A New Normalized Groundwater Age-Based Index for Quantitative Evaluation of the Vulnerability to Seawater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers: Implications for Management and Risk Assessments

• Main Authors: Mohammed Adil Sbai, Abdelkader Larabi, Marwan Fahs, Joanna Doummar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-09-01
• Series: Water
• Subjects: coastal aquifers; seawater intrusion; vulnerability index; groundwater age; zero vulnerability line; coastal aquifer management
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/18/2496

The vulnerability of coastal aquifers to seawater intrusion has been largely relying on data-driven indexing approaches despite their shortcomings to depict the complex processes of groundwater flow and mass transport under variable velocity conditions. This paper introduces a modelling-based alternative technique relying on a normalized saltwater age vulnerability index post-processed from results of a variable density flow simulation. This distributed index is obtained from the steady-state distribution of the salinity and a restriction of the mean groundwater age to a mean saltwater age distribution. This approach provides a novel way to shift from the concentration space into a vulnerability assessment space to evaluate the threats to coastal aquifers. The method requires only a sequential numerical solution of two steady state sets of equations. Several variants of the hypothetical Henry problem and a case study in Lebanon are selected for demonstration. Results highlight this approach ability to rank, compare, and validate different scenarios for coastal water resources management. A novel concept of zero-vulnerability line/surface delineating the coastal area threatened by seawater intrusion has shown to be relevant for optimal management of coastal aquifers and risk assessments. Hence, this work provides a new tool to sustainably manage and protect coastal groundwater resources.