 km² in 1985 to 78,464 km² in 2015 in the entire HPA. The hydroclimatic time-series showed wetting trends in most of the northern HPA, but drying and warming trends in the southern region from 1985 to 2020. The groundwater level time-series indicated flat trends in the north, but significant declining in the central and southern HPA. Trends in irrigation water withdrawals and irrigation area across the HPA were controlled by the advancement of irrigation systems and technologies and the management of sustainable water use, but also were affected by dynamical changes in the hydroclimatic conditions.